Trinity Academic Appointed Chair of Irish Research Council

Posted on: 15 September 2015

Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Professor of Modern History and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, has been appointed the new Chair of the Irish Research Council.

The appointment was recently announced by the Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English. Professor Ohlmeyer is the Erasmus Smith Professor of Modern History at Trinity and the Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, the Arts and Humanities Research Institute of Trinity. She was a driving force behind the establishment of Trinity Long Room Hub, which promotes multi-disciplinary research, and of the 1641 Depositions Project, which is now a European flagship initiative.

Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity, congratulated Professor Ohlmeyer on her appointment: “It is a great honour for one of our academics to have achieved this position.  Professor Ohlmeyer was the first Vice-President for Global Relations at Trinity and developed high-level relationships with some of the most prestigious universities across the world, as well as with company leaders and policy makers.  A founding member of our flagship arts and humanities institute, the Trinity Long Room Hub,  she is also of course an esteemed historian, and led the 1641 Depositions research project that  saw the digitisation of  over 19,000 manuscript pages held at Trinity, making this unique source of information concerning the 1641 rebellion accessible to the public. She has collaborated with a range of disciplines from scientists to geographers in the course of her work. I know that Jane will set the highest of standards during her tenure and we wish her every success in her new role.”

Welcoming the appointment of Professor Ohlmeyer, Minister English said: “Professor Ohlmeyer has an extensive and internationally renowned research track record. I am confident that the Council’s researchers will continue to make a vital contribution not alone to Ireland’s knowledge economy, but their excellent research across all disciplines impacts in so many different ways on our lives and society. I would like to thank the outgoing Chair, Professor Orla Feely, for her dedication in the role and wish Professor Ohlmeyer and the other appointees every success.”

Speaking about her appointment, Professor Ohlmeyer added: “I am honoured to be appointed Chair of the Irish Research Council. I relish the opportunity to promote research excellence in Ireland, to advocate for innovation and creativity in research, along with its relevance to Irish society, and to serve as an ambassador for all disciplines, from archaeology to zoology.”

Minister English also announced five other appointments to the Council including the appointment of Professor Eithne McCabe, Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics.