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Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD has welcomed the appointment of Professor Aoife McLysaght to the role of Government Science Advisor.
The Government Science Advisor will be part of new science advice structures that will assist in informing responses to complex and challenging policy issues.
These include issues around climate change, food sustainability, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, and to needs identified by Ministers and Government Departments.
Minister O’Donovan TD said:
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Professor McLysaght to the role of Government Science Advisor.
“Professor McLysaght has an outstanding academic record and has a strong international reputation. She will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role as we develop and communicate our responses to the challenges ahead.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Professor McLysaght on policy issues and also how we can better communicate scientific issues to a general audience.
“It is essential that we have the best scientific evidence available when addressing key challenges such as climate change and AI and that the policy decisions we are taking are fully informed by quality science advice.
“These new science advice structures will bring Ireland in line with countries in Europe and beyond who have also tailored advisory structures to meet their needs and will maximise Ireland’s participation in international science advice organisations.”
The selection process for the Government Science Advisor took place through the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC). Candidates were sought with an internationally recognised scientific background with strong leadership and stakeholder engagement experience.
Professor Aoife McLysaght is a professor of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin and has led a research group in Trinity College Dublin for over 20 years. In the course of this work Professor McLysaght has managed cumulative research income from competitive awards in excess of €5.5m.
Professor McLysaght, who will be based in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said:
“I am very excited to be starting this new role and to have the opportunity to work with the many extraordinary people across the civil service.
“We are incredibly lucky in Ireland to benefit from the wisdom and generosity of so many extraordinary scientists and researchers who already contribute to society in a diversity of ways.
“I am looking forward to engaging with them and other stakeholders in working together to enhance and inform evidence-based decision making and planning in Irish public life.”
The Government Science Advisor will support the need to integrate scientific research into the general policy making process and provide cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary science advice to the Government.
The Government Science Advisor will chair the new National Science Advice Forum, comprising of up to twelve experts drawn from those with internationally recognised scientific expertise in a range of key disciplines.
Professor Aoife McLysaght is Chair of Evolutionary Genetics in Trinity College Dublin. She was educated at Trinity College Dublin where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Genetics in 1998, followed by a PhD in 2002.
Aoife was a member of the international consortium that published the first draft of the Human Genome sequence in 2001; was the first to discover novel human-specific genes in 2009; identified links between gene duplication patterns and human disease; and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the human genome, as well as the genomes of other animals, plants and viruses.
Aoife has led a research team in Trinity College since 2003 and has been funded through a prestigious President of Ireland Young Researcher Award (PIYRA) and a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Researcher Award and Consolidator Grant.
Aoife takes a keen interest in communicating science to the public in an engaging and accessible manner. She has given many talks at public events, including music festivals, The Royal Institution (London), science festivals, and Brian Cox and Robin Ince’s Christmas Science shows. She is a frequent contributor in the media in Ireland and internationally. She was awarded the UK Genetical Society Haldane Prize for communicating genetics to a general audience. In 2018, with Alice Roberts, she co-wrote and presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, broadcast on BBC.
The Government Science Advisor will chair the National Science Advice Forum and provide cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary science advice to the government.
Our Research and Innovation Strategy Impact 2030 envisages the creation of new science advice structures across Government.
The new science advice structures will assist in informing responses to complex and challenging policy issues like climate change, food sustainability, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies and to needs identified by ministers and government departments.
The National Science Advice Forum will have an annual work programme which will report to Government. Delivery of the work programme will be evaluated after an initial three-year period.
A public consultation was held in September 2022, and the outcomes from this, along with international models, have been considered formally as the new science advice structures. The new science advice structures will be integrated in the general public policy making process and complement existing government actions.
These new science advice structures will bring Ireland in line with countries in Europe and beyond who have also tailored advisory structures to meet their needs and will maximise Ireland’s participation in international science advice organisations.