Professor Frank O’Mara commenced his duties as director of Teagasc on Friday 1 October, succeeding Professor Gerry Boyle.

The appointment was made in July by the Teagasc Authority with the consent of Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

Professor O’Mara is an agricultural scientist and sustainable livestock systems specialist.

O’Mara has over 30 years’ experience in technical and senior managerial roles in agri-food research, education and development institutions.

The Tipperary native graduated from UCD in 1987 with first-class honours in agricultural science.

O’Mara has several accolades to his name, including the McGuickan medal and the Hussey Prize for agricultural economics, which he won in final year.

Research

He went on to obtain a PhD from UCD in 1993, completing his research at Teagasc Moorepark.

He returned to his Alma Mater as a lecturer some years later where he taught animal nutrition and animal production.

Since 2009, Professor O’Mara has been the director of research in Teagasc, leading the research directorate.

Under his leadership, the number of peer-reviewed publications has increased from 258 in 2008 to 726 in 2020.

This has ensured that Teagasc research has had a major impact on the agri-food sector and Government policy over the last decade, supported by national and EU funding, and has facilitated the growth in the Walsh scholarship programme.

Congratulations

Congratulating Professor O’Mara, Teagasc chair Liam Herlihy said: “I look forward to working with Frank as director of Teagasc.

"He has a particular interest in sustainable agriculture and food systems and I am confident he will successfully lead Teagasc through the changes required to assist Irish farmers and the agri-food sector to meet the environmental, economic and social challenges facing the sector.

"I would like to thank Professor Gerry Boyle for his leadership of the organisation as director over the last 14 years.”