Minister Simon Harris TD appoints two new members of the Irish Research Council

– Professor Jane Ohlmeyer concludes term as Chairperson after six years –

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, has appointed two leading academics, Professor Claire Connolly and Professor Colin Scott to the Irish Research Council. The appointments are for a three-year period.

Professor Claire Connolly is a Professor of Modern English and Head of the School of English and Digital Humanities at University College Cork. She is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and the Royal Irish Academy Council. Her publications to date have focused on the cultural history of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Ireland.

Professor Colin Scott is Professor of EU Regulation and Governance at University College Dublin where he currently also serves as Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Dean of Social Sciences and Principal of UCD College of Social Sciences and Law. He studied law at the London School of Economics and at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. His research has focused centrally on the trends of, and implications from, the fragmentation of regulatory governance.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, said: “I am delighted to appoint Professor Claire Connolly and Professor Colm Scott to the Irish Research Council. Both Professor Connolly and Professor Scott are distinguished academics who will make a valuable contribution to the Council. Their experience and insight into the research sector will be of great benefit in helping to promote research excellence in Ireland. I look forward to appointing a new Chairperson of the Irish Research Council shortly, and I would like to thank the outgoing chairperson Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, for her passionate and committed service throughout her term.”

Also commenting today, Director of the Irish Research Council Peter Brown, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Professor Claire Connolly and Professor Colin Scott as members of the Irish Research Council. This is an interesting time for the Irish Research Council as Government prepares a new national strategy for research and innovation. The Irish Research Council looks forward to helping shape and deliver this new strategy to maintain a vibrant research eco-system and to ensure research can respond to the big challenges of our time. We are delighted to have Professor Connolly and Professor Scott working with us on these important challenges.”

Outgoing Council members

This month sees Professor Jane Ohlmeyer conclude her term as Chairperson of the Irish Research Council. Professor Ohlmeyer is the Erasmus Smith Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin, a former Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub and a former Vice-President for Global Relations. She was appointed as Chairperson of the Irish Research Council in 2015. Professor Emma Teeling, Professor Rob Kitchin and Professor Felicity Kelliher will also conclude their terms as members of the Irish Research Council this month, following their two three-year terms.

Peter Brown added: “I would like to thank the outgoing Council members for the positive contribution they have made to the Irish Research Council. In particular I would like to acknowledge the work of Professor Jane Ohlmeyer in her role as Chairperson of the Irish Research Council. Professor Ohlmeyer is a highly respected figure in the research community, both domestically and internationally. She has played a central role in promoting the value of publicly funded research across all disciplines to the Irish economy and society. Professor Ohlmeyer along with Professor Emma Teeling, Professor Rob Kitchin and Professor Felicity Kelliher have been strong ambassadors for the Irish research and innovation system and we wish them well with their future endeavours.”