The former director general of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Prof Philip Nolan, has taken up a position at Maynooth University where he will conduct research on the medical condition sleep apnoea.
Confirmation of his new position comes as SFI – now called Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland following a merger with the Irish Research Council – has moved to appoint a permanent chief executive of the new body, with applications closing this week.
Prof Nolan worked as a physiologist at University College Dublin (UCD) before moving to senior academic positions in management at Third Level.
At a Court of Appeal hearing in December, SFI said its termination of Prof Nolan’s director-general contract last May was “never intended to imply any finding of wrongdoing on his part”.
In May 2023, he had been made chief executive-designate of the new state agency by Simon Harris, then Minister for Research, Innovation and Science.
In a statement read in court, SFI said the litigation with its former chief had been “damaging to the reputations of all parties” and it was pleased the case was brought to conclusion. The settlement terms were not disclosed.
Prof Nolan told The Irish Times: “The events of last year have allowed me to return to the very stimulating work of fundamental research.
“I’m working on challenging questions in the physiology of the control of breathing, work which will help us understand how the rhythm of breathing is sustained during sleep, and what goes wrong in sleep apnoea, with the hope that our findings could improve and personalise treatment.”
Sleep apnoea is a medical condition that means a person’s breathing stops and starts during sleep and it can have significant effects on the sufferer’s quality of life.
Prof Nolan also said Maynooth University had been extraordinarily supportive to him.
“I am, as I have said previously, very pleased that the legal proceedings between myself and Science Foundation Ireland (now Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland) have been fully resolved and in particular the confirmation that there were no findings of misconduct or poor performance made against me,” he said.
“I am sure I will return to a leadership role in higher education and research in due course, but for now I am focused on building a really good research programme in Maynooth University.”
Maynooth University declined to disclose the terms and conditions of his appointment including salary, but said he “is remunerated in line with the senior professorial roles in the university”.
Through a secondment arrangement, Prof Nolan had a permanent research position at the university, which allowed for his return. After starting his academic career in UCD, Prof Nolan became president in Maynooth before moving to head the SFI.
The former member of the high-profile National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) sued SFI, seeking to prevent his “egregious” dismissal without notice last May 27th.
The High Court restrained his dismissal for five weeks while court applications were pending. However, Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy in June refused to extend substantially this injunction.
Prof Nolan said he wished the board of Research Ireland well “as they shape an agency that values all disciplines and all forms of research, and seeks to build a platform of basic and deep fundamental research on which applied research and innovation can thrive”. It has an annual budget of more than €300 million.
Celine Fitzgerald, who has filled senior roles in the multinational, state, charity and SME sectors, was announced as interim chief executive last July.
The new agency works under the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in collaboration with the Higher Education Authority, as well as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, other research funding agencies and higher education institutions.
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