Apply for chair of the council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies or governing board membership of its School of Cosmic Physics

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is seeking applications for appointment to the chair of the council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), and for membership of the governing board of its School of Cosmic Physics.

Expressions of interest are now sought from suitably-qualified national and international candidates for consideration for:

• the chair of the council of DIAS
• 3 member's positions on the governing board of the School of Cosmic Physics

Requirements for all positions

Candidates for all of the positions should have significant experience and a track record of achievement in academic and research fields covered by the institute and its constituent schools.

Candidates should also have more general skills and experience of relevance to membership of a governing authority or an academic school board, and some or all of the competencies set out below:

• communications
• corporate governance
• executive, managerial or professional experience
• financial experience
• human resources expertise
• legal experience
• risk management

Requirements for chair of the council

Along with requirements set out above, it is desirable that applicants for the chair of the council have prior experience of governing board membership or of chairing a board. Candidates for chair must have:

• a proven record of achievement at an appropriately senior level in overseeing the development and implementation of medium to long-term strategy in a large public or private sector organisation
• senior level practical experience in finance and audit in a public or private organisation with a large annual budget or turnover
• a proven track record in overseeing governance, risk management and compliance
• the significant leadership capabilities and experience necessary to discharge the role of chairperson

Requirements for member of the School of Cosmic Physics

In relation to members on the governing school board for Cosmic Physics the following is required:

• geophysics: experience in seismology and/or potential field geophysics, or satellite geodesy
• astronomy or astrophysics: experience in star formation, jets, solar physics, space weather, and radio astronomy

No member of the institute's council or the school governing boards receive any payment other than travel and subsistence.

Members are required to devote as much time to the duties of the council or governing board as is necessary for the proper and efficient discharge of their duties. The council and the governing board of the School of Cosmic Physics typically hold their meetings in Dublin. Two meetings a year are held: one in May and one in November. Each meeting is two to four hours in duration. Meetings are typically held in the boardroom at DIAS headquarters, at 10 Burlington Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings have been conducted online and this practice will continue subject to public health guidelines.

The chair of the council and members of the school governing board should be aware of the relevant provisions of the 'Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.' The code of practice includes a description of the role and responsibilities of board members.

The term of office for the chair of the council will be from the date of appointment until the term of the current council expires on 30 June 2025.

The term of office for the governing board members of the School of Cosmic Physics will be from the date of appointment until the term of the current board expires on 31 March 2025.

If you are interested in appyling for chair of the council or member of the governing board of the School of Cosmic Physics, complete the application form below. Submit the completed application form with a cover letter and CV by 3pm on Tuesday, 24 August 2021, to boardvacancies@dfheris.gov.ie

Please note to ensure fairness and equity of treatment, the department cannot accept applications beyond the specified deadline.

You will receive an acknowledgement on receipt of your application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 3 days of submitting your application, you should contact boardvacancies@dfheris.gov.ie

Important points about your application

The information you provide

Please take care when submitting your expression of interest, as the assessment panel will make its recommendations to the minister based on consideration of the documentation which you submit. It is therefore most important that you make sure your cover letter and CV clearly specify how your background and experience meet the requirements of the positions specified in this campaign. This will help make sure that the assessment panel is as informed as possible about your suitability and the basis of your application

Conflicts of interest and legal impediments

You must confirm that you do not have any conflicts of interest or legal impediment which would be likely to interfere with your ability to play a full part on the boards. You must also confirm that you can make yourself available to attend meetings and to carry out the duties of the position

Shortlisting

The selection process may include a short-listing process, depending on number of applications received

Outside nominees

In making nominations, and in line with best practice as set out in the 'Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards,' it is open to the minister to consider suitable nominees other than those identified through this process, provided their preferred nominee meets the specified criteria

Gender balance

The minister will consider the desirability for gender balance on the governing authority, as the minister considers appropriate, and determines from time to time when making appointments

Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquiries, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.

Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, may be extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to protecting your personal data and takes the security of your information very seriously, adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and security of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Find out more about GDPR.

The governing authority of DIAS, the council, along with the governing authorities of each of its constituent schools, the school boards, each have statutory roles. As the institute has high levels of autonomy, this makes the role of the governing authorities very important in terms of governance and accountability.

The role of the governing authority of the institute, the council, is governed by Section 9 (1) and (2) of the DIAS Act, which sets out the following functions:

• the body corporate of the institute shall consist of the council of the institute
• the general government of the institute and the administration of the affairs thereof shall be vested in the council

The role of the governing authority of a school, the board, is governed by Section 6 (2) of the DIAS Act and in the context of this process, the Institute for Advanced Studies (School of Cosmic Physics) Establishment Order 1947 sets out the following functions:

Please see the legislative provisions that apply to the appointment of the chair of the council and the appointment of members of the School of Cosmic Physics.

DIAS is an independent organisation for research in basic disciplines which is, in part, funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

The institute is a statutory corporation, which was established under the Institute for Advanced Studies Act 1940.

The institute, through the constituent schools, pursues fundamental research in specialised branches of knowledge. The institute is an academic publisher of monographs, books, and journals in celtic studies and on advanced scientific subjects.

The institute has three constituent schools:

• the School of Celtic Studies is concerned with the furtherance of the study of the Celtic languages and literature through a programme of investigation, editing and publication
• the School of Theoretical Physics investigates the mathematical principles of the laws of nature
• the School of Cosmic Physics undertakes theoretical, computational and observational studies in astronomy, astrophysics and geophysics to advance the understanding of the cosmos

All schools train and mentor scholars and fellows to contribute to the pool of expertise, human capital and specialist skills in Ireland. Each school has an independent governing board with responsibility for the research direction and academic affairs of the school.

The council is responsible for the general governance of the administrative affairs of the institute (including financial, risk management, fulfilment of statutory requirements and overseeing best practice). The membership of the Council is set out in the 1940 Act and comprises a non-executive chair appointed by the president of Ireland on the advice of government, three ex-officio members (the provost of Trinity College Dublin, the president of University College Dublin and the president of the Royal Irish Academy) and six members appointed by the governing boards of the three schools. The current term of the council runs up to 30 June 2025.

All council and board positions are non-executive roles.

Further information about DIAS is available on the institute’s website. The institute’s latest strategic plan is also available.