Senior Leadership Team

Dr Rick Officer - CEO Marine Institute

Dr Rick Officer joined the Marine Institute as Chief Executive Officer in January 2024.

Dr Officer has extensive experience in sustainable fisheries, leading innovative and integrated research programmes, and driving strategic collaborations nationally and internationally. Prior to joining the Marine Institute, Dr Officer was Vice President for Research and Innovation at Atlantic Technological University. He led the integration of Research and Innovation activities at the former Galway-Mayo, Sligo, and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology, through the merger into Atlantic Technological University. He also led the establishment of the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre - ATU’s largest Research Centre now comprising ~100 people.

Dr Officer’s executive experience in leading change, delivering high performance, and achieving organisational resilience has been achieved through collegial teamwork, building cohesion around strategic imperatives, and influence within senior professional networks.

Dr Officer’s professional experience of international fisheries and aquaculture was gained through his Fisheries Scientist roles in Victoria and Tasmania, and his role as Science Leader for Fisheries and Aquaculture for the State of Queensland, Australia.

He previously led the demersal fisheries research and assessment team at the Marine Institute. As Demersal Fisheries Team Leader, Dr Officer’s responsibilities included Chief Scientist roles aboard Ireland’s national research vessels, appointment as National Delegate to the European Commission’s Scientific, Technical & Economic Committee for Fisheries, and Chairmanship of International Working Groups and Expert Groups for the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and the European Commission.

Dr Officer has a Science degree and PhD in Fisheries Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Masters in Business Administration from University College London.

Patricia Orme – Director of Corporate Services

Patricia is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and holds a First Class Honours Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Law and Accounting) from National University of Ireland Galway.

Prior to joining the Marine Institute, Patricia was a Director in KPMG, one of Ireland’s largest professional service providers. There, she had more than 20 years’ experience providing financial, audit, risk management, governance and advisory services to public, private, small medium enterprise and international clients. She held leadership roles with responsibility for strategy, client relationship management, financial performance and Human Resources.

Patricia has lectured on the Masters of Accounting programme at NUI Galway, delivered training and presented to Boards on Corporate Governance and other matters. From 2011 to 2018, she served on the Board of Directors and as Company Secretary of Croí Heart and Stroke Foundation. She has also been a Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Institute of Public Administration.

As Director of Corporate Services, Patricia has responsibility for Corporate Governance, Finance, Human Resources, Facilities, Communications and Library Services.

She served as the Institute’s Data Protection Officer until December 2020 and currently is the Marine Institute Joint Risk Officer and Board Secretary.

Michael Gillooly – Director of Ocean Climate and Information Services

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science (University College Galway), a Masters in Environmental Science (Trinity College Dublin) and a National Diploma in Aquatic Biology (Galway Regional Technical College, now Atlantic Technological University.

He is responsible for the leading, managing and developing of services and delivery of programmes including Research Vessel Operations, Advanced Mapping Services, Oceanography and Climate Services, Information and System Development Services, Marine Infrastructures and Ocean Energy.

Michael has 30 years’ senior management experience in marine technical research and operational projects, and infrastructure projects e.g. weather and observation buoy networks, Galway Bay cabled scientific observatory. His experience also extends to operational programmes such as INFOMAR mapping, RV (Research Vessel) and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) programmes, operational oceanography and climate change. Strategic planning experience includes the national marine plan (Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth), Integrated Digital Ocean programme and multiple project business planning.

Michael was co-author of the 2005/2006 INFOMAR proposal which was supported by Government as a 20 year programme (scheduled to complete in 2026), Michael was a national delegate to the Steering Council of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) from 2016 to 2018. He is currently a national delegate on the Assembly of Members of the EMSO and EURO ARGO ERICs, and is an Executive Board Member of EurOcean.

Michael was project manager of the programmes to build the Institute’s two research vessels, the RV Celtic Voyager and RV Celtic Explorer, and is the Director responsible for the programme to build RV Tom Crean, which replaced the Celtic Voyager.

Dr. Niall McDonough – Director of Policy, Information and Research Services (PIRS)

Niall McDonough originally trained as a marine biologist with research interests in marine aquaculture, shellfish stock restoration and marine resource management. He holds a first class BA Mod. in Zoology from Trinity College Dublin (1993) and a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast (1998).

Following two years at the Environmental Change Institute at National University Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Niall served for five years as General Manager of the Centre for Marine Resources and Mariculture (CMar), an innovation centre at Queen’s University Belfast providing research, technical and advisory services for the emerging marine aquaculture sector.

From 2007 to 2009, he worked with the Marine Institute’s international cooperation programme. In 2009, he was appointed Executive Director of the European Marine Board (EMB), a European marine science policy organisation based at the InnovOcean campus in Ostend, Belgium. He returned to Ireland in 2017 to take up his current role with the Marine Institute.

As Director of PIRS, Niall oversees a team and programme of work that plays a key role in supporting and promoting marine research and innovation at national and international level. He coordinates the implementation of Ireland’s Marine Research and Innovation Strategy (2017-2022) and chairs the national Marine Research Funders’ Forum. He oversees the Marine Institute’s circa €8 million per annum external research funding programme and is a member of the Irish Government’s Innovation 2020 Implementation Group and Horizon Europe High-Level Group. In November 2020, he was elected Chair of the European Joint Programming Initiative on Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans.

Joe Silke – Director of Marine Environment and Food Safety Services (MEFSS)

Joe holds a National Diploma in Aquatic Science from Galway Regional Technical College (now ATU) and a Masters in Environmental Science from Trinity College Dublin. He began his career in aquaculture, working in shellfish hatcheries and on-growing facilities specialising in innovative production methods in the 1980s before transitioning to research in phytoplankton, oceanography, and marine aquaculture development.

With extensive experience in risk assessment, quality control, and environmental monitoring, Joe previously led the Marine Institute’s Shellfish Safety Team, advising Government, industry, and consumers on food safety. He has an international profile, having served as an EU shellfish toxin expert, contributed to Codex, and Chaired the ICES working group on Harmful algal bloom dynamics and the FAO-IOC Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algal Blooms.

As Director of Marine Environment and Food Safety Services (MEFSS), Joe oversees scientific service teams supporting Government policy on seafood safety, licencing and planning, marine sustainability, fish health, and clean seas. His role encompasses overseeing assessments, monitoring programmes, and research initiatives that inform regulatory decisions and environmental management. He works closely with national and international agencies, ensuring compliance with EU and global standards while advancing scientific knowledge in marine ecosystems.

Dr. Ciaran Kelly – Director of Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services (FEAS)

Ciaran trained as a marine biologist and subsequently as a fisheries scientist, with a degree from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD from University College Dublin. He has been involved in advice provision to government managers and policy makers for more than 20 years, working nationally and through international organisations such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF).

Ciaran has previously worked as a manager of integrated advice, and manager of the Office of Research and Development at the Marine Institute which was responsible for the planning and running of the Marine Institute’s National Marine Research Investment programme.

He is Director of the Institute’s Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services (FEAS), which undertakes resource assessments of commercial fish stocks, provides advice and policy support to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), and undertakes research on marine ecosystems, fish stocks and aquaculture.

Liam Lacey – Director of the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO)

Liam is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland and holds a Masters Degree in management from Trinity College Dublin. Before joining the IMDO, Liam lectured in the area of strategic management and innovation in National University of Ireland Maynooth.

He formerly worked with Irish Continental Group as Managing Director of its Container and Terminal Division. He has extensive experience in shipping, chartering and port development. Liam was a member of IBEC's Transport Council, which represents the views of industry in the area of transport and logistics.