A graduate of University College, Dublin and of Brunel University, UK, he has worked for over 38 years in the area of food safety. Before joining the FSAI in 1999, he worked in the Food Safety Programme of the World Health Organization in Geneva. He has worked at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK, and as a visiting associate professor at the College of Fisheries, University of the Philippines. He is a member of the Advisory Forum of the European Food Safety Authority and a board member of the Irish National Accreditation Board.
He is also the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Food Information Council. He acts as an adviser to national and international food safety organisations.