Patricia is Professor of Biochemistry at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science. She is also Director of the UCD Institute for Discovery a major cross-disciplinary research institute in UCD, which builds and cultivates interdisciplinary connections in emerging areas of research aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Patricia’s research interests are focused on combining her world-leading expertise in platelet biology together with Artificial Intelligence to aid in the diagnosis and further understanding of inflammatory diseases including Preeclampsia, Multiple Sclerosis, Venous ThromboEmbolism and COVID-19. Campaigns include ‘AI for good’, ‘Plotting the Future’, ‘Cybersecurity’ and ‘Data for Healthcare’. 

Don’t ever take a no as a final answer, there are plenty of ways to get to where you want to go. You will encounter upset, failure and maybe have your dreams dashed, my advice is to dust yourself off and pick yourself back up and get on with it. In a few months/years, you will see this disappointment as important experience in the bank that will make you more resilient for the next time disappointment happens, as it always inevitably will!!

Patricia leads the multi-award winning AI_PREMie project, where she has discovered that information carried by platelets combined with powerful AI can help clinicians to diagnose pre-eclampsia in the blood of expectant mothers. Her research has enabled collaboration with industry across multiple sectors including Bayer AG, Sanofi, Mallinckrodt pharmaceuticals, Microsoft, Google, Dell and SAS Institute.

Preeclampsia is a dangerous complication that can develop during pregnancy, affecting almost one in every 10 pregnancies. However, warning signs are difficult to detect, meaning preeclampsia often goes undetected until complications become serious, often life threatening. Patricia and her team have drawn upon cutting-edge biomedical, clinical and machine-learning research to develop a prototype risk stratification tool, AI_PREMie, that identifies women with preeclampsia and how they will progress. The team have also raised public awareness of preeclampsia and their prototype solution through a range of public engagement activities. 

The biomarkers underlying AI_PREMie were awarded the UCD NOVA Invention of the year 2021 for their significance in preeclampsia diagnosis and the real prospect of saving lives. Her case study AI_PREMie: saving lives of mothers and babies using AI was shortlisted in the 2022 UCD Research Impact Case Study Competition.

Patricia has won multiple accolades for her research including the 2021 Invention of the Year Award in UCD, the 2022 AI Ireland Award for the Best Academic Project and the 2022 AI Ireland Award for the Best Application of AI for Societal Good. She has been widely recognised for her advocacy and mentorship for all in STEM including the 2020 Science Foundation Ireland Mentorship Award. She lives in Dublin, where she is married and mum to three teenage girls. 

She says, "Work hard and follow your dreams. Try to give yourself as many opportunities as you possibly can. Don’t ever take a no as a final answer, there are plenty of ways to get to where you want to go. You will encounter upset, failure and maybe have your dreams dashed, my advice is to dust yourself off and pick yourself back up and get on with it. In a few months/years, you will see this disappointment as important experience in the bank that will make you more resilient for the next time disappointment happens, as it always inevitably will!!"