Darina has a BSc. and MSc. in Nutritional Science and has over 17 years of experience working in research, she is currently the project manager of the ENRICH / Baby Smart Study. The Study is led by Prof. Geraldine Boylan, Prof. Deirdre Murray and Prof. Gene Dempsey and it is focused on understanding how sleep contributes to the healthy development of infants. The ENRICH programme, supported by Johnson & Johnson and Science Foundation Ireland, will research the effects of lifestyles, sensory experiences and sleep patterns on the cognitive development of healthy infants.
Prior to her current role Darina worked as the project manager of the Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort, led by Prof. Deirdre Murray. This was the first Irish birth cohort and was funded by the National Children’s Research Centre. Initially >2,000 were recruited at birth from Cork University Maternity Hospital, these infants were followed up until 5 years of age.
Career Profile:
- 2017-Present Project Manager of the ENRICH / Baby Smart Study
- 2008-2016 Project Manager of the Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort Study
- 2005-2008 Database manager of the Bioactives database, as part of the EuroFIR European Project (a European Network of Food Composition Databases) where I was database manager for the Bioactives database.
- 2002-2005 Research assistant in the National Children’s Food Survey Ireland, University College Cork
- 2000-2002 Quality Analyst in Novartis Pharmaceuticals
- 1999 MSc, Department of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork
- 1997 BSc in Nutritional Science at University College Cork