Collins attended University College Dublin, graduating with a BSc in Mathematics and Mathematical Physics in 1991, and receiving a PhD in Nonlinear Fluid Dynamics in 1996.

[1] She worked as a lecturer in mathematics at Dublin City University, with Ericsson, and as director of the Digital Repository of Ireland at the Royal Irish Academy.

[2] Collins has been the chair of the Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL), a member of the Irish Government's Expert Advisory Group for Commemorations, and of the Advisory Forum to the Irish Government's National Conversation on Research, and of the council of the Research Data Alliance (RDA).

[citation needed] Collins received three Ireland eGovernment awards for collaborative digital cultural projects: 'Promoting Ireland Overseas', 'Open Source', and 'Overall Winner'.

[3] She received the UCD Alumni Award in Research, Innovation and Impact in 2020.