Fiona graduated with a BSc (Physics and Chemistry, 1st Class honours) from Trinity College Dublin / Dublin Institute of Technology in 1991 and a PhD (Biophysics) in 1995 from University College Dublin. After her PhD, she carried out postdoctoral research at Daresbury Laboratory, UK, from 1995 to 1998 funded by the Ernst Schering Research Foundation. She was then awarded a Health Research Board Postdoctoral Fellowship at University College Cork from 1998 to 1999. She was awarded a Dublin Institute of Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship in 1999 and an Arnold Graves Fellowship in 2000. Since 2003, Fiona has been Centre Manager of the Radiation and Environmental Science Centre (RESC). She was awarded an Honorary Professorship in 2012.

Fiona has >25 years research experience since attaining her PhD and has published >140 peer reviewed journal papers (>65% open access), has a h index of 50 and >7500 citations. She has supervised 32 PhD students and 2 MPhil students to completion and has acted as mentor to 12 postdoctoral scientists and 3 MSCA Fellows. She has filed 4 patents and won the Enterprise Ireland ‘One to Watch’ award in 2011. She is a member of several professional bodies and has served as President of the Microscopy Society of Ireland, Chair of the Irish Radiation Research Society and President of the European Radiation Research Society and she is currently serving as Secretary Treasurer of the International Association for Radiation Research. She has hosted a number of national and international conferences.

Her research is focussed on developing new technologies based on optical spectroscopy for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, aligned to UN SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing and the TU Dublin priority area, Health and Wellbeing for a Resilient Society.  She has been awarded almost €6 million funding by the EU (Horizon2020, FP7, FP6), Science Foundation Ireland, Health Research Board, Irish Research Council and Enterprise Ireland. She has successfully led and managed >20 research projects (not including postdoctoral or postgraduate student projects).