Six Sustainability Institute academics have successfully been appointed to prestigious RIA Committees

31 Aug 2026

The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has shared the details of members who have been appointed to its multidisciplinary committees and standing committees for the next four-year term.

Sustainability Institute academics, Prof. John Wenger, Prof. Marguerite Nyhan and Dr. Paul Leahy have been appointed to the RIA Climate Change and Environmental Sciences Committee along with Dr. Dug Cubie to the RIA Ethics, Politics, Law and Philosophy Committee, Prof. Valeria Andreoni to the RIA Social Sciences Committee and Prof. Colm O'Dwyer to the RIA Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee. 

Prof. Wenger said " In my role, I will be looking to raise and address issues related to both air pollution and climate change.” Dr. Leahy will bring to the committee "experience as an Engineer working with other disciplines on solutions for reducing carbon emissions through renewable energy and will communicate the choices society is faced with regarding the interconnected nature of energy, land use, materials, resource extraction and circularity". Prof. Andreoni said "I hope to bring my expertise in economics, sustainability and interdisciplinary research to the Committee, while contributing to research and initiatives that address key economic and societal challenges". Prof. O'Dwyer commented "I offer over a decade of service experience in the leadership of one of the world’s oldest and largest scientific societies, The Electrochemical Society (ECS), to help drive the RIA mission across the physical, chemical and mathematical science domains in research for society, industry interactions, public-facing outreach, national policy and research-led educational initiatives".

The RIA has ten multidisciplinary committees, five in the sciences and five in the humanities and social sciences, as well as two standing committees (Archaeology and International Affairs). These committees provide expert guidance on the Academy's activities in different disciplines and help develop the RIA programme of public events to share this expertise with wider audiences.

The multidisciplinary and standing committees bring together experts from different fields to share knowledge, support research, promote the value of scholarship, and strengthen links between researchers in Ireland and around the world. They each hold three meetings a year to decide on a programme of work that will raise and address issues, including those of public concern, relevant to their shared expertise. These activities may include outreach and public events, conferences, seminars and round tables, blogs, reports and expert statements. The committees’ programme of work is overseen by the Royal Irish Academy’s Academic Board and must also align with the Academy’s overall strategic direction.

Royal Irish Academy Secretary, Professor Linda Hogan, who chairs the Academy Board, said:

The multidisciplinary committees are a vital engine within the Royal Irish Academy and are responsible for leading a large and varied programme of work. The diverse events and activities organised by the committees draw public and policy attention to important research areas and research issues and facilitate discussion and engagement with scholarly communities across the island of Ireland.

The new multidisciplinary committee term will run from 2026-2030. Committees are composed of up to twenty members with the knowledge and expertise to shape and deliver work relevant to each committee. Committee members represent a broad spectrum of academics, researchers and industry experts from across the island of Ireland and were selected based on their discipline expertise and public engagement experience, following a highly competitive open call earlier this year. Each committee has up to five representatives from among the RIA’s elected members.

The twelve multidisciplinary and standing committees are listed below. Profiles of committee members for the upcoming term are now listed on each committee page and in the overall RIA Multidisciplinary Committees Directory.

Humanities Committees

• Coiste Léann na Gaeilge agus an Léinn Cheiltigh
• Ethics, Politics, Law and Philosophy
• Historical Studies
• Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication
• Social Sciences
• Standing Committee for Archaeology
• Standing Committee for International Affairs

Sciences Committees

• Climate Change and Environmental Sciences
• Engineering and Computer Science
• Geography and Geosciences
• Life and Health Sciences
• Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences