Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Question:615. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the SALI professorship awarded to TU Dublin has been advertised and filled. [41239/23]
View answerTuesday, 26 September 2023
Questions (615)
Written answers
The Deputy will be aware that one of the key objectives of SALI is to strengthen gender diversity at the senior leadership level within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to encourage the benefits that such diversity can deliver.
Championing equality and diversity is one of the key goals of my department. The Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI) is an important initiative aimed at advancing gender equality at the highest levels in our higher education institutions.
The scheme is intended to provide funding for 45 prestigious senior leadership posts. Twenty of these posts were approved and filled in the first SALI cycle in 2020. In November 2021, my Department announced seven of our institutions had been successful under Cycle 2 of the SALI, securing an additional 10 posts at senior academic level in higher education. This brings the total number of posts awarded under SALI to 30.
The posts awarded span a range of disciplinary areas, from Biochemical Engineering to Sustainable Geoscience, Intersectional Humanities and Pharmaceutical Engineering. These posts will not only have a significant impact in terms of gender equality, but they will also contribute to wider societal goals through research and education. The posts were approved by an expert international assessment panel chaired by Professor Chantal Davies, Professor of Law, Equality and Diversity in the School of Law at the University of Chester.
TU Dublin were awarded 3 SALI posts across the 2 cycles:
SALI cycle 1:
• Professor of Public Trust in Media, Arts and Technology
• Professorship in Inclusive Computer Science
SALI cycle 2:
• Professor of Innovation and Sustainability in Engineering, Construction and Built Environment
I understand that a recruitment process was entered into for the two posts awarded in Cycle 1. Responsibility for recruitment of the SALI posts is with the HEIs so this would be a matter for TU Dublin to comment further on the recruitment status.