Tom Boland was recently appointed to the board of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Boland brings vast knowledge and experience to SFI, which will greatly enhance its task of creating a world-class research community in Ireland. Boland is chief executive officer of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), a post he has held since January 2004. He has also had a distinguished career in the Department of Justice, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Education and Science, where he worked as legal adviser and as director of strategic policy. He played a central role in putting into place a modern legislative basis for the educational sector at all levels, including the first Education Act, the first Universities Act and the first Act relating to the education of people with special educational needs. He holds qualifications in civil engineering from NUIG and law (The King’s Inns), and was called to the Irish Bar in 1989.
