In 2001 I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a BSc Hons in Zoology, continuing there to complete an Msc in Environmental Sciences in 2002. In late 2002 I began work as a Research Technician in the Respiratory Research Group at Queen’s University, working on COPD and asthma based drug studies. In 2005, I branched into stone research in the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology at Queen’s, working on the Natural Stone Database for Northern Ireland as a technician and historic building surveyor. Postgraduate research followed, investigating biological growth on stone in Northern Ireland, with time taken out to work as a Research Fellow on a Knowledge Transfer Secondment researching the effects of water consolidant and biocide products on stone. In January 2016 I began work as a Research Technician on the HaBio project in the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University. I have authored/co-authored 10 peer-reviewed papers and presented at five international conferences.