Her main research interests include dietary and lifestyle risk factors for obesity and mechanisms of control of appetite, satiety and food intake following bariatric surgery and she has published over 150 peer-reviewed research papers. She has been a Scientific Governor of the British Nutrition Foundation and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee, safefood (Ireland), the Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee (Food Standards Agency), the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Public Health Nutrition Sub-committee. She has contributed to several ILSI (Europe and US) taskforces and has chaired the Data and Research Advisory Group of the N. Ireland Obesity Prevention Steering Group. She is a former treasurer and chairperson of the Irish Section of the Nutrition Society.