Mayo native appointed chairman of Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
BALLINA man Dr. Peter Heffernan has been appointed as the new chair of the council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), the internationally-renowned institute for world-leading basic research and scholarship. The appointment will run from now until 2025.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Heffernan served as the Marine Institute Ireland's CEO for 27 years, retiring from the role in October 2019. During his tenure, he played a fundamental role in developing Ireland’s ocean research capacity, which included overseeing the arrival of Ireland’s two purpose-built marine research vessels, the RV Celtic Voyager in 1997 and the RV Celtic Explorer in 2003.
Dr. Heffernan was enrolled as a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2007 and, more recently, was the recipient of the Excellens Mare Award by PwC Portugal, which recognises the excellence of individuals who have performed a remarkable role in sea-related activities. He is Ireland's only member of the EU Mission Board: ‘Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal & Inland Waters’.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Heffernan said: “I am delighted to have been appointed by the President of Ireland as chair of the DIAS Council. It is a privilege to work with an institute of such a high calibre.
“DIAS has a long legacy of being a centre of excellence for knowledge discovery and has an excellent international reputation. I look forward to playing my part as chairperson in the coming years and supporting this work.”
Dr. Eucharia Meehan, CEO and registrar of DIAS, welcomed the appointment: “We are delighted to welcome our newly appointed council chairperson Dr. Heffernan. As we celebrate our 80th anniversary at DIAS this year, it is fantastic to see that the Institute continues to uphold its tradition of attracting people of the highest calibre to its academic and governance structures.
I look forward to working alongside Dr Heffernan – his individual track record as a leader and as a champion of fundamental research, will be a great source of insight and inspiration for me and the wider DIAS community as we implement our strategy: ‘Embedded globally, Strength locally’.”
The process for appointments to the DIAS council and governing bodies is set out in the Institute for Advanced Studies Act, 1940, with appointments made by the President on the advice of the government.