Dr Abigail Pattenden joined the DPTC in 2016 as the Funding Officer, following several years in the same role for Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals in University of Limerick. Her background is in deep-sea biology having completed her PhD in megafaunal ecology of submarine canyons in 2008, before going on to be a project manager for a series of EU-funded research centres in the United Kingdom and Limerick. She brings her experience in research, research project management and proposal writing to her current role and finds the breadth of her experience useful in supporting the DPTC researchers and industry partners in their research funding journeys.