Sinéad has ten years of experience in experimental community ecology, ecosystem restoration, and environmental engineering. Her previous work utilized primarily hypothesis-driven field experiments along with regional survey techniques, geospatial analyses, and modeling efforts to investigate the effects of climate change on biodiversity, stability and functionality of coastal ecosystems. Sinéad has conducted research across the many coastal systems of the eastern US, including salt marshes, sand dunes, mangroves, cobble beaches, and live oak savannas.

Sinéad holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Environmental Engineering Sciences (2019). Prior to her dissertation work, Sinéad received her Bachelor of Science in Biology (Honors) from Brown University in 2015.