Dr Lennon is the Pharmacy Programme Development Lead at SETU. She is a lecturer in organic chemistry with research interests in stereoselective organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry using greener and more sustainable methods. She joined SETU in 2006 and was previously programme leader of the BSc(Hons) in Pharmaceutical Science. She has lectured in organic chemistry, biocatalysis, pharmaceutical production and advanced spectroscopic characterisation at both undergraduate and postgraduate level with a strong focus on embedding research into her teaching and the undergraduate curriculum. She has organised research, career seminars and information events for students, along with undergraduate conference events as part of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience Network. She was acting Chair of the SURE Network in 2023 and has been a member since its inception in 2017. Dr Lennon received the SETU Teaching Excellence Award in 2021.

Dr Lennon graduated from University of Limerick, with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Chemistry and completed  PhD studies at University College Dublin in Organic Chemistry, specialising in the area of stereoselective organic synthesis.  Following her PhD she joined University of Edinburgh as a post-doctoral researcher in supramolecular chemistry and worked as a Development Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Dr Lennon is a founding member of the PMBRC and to date has graduated 4 PhD students, 1 research Masters student with 3 research students currently under her supervision. Current research projects span biocatalysis, continuous processing, cascade reactions, novel anti-microbial development and solvents to improve solubility for transdermal drug delivery. Dr Lennon was nominated for the SETU Research Excellence Awards in 2022 and 2023 for the Research Supervision Award. She is a MyGreen Lab Ambassader, member of Irish Green Labs and a member of the Green Lab team within the PMBRC. Dr Lennons laboratory B36 received Green Lab Certification in 2023 from My Green Lab. 

Dr Lennon research interests lie in synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry with the aim of designing novel regio- and stereoselective processes of pharmaceutical relevance.  More specifically areas of interest include the development of novel organocatalysts based on molecular recognition motifs, biotransformations using hydrolase enzymes, flow chemistry and the use of more sustainable solvents in the above processes. She also has an interest in NMR spectroscopy and its quantitative applications. Work is also ongoing on the development of novel anti-microbials derived from sustainable building blocks and the development of methods to improve the solubility of poorly soluble pharmaceuticals for drug delivery. Dr Lennons interest in Green Chemistry and her industrial experience strongly influences her work.  She is a founding member of the PMBRC (Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre) at SETU.

Dr Lennon lectures in organic chemistry, biocatalysis and advanced spectroscopic characterisation at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. She was programme leader for the BSc (Hons) in Pharmaceutical Science Year 4 and has acted as External Examiner for programmes outside of SETU. She was the development lead and programme leader for the L9 Certificate in Green and Sustainable Pharmaceutical Production. She has been a committee member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network since 2017, which aims to enhace practise in undergraduate research, embedding this at both early and late years of the curriculum, and was Co-Chair of the National SURE conference organising committee in 2021 and 2022. She was a member of the SURE Covid-19 rapid response curriculum committee in 2020-2021, a member of the SUREByts early undergraduate research project and is acting chair of the SURE Network (Jan-June 2023). Dr Lennon completed the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Digital Badge in Universal Design for Teaching & Learning in 2022 and has a strong interest in embedding Education for Sustainable Development in her teaching, completing the L9 Environmental Sustainability in Education 10 Credit module at SETU in 2023. Dr Lennon and colleagues received funding from the NFTL SATLE 2 Call in 2023 to develop instructional video media for use in chemistry teaching. These videos have since been made available as a support to chemistry laboratory teaching in secondary schools via the SETU website