Dr Diarmuid O’Brien is the CEO of Research Ireland which is the primary research and innovation funding agency for Ireland.
Prior to this Diarmuid was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Cambridge where he was responsible for innovation, enterprise partnership, research commercialisation, entrepreneurship, venture investment and engagement with local and national government on innovation and place. Previously, he was also the Chief Executive of Cambridge Enterprise, the innovation services organisation which supports the University of Cambridge.
During his time at Cambridge, Diarmuid led the creation of a number of initiatives to unlock innovation and offer enhanced support for translational funding and company creation, including Founders at the University of Cambridge and the Technology Investment Fund. He co-founded and Chaired Innovate Cambridge, a highly collaborative initiative defining and delivering an inclusive innovation future for the Cambridge ecosystem.
Previously Diarmuid was Chief Innovation & Enterprise Officer of Trinity College Dublin and has held senior management roles in several university-founded start-up companies, including NTera, Xoliox, and Deerac Fluidics. Diarmuid was a Research Fellow at Princeton University. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Sheffield and a degree in Materials Science from Trinity College Dublin.