Panel of Experts

CSA appoints distinguished Irish Scientists to Panel of Experts

27th March 2009

The CSA has appointed nine distinguished Irish scientists to his Panel of Experts. This follows an open, competitive selection process, which attracted over 70 highly qualified applicants.

The role of the Panel is to provide the CSA, and by extension the Government, access to the best expertise available on scientific issues in Ireland.

Expert Name	Expert Bio
Ray Bates	Adjunct Professor of Meteorology, University College Dublin B.Sc. (Physics, UCD), PhD (Meteorology, MIT). Prof. of Meteorology, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1995-2004. Senior Scientist and Branch Head, Lab. for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, 1987-1995. Prof. Bates spent his early career in the Irish Meteorological Service (now Met Éireann), where he held the positions of Head of Research and Assistant Director. Member of Royal Irish Academy. Member of Academia Europaea. Awarded Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal in 2009. Elected chairperson of the RIA Climate Change Sciences Committee in 2009.
Tom Cotter	Professor of Biochemistry at University College Cork Graduated with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from University College Cork before completing a Ph.D. at the University of Oxford where he was a Pirie-Reid Scholar. Professor Cotter was awarded the RDS Irish Times Boyle Medal for his research work in 1999, followed by the Royal Irish Academy medal for Biochemistry in 2002 and was subsequently elected to membership of the RIA in 2005. His main research interests are in understanding cell death & survival mechanisms. Prof. Cotter is also co-founder of two start-up biotechnology companies. He has served on the Boards of Science Foundation Ireland, Health Research Board of Ireland and is currently a Board Member of Cancer Research Ireland and Chairs the Board of Meridian Theatre Company.
Alan Dobson	Professor, Microbiology Department and Director of the Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork Alan Dobson’s scientific interests focus primarily on gaining a fuller understanding of how microbes survive, grow and interact in either natural or artificial environments; an approach which is fundamental to their exploitation for biotechnological applications. His lab is currently interested in developing and applying both marine and terrestrial metagenomic based approaches to define and predict the behaviour of microbial communities involved in the production of novel bioactive compounds and those with potential utility in novel bio-energy production strategies.
Declan Gilheany	Professor of Chemistry, University College Dublin Declan Gilheany obtained a PhD in chemistry in 1983 from Queens University Belfast and was a Fulbright Scholar in Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Laboratory of K.B. Sharpless. He lectured first at Maynooth College and moved to University College Dublin in 1992. In 2009 he was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University . He has published widely in the area of organic chemistry, phosphorus chemistry and catalysis. He is co-founder of Celtic Catalysts, a UCD campus company that is commercialising a breakthrough catalysis technology from his laboratory, for which his research group received the 2008 Wesley Cocker Award of the Society of Chemical Industry.
Michael Hayes	Professor of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Limerick Research Interests: the Chemistry and Reactivities of the colloidal components in soils and in waters with special emphasis on the compositions and structures of clays, humic substances, and polysaccharide components and how these interact with each other, with water, and with anthropogenic organic chemicals. Former President of the International Humic Substances Society; former Chairman of Commission II (Soil Chemistry) of the International Soil Science Society. Co-editor of ten books; author of 75 journal articles, 85 book chapters, 70 Refereed Conference Proceedings, and holder of 4 patents.
Frank Hegarty	Emeritus Professor of Organic Chemistry, University College Dublin Deputy Chair, Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology; Member of Council of Royal Irish Academy and Panel of European Research Council; formerly first Dean of Postgraduate Studies and then first Vice President for Research at UCD; Director TopChem Pharmaceuticals.
Shane O'Mara	Professor Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin Shane O’Mara is a BA and MA of University College, Galway and a DPhil of the University of Oxford and is founding co-director of the Institute of Neuroscience , Trinity College Dublin. His research interests lie in the investigation of the relations between synaptic plasticity, cognition, and changes in learned behaviour, using a variety of approaches from in vivo neurophysiology to behavioural neuropharmacology. Currently he directs a large-scale research consortium funded by GlaxoSmithKline which has the main downstream objective of progressing novel therapies for Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive decline with ageing as rapidly as possible to patient treatment. Additionally, his work is also funded by the Wellcome Trust, Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board.
Denis O'Sullivan	Professor Emeritus, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies MRIA, BSc(UCD), PhD(TCD), FInstP(UK), C.Phys(UK),FRAS(UK). Early research work in high energy nuclear physics using facilities at CERN and cosmic ray studies employing high altitude balloons. Investigator on 3 experiments on the Moon during the Apollo Programme and some 16 further experiments in particle astrophysics and space radiation dosimetry on European, US, Russian and Japanese satellites. At present conducts investigations on board the International Space Station on the effects of cosmic radiation and high energy solar particles on human organs and bacteria as part of a programme to prepare for missions to Mars and other planets.
Kevin Smith	Professor of Physics and Professor of Chemistry, Boston University He received his B.A. in Physics from Trinity College Dublin, and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Yale University . His research program focuses on the soft x-ray spectroscopic study of the surface, bulk and interface electronic structure of novel materials. The systems he studies include materials for solar cells and fuel cells, correlated and low dimensional solids, and thin film nitride semiconductors. Kevin Smith is also a prize winning teacher, having been awarded the Boston University Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1999, and was named the Massachusetts Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2001.

Expert Name

Expert Bio

Ray Bates

Adjunct Professor of Meteorology, University College Dublin

B.Sc. (Physics, UCD), PhD (Meteorology, MIT).

Prof. of Meteorology, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1995-2004.

Senior Scientist and Branch Head, Lab. for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, 1987-1995.

Prof. Bates spent his early career in the Irish Meteorological Service (now Met Éireann), where he held the positions of Head of Research and Assistant Director.

Member of Royal Irish Academy.

Member of Academia Europaea.

Awarded Vilhelm Bjerknes Medal in 2009.

Elected chairperson of the RIA Climate Change Sciences Committee in 2009.

Tom Cotter

Professor of Biochemistry at University College Cork

Graduated with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from University College Cork before completing a Ph.D. at the University of Oxford where he was a Pirie-Reid Scholar. Professor Cotter was awarded the RDS Irish Times Boyle Medal for his research work in 1999, followed by the Royal Irish Academy medal for Biochemistry in 2002 and was subsequently elected to membership of the RIA in 2005.

His main research interests are in understanding cell death & survival mechanisms. Prof. Cotter is also co-founder of two start-up biotechnology companies. He has served on the Boards of Science Foundation Ireland, Health Research Board of Ireland and is currently a Board Member of Cancer Research Ireland and Chairs the Board of Meridian Theatre Company.

Alan Dobson

Professor, Microbiology Department and Director of the Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork

Alan Dobson’s scientific interests focus primarily on gaining a fuller understanding of how microbes survive, grow and interact in either natural or artificial environments; an approach which is fundamental to their exploitation for biotechnological applications.

His lab is currently interested in developing and applying both marine and terrestrial metagenomic based approaches to define and predict the behaviour of microbial communities involved in the production of novel bioactive compounds and those with potential utility in novel bio-energy production strategies.

Declan Gilheany

Professor of Chemistry, University College Dublin

Declan Gilheany obtained a PhD in chemistry in 1983 from Queens University Belfast and was a Fulbright Scholar in Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Laboratory of K.B. Sharpless. He lectured first at Maynooth College and moved to University College Dublin in 1992. In 2009 he was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University .

He has published widely in the area of organic chemistry, phosphorus chemistry and catalysis. He is co-founder of Celtic Catalysts, a UCD campus company that is commercialising a breakthrough catalysis technology from his laboratory, for which his research group received the 2008 Wesley Cocker Award of the Society of Chemical Industry.

Michael Hayes

Professor of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Limerick

Research Interests: the Chemistry and Reactivities of the colloidal components in soils and in waters with special emphasis on the compositions and structures of clays, humic substances, and polysaccharide components and how these interact with each other, with water, and with anthropogenic organic chemicals.

Former President of the International Humic Substances Society; former Chairman of Commission II (Soil Chemistry) of the International Soil Science Society.

Co-editor of ten books; author of 75 journal articles, 85 book chapters, 70 Refereed Conference Proceedings, and holder of 4 patents.

Frank Hegarty

Emeritus Professor of Organic Chemistry, University College Dublin

Deputy Chair, Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology; Member of Council of Royal Irish Academy and Panel of European Research Council; formerly first Dean of Postgraduate Studies and then first Vice President for Research at UCD; Director TopChem Pharmaceuticals.

Shane O'Mara

Professor Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin

Shane O’Mara is a BA and MA of University College, Galway and a DPhil of the University of Oxford and is founding co-director of the Institute of Neuroscience , Trinity College Dublin. His research interests lie in the investigation of the relations between synaptic plasticity, cognition, and changes in learned behaviour, using a variety of approaches from in vivo neurophysiology to behavioural neuropharmacology.

Currently he directs a large-scale research consortium funded by GlaxoSmithKline which has the main downstream objective of progressing novel therapies for Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive decline with ageing as rapidly as possible to patient treatment. Additionally, his work is also funded by the Wellcome Trust, Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board.

Denis O'Sullivan

Professor Emeritus, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

MRIA, BSc(UCD), PhD(TCD), FInstP(UK), C.Phys(UK),FRAS(UK).

Early research work in high energy nuclear physics using facilities at CERN and cosmic ray studies employing high altitude balloons. Investigator on 3 experiments on the Moon during the Apollo Programme and some 16 further experiments in particle astrophysics and space radiation dosimetry on European, US, Russian and Japanese satellites.

At present conducts investigations on board the International Space Station on the effects of cosmic radiation and high energy solar particles on human organs and bacteria as part of a programme to prepare for missions to Mars and other planets.

Kevin Smith

Professor of Physics and Professor of Chemistry, Boston University

He received his B.A. in Physics from Trinity College Dublin, and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Yale University . His research program focuses on the soft x-ray spectroscopic study of the surface, bulk and interface electronic structure of novel materials. The systems he studies include materials for solar cells and fuel cells, correlated and low dimensional solids, and thin film nitride semiconductors.

Kevin Smith is also a prize winning teacher, having been awarded the Boston University Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1999, and was named the Massachusetts Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2001.

Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Governement

Panel of Experts

Panel of Experts

CSA appoints distinguished Irish Scientists to Panel of Experts