Staff Profiles

I'm a statistician with interests in causal inference, techniques in medical statistics, statistical genetics, Bayesian statistics and decision theory.   

I developed an interest in statistics through my undergraduate degree in actuarial science (BAFS, 2000).  I then pursued a MSc. in statistics at UCD (2001), and stayed at UCD for a lecturing role from 2001-2002.  Based on my MSc. results I received a travelling studentship in Mathematical Science from the National University of Ireland, which I used to travel to the U.S. to pursue a PhD in statistics at Yale University.  During my PhD, I received a thorough grounding in both the theoretical and applied aspects of statistics.  I received the Leonard J. Savage prize for statistical writing for my PhD dissertation, which focused on statistical analyses that show robustness properties over a range of choices of statistical loss (or risk) functions.  

After graduating with a PhD in statistics in 2009, I undertook a joint postdoctoral role in statistical genetics and biostatistics with Professor Hongyu Zhao (in the biostatistics group at Yale) and Professor Judy Cho in the genetics group.  During this time, I developed statistical methodology to address a range of challenges in statistical genetics such as reducing winner's curse bias in genetic studies, association tests that combine multiple rare variants in a gene region to improve statistical power and joint analysis of multiple histone libraries.  I also worked in collaboration in geneticists and other scientists on a range of studies involving high throughput sequencing.  After this postdoctoral role, I undertook a position (as a Visiting Assistant Professor) in George Washington University where I taught courses in statistical decision theory, probability and basic statistical inference at both postgraduate and undergraduate level.

In 2013, I returned to Ireland.  I worked at UL as a research fellow in biostatistics from 2013-2015. During this time, I developed novel statistical methods in record linkage that we used to link hospital laboratory records longitudinally over time, as cross sectionally to CSO records.  I also worked as the principle statistician on a range of applied projects pertaining to the progression of chronic kidney disease.  

In 2015, I undertook a position as Senior Research Fellow, located at the Clinical Research Facility at the University of Galway.  Since 2015, I have developed statistical methods to better estimate 'population attributable fractions', a causal metric that refers to the level of disease in a population that would be avoided in the absence of a harmful exposure (such as smoking).  I received a HRB Emerging Investigator award in 2017, to extend this work, with a focus on better incorporation known causal pathways (involving risk factors, confounders and disease) into these statistical methods.  Many of the new methods that I (together with postdocs) developed as part of the award are implemented in the R package graphPAF, and are summarised in the associated paper in the European Journal of Epidemiology.  In 2021, I assumed the position of lecturer (above the bar) in biostatistics in Medical Biostatistics located in Clinical Research Facility, and since January 2024 I have been lecturer (above the bar) in Statistical Science in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.