I’m a first-class honours Physiotherapy graduate from Trinity College Dublin. I did a Research Masters in the same institution that looked at physical wellbeing and quality of life in people with narcolepsy. I then went on to complete my PhD in the University of Leeds.

My research focused on developing strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour and improve social connectedness in community-dwelling older adults. I’m currently working as a Research Associate in the University of Glasgow, looking at how we can increase physical activity and social connectedness in older adults as part of the PACES project.

During my PhD, I got involved with YCEDE. I initially helped facilitate workshops looking at the lived experience of students of colour and the barriers present to pursuing Doctoral studies. I then joined the YCEDE Scholar’s Board, and provided input into the project during the remainder of my PhD.

My favourite moment of my PhD was calling my mam to let her know I had passed my Viva and being able to celebrate with friends afterwards. The biggest difficulty I had during PhD was dealing with unexpected challenges due to COVID-19 and being flexible with intervention options. The advice I constantly got from my supervisors during my PhD was to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I didn’t realise what they meant until I neared completing my PhD. I would give the same advice to current postgraduate researchers. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, embrace the good days, acknowledge the bad days and enjoy the process.