Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll (PhD) was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the HRB in 2020. She oversees an annual investment of €64m in health research activity, an awards portfolio of approximately €200m, and leads 125 staff.

Before being appointed CEO, Mairéad held a number of different roles in the HRB, including Director of Research Strategy and Funding, as well as Head of Policy, Evaluation and External Relations.

Prior to joining the HRB, Mairéad worked as a researcher in both academia and industry before moving into senior positions in science policy research, initially with the Royal Society in London, and later with the Wellcome Trust. She also spent time in South Africa where she worked on the development of a national research and technology foresight study.

She is a member of several national and international groups and is a graduate of both Trinity College Dublin and the University of London.