Following a degree in European Studies at the University of Limerick, I joined the Irish Civil Service in 1978. Prior to my retirement in 2018, I was a member of the Management Boards of the Departments of the Taoiseach, Health and Children and Education and Skills. During my career I worked to support important institutions and organisations to develop and communicate their research capacity in particular- including through my membership of the National Statistics Board, the National Economic and Social Council and the Board of Science Foundation Ireland.
Since my retirement, I have continued to be active in this area among others. I was a Visiting Fellow in Public Policy at the Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Institute in Trinity College from 2018 to 2022 where I published, in particular, on the potential for strengthening the national architecture between the Irish policymaking and the Irish research systems. In 2021, I became a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and earlier this year I was elected to the post of Secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the Academy.