New SFI Board appointed by Harney

A new Board of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) with Dr Pat Fottrell as its chairperson has been appointed by the Tánaiste Mary Harney.

The 12-member Board includes leaders from the engineering and the scientific research communities, business, academia and the public service. Four of the board members are from the international research community.

The SFI was established on a statutory basis under the signing into law of the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) Act, 2003.

Commenting on the appointments, Ms Harney said: "The portfolio of skills and experiences that they will bring to SFI from leading edge scientific and engineering research, through to business, education and administration, will ensure that SFI, they can provide excellent advice to the Director General, Dr Harris and his staff, can in their efforts to build a research culture in this country that is recognised globally for its stature and significance."

List of Board members :

Dr Patrick Fottrell-Chairperson, SFI. Former President, National University of Ireland, Galway from 1996-2000. He has also served as vice-chancellor of Ireland's national university (1997-1999), chairman of the Council of Heads of Irish Universities (1999), and head of the NUI, Galway Department of Biochemistry (1976-1996). He is also chairman of the Irish Council for Bioethics, the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Ireland-USA Fulbright Commission.

Mr Frank McCabe-Deputy Chairperson, SFI. Former Vice President, Intel Corporation. Mr. McCabe joined Intel in 1994 as vice president of technology and manufacturing, based in Co. Kildare, and retired in 1999 following a career in which he had held various industrial leadership posts. His early career was with ASEA in Sweden, after which he started up General Electric Semiconductor in Ireland, which went on to employ 1,800 people.

Dr William C. Harris-Director General, SFI. Dr. Harris's career includes service as the director for the mathematical and physical sciences division of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and as founding president and executive director of Columbia University's Biosphere 2 Centre (B2C) in Arizona, and as Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Carolina (USC).

Mr Erich Bloch-Principal, Washington Advisory Group. Mr Bloch is a former director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Previously, he served at IBM in roles including head of the Solid Logic Technology Programme, which produced the microelectronic technology for IBM's System/360 computer. An elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Mr. Bloch has also received the USA's most prestigious science award, the Presidential Medal for Science and Technology.

Mr Ned Costello-Assistant Secretary, Science, Technology and Intellectual Property Division, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. (XREF More to follow) Mr. Costello is responsible for the development, promotion and co-ordination of Ireland's Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and Ireland's policy in International Research Activities. He also has responsibility for the formulation of Ireland's policy on Intellectual Property issues.

Dr Jane Grimson-Vice Provost of Trinity College Dublin. Dr. Grimson was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Systems Sciences from 1996-1999, Pro Dean of Research from January to August 2001, and was appointed Vice Provost of T.C.D. in September, 2001. Dr. Grimson was also the first female president of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland (1999-2000).

Dr Anita Jones-Lawrence R. Quarles Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia. Dr. Jones recently served as director of defence research and engineering for the U.S. Department of Defence. In this role, Dr. Jones oversaw the department's science and technology programme (about US $35 billion annually). Dr. Jones was the first computer scientist and the first woman to hold that position. Dr. Jones is also an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering.

Dr Kristina Johnson-Dean of the School of Engineering, Duke University, North Carolina. Dr. Johnson is an internationally known expert in optics, signal processing and computing and director emeritus of the Optoelectronics Computing Systems Centre at the University of Colorado. Dr. Johnson holds approximately 30 patents. She has also co-founded two companies.

Mr Frank McCabe-Deputy Chairman, SFI. Former Vice President, Intel Corporation. Mr. McCabe joined Intel in 1994 as vice president of technology and manufacturing, based in Co. Kildare, and retired in 1999 following a career in which he had held various industrial leadership posts. His early career was with ASEA in Sweden, after which he started up General Electric Semiconductor in Ireland, which went on to employ 1,800 people.

Dr Martina Newell-McGloughlin-Director of the Biotechnology Research and Education Program at the University of California (UCBREP). Dr Newell-McGloughlin, an internationally recognised authority on biotechnology, directs the UCBREP, which covers all ten campuses and the three national Laboratories. She is also co-director of a (US) National Institutes of Health Training Grant in Biomolecular Technology, one of only three in California, the others being at UC Berkeley and Stanford University.

Dr Jim Mountjoy-Chairman, Prospectus Consultancy Group. Dr Mountjoy founded Euristix, an innovative supplier of advanced network management software solutions for the telecommunications industry. Euristix became a market leader and was sold to Fore Systems for US $80m in February 1999, a value that increased to US$175m in two months when Fore Systems was acquired by Marconi. Dr. Mountjoy is currently involved in a non-executive capacity with a number of software companies.

Dr Don Thornhill-Chairman, Higher Education Authority (HEA). Prior to his appointment as full-time Chairman of the HEA, which is the funding body for the Irish universities, Dr. Thornhill was Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science. Dr. Thornhill has extensive experience of building the higher level research infrastructure in Ireland having overseen the development and implementation of the HEA's Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions.

Mr John Travers-Chairman, Tourism Policy Review Group, Chairman of Working Group on EU/US Relationships at the Institute of European Affairs and former Chief Executive Officer, Forfás. As CEO of Forfás, Mr Travers led the State's policy and advisory board for industrial development, science, and technology, and the body in which the main legal powers for State industrial promotion and technology development are vested. In 2000-01, he also acted as director general of SFI during its startup phase.

*Dr William C. Harris-Director General, SFI. Dr Harris's career includes service as the director for the mathematical and physical sciences division of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and as founding president and executive director of Columbia University's Biosphere 2 Centre (B2C) in Arizona, and as Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Carolina (USC). Dr. Harris is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr Harris as Director General of SFI will be an ex officio member of the SFI Board.