He subsequently attended the University of Western Australia, where he completed a PhD on the clinical management of chronic stuttering. During the 1980s, his teaching and research activities broadened to include health psychology and behavioural medicine. In 1991, he was appointed Foundation Professor of Behavioural Health Sciences at La Trobe University, Melbourne. He moved to Ireland in 1998 to take up the position of Professor and Head of Department at NUI, Galway. His main research interests are in the field of cardiovascular behavioural health, and include the effects of habitual caffeine consumption on blood pressure, patterns of hemodynamic reactivity associated with different kinds of stress, and the moderating influences of social support on psychophysiological indices of stress.
Habitual use is a preventable cardiovascular risk factor.
Effects of video relayed social support on hemodynamic reactivity and salivary cortisol during laboratory-based behavioral challenge. Acute and chronic effects of caffeine on performance, mood, headache, and sleep. Office Room 204, Fl. 1, St. Anthony's Tel. One of the founders of the Psychological Society of Ireland, he has been active in developing its publications and international links. Currently, he is involved in researching European Union projects in the areas of child care and training for women in rural areas.