PhD controversy ‘an embarrassing setback for nation’

CONTINUED controversy over the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Dr Barry McSweeney, will be an embarrassing setback for the entire scientific community, one of Ireland’s most respected academics has said.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Examiner, former University of Limerick President and Science Council chairman Professor Ed Walsh said unless the matter was resolved, doubts about the authenticity of Dr McSweeney’s PhD would damage Ireland’s scientific standing.

The PhD was obtained in 1992 from Pacific Western University (PWU), which is renowned for selling degrees.

“The unfortunate reality is that the authority and credibility of Ireland’s first chief scientific adviser, is being seriously damaged as a result of the queries raised during the past many weeks about the source of his doctorate,” said Professor Walsh.

“At a stage when Ireland is commencing to make its scientific mark, the controversy, if it remains unresolved, can grow into a significant setback and an international embarrassment to the scientific community.”

Professor Walsh’s comments carry considerable weight as he chaired the top-level Government International Commission of experts, which originally recommended the establishment of the office of chief scientific adviser. He was also the chairman of the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Despite his criticism, Professor Walsh also paid tribute to Dr McSweeney, saying he had displayed “remarkable managerial and strategic capabilities”.

Professor Walsh said it was not inconceivable that someone with “the right track record” could “admirably address the challenges of the post”.

But he said certain “key roles” required qualifications that were “beyond reproach if the person and the community represented are to retain the respect of peers and exercise authority”.

“A country’s chief scientific adviser is an iconic figure amongst the national and international scientific community,” he said.

“It would be expected that the academic qualifications of the person holding such a position be beyond reproach.”

On Wednesday night, Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin met with Dr McSweeney for a second time but, in the interests of due process, is refusing to comment.

Dr McSweeney has declined to speak to the Irish Examiner, but told another newspaper yesterday that he stood by his PhD and thought he still had the support of the Government.