The National Open Research Forum (NORF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Michelle Doran to the role of National Open Research Coordinator (NORC) based at the Digital Repository of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy. Dr Doran has been an outstanding member of the NORF team since she joined as Project Manager in September 2022. As NORC, Dr Doran will play a key role in driving the implementation of Ireland’s open research policy agenda. She will guide the delivery of Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030, in the context of Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy.
Dr Doran has a background in open research, network creation and digital humanities. Prior to joining NORF, she was a project officer and research fellow at the Trinity College Dublin, Centre for Digital Humanities (DH@TCD) where she supported the smooth operation of DH@TCD’s suite of national and international research projects, and core academic activities. She also served as Irish Principal Investigator of the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Network, a project funded by the AHRC/IRC to undertake research and consultation towards the implementation of a permanent Digital Humanities association for the UK and Ireland.
She holds a PhD in Early and Medieval Irish Studies and an MA in Digital Humanities. In December 2023, Dr Doran was appointed to the role of Governance Working Group for the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association.
She will begin her new duties on 1 July 2024. In the meantime, the role will continue to be supported by Dr Lisa Griffith, Director of the Digital Repository of Ireland.
Dr Griffith welcomed the appointment saying:
‘Since joining NORF, Dr Doran has been instrumental in supporting the work that the organisation is doing to assist Irish research communities achieve their open research goals. Her knowledge and experience of the Irish open research landscape means that she is well-placed to help shape the next phase of this work. DRI is proud to be the coordinating body for the National Open Research Forum and we look forward to working with Dr Doran to support this important work.’
Dr Doran commented on her new appointment:
‘I am delighted to be taking up the position of National Open Research Coordinator. Through my work as project manager for NORF I have developed an understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in Ireland’s transition towards open research. The national research community has made significant progress towards achieving the shared vision of a system that is fully aligned with open research principles and practices as outlined in the National Action Plan for Open Research. I look forward to working together with all stakeholders on its continued implementation.’
NORF is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Science through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and is coordinated by the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI).
