AMBER Announces Ruairí Quinn As New Chair of Board

20 May 2019

AMBER, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, at Trinity College Dublin, has today announced the appointment of Ruairí Quinn as the new Chair of its board. Ruairí is succeeding Mary Harney in the role who served as Chair for six years.

Ruairí Quinn is one of Ireland’s most experienced politicians, having served in the Oireachtas for 40 years. Throughout his career he has held numerous senior ministerial positions, including: Minister for Education and Skills; Minister for Finance; Minister for Enterprise and Employment; Minister for the Public Service; and Minister for Labour. He was previously Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, from 1989 to 1997, then taking over as Leader from 1997 to 2002. He also served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-East constituency from 1977 to 1981 and again from 1982 to 2016. Additionally, he was a Senator from 1976 to 1977, upon being nominated by the Taoiseach and again from 1981 to 1982 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel.

Commenting on the announcement of his appointment, Ruairí Quinn, Chair of AMBER, said “I am delighted to be appointed to the position of Chair of the Board of the world-class SFI Research Centre AMBER. AMBER is home to some of the world’s leading scientists, engineers and investigators – leaders in their fields – and I am very much looking forward to working with the AMBER leadership team across Trinity College, RCSI and UCC as the centre continues to drive and produce excellent research with impact. AMBER is an incredibly valuable resource to Ireland, it has contributed considerably to the Irish economy through fundamental science and innovation led research programmes. This has resulted in the creation of spin-out companies, enabling SME growth, and carrying out highly successful medium and long-term collaborative research programmes with multinationals based here and abroad. I anticipate that this this impact will grow during my time as Chair.”

Prof. Linda Doyle, Dean of Research at Trinity College, commented: “I would like to thank Mary Harney for her time and commitment during her tenure as Chair of the Board of AMBER. Since her appointment in 2013, AMBER has successfully secured a second phase of funding from Science Foundation Ireland and has been improving the scientific and technical skills of the current and future workforce. AMBER has produced a highly educated and relevant workforce that are in demand by industry and academia. AMBER’s PhD and postdoctoral researchers have been successful in attaining fulfilling and challenging positions across a range of employment sectors, from academia to industry to public service. I have no doubt that under Ruairí Quinn’s guidance the centre will continue to benefit the academic, economic, and social fabric of modern Ireland.”

Professor Mick Morris, Director of AMBER and Professor in Trinity’s School of Chemistry, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ruairí to the Board of AMBER in his new role as Chair. Looking forward to the next decade, we at AMBER remain committed to making a difference to the social and economic well-being of Ireland through the quality of our research, training for graduates, as well as our engagements with industry both nationally and internationally. We will also continue our work with policy makers highlighting the value and return that investing in materials science has and will continue to deliver for Ireland. With Ruairí’s vast experience and knowledge of the policy landscape, he will play an integral role in helping AMBER achieve its plans for the coming years.”