We’re an independent venture promoting voices from the scientific community
OUR STORY
The All Ireland Science Media Centre was established in 2024 as a one-year pilot run by the UK Science Media Centre and hosted at Airfield Estate in Dublin. The one-year pilot came to an end on 1st June 2025, at which point UK CEO, Fiona Fox, stepped back from day-to-day involvement in the project, handing over the reins to the advisory group Chair and Airfield Estate CEO, Claire Mac Evilly.
Now, as an independent Science Media Centre in our own right, we continue to operate from Airfield Estate, providing ongoing support for evidence-based reporting and connections between scientists and the media.
Our Pilot Year
The UK Science Media Centre was established in 2002 in response to media scare stories around the MMR vaccine, GM foods and stem cell research. By the time of the COVID pandemic, there were six well-established SMCs in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Spain, and Germany, with a longer list of countries expressing an interest. As the network expanded, it became clear that the SMC model works well in countries with very different science and media ecosystems. With encouragement from contacts in Ireland, Fiona Fox, Founding CEO of the UK SMC, initiated a consultation process to establish whether there was a need and an appetite for an SMC for all of Ireland.
The consultation process provided a strong mandate from the science community to explore the prospects for an SMC for all of Ireland, highlighting a need for more accessible expert commentary and stronger coverage of science in the media.
In its Pilot year, the Centre recruited 225 scientists and 51 press officers across 27 Irish universities, research institutes, and science agencies. With 24 Rapid Reactions and 20 Roundups issued in 12 months, trustees of the UK SMC and Airfield Estate felt that the Pilot met its success criteria and proof of concept. They firmly believed that an independent all-Ireland SMC would bring added value to the science media relations ecosystem across the island of Ireland and would be a successful member of the growing global network.
Fiona Fox’s full report on the Pilot project is available here.
OUR TEAM
Katrin O’Donnell, Senior Press Officer
Katrin joined the All Ireland Science Media Centre in August 2025, following five years working as a Media Advisor at the Science Media Centre, New Zealand. Throughout her career, she has facilitated more informed, constructive conversations about contentious scientific issues in the public sphere and developed best-practice guidance for institutions supporting researchers facing online harassment. Recognising the similarities between the research and media landscapes in Ireland and New Zealand, she was motivated to take on this role and help amplify expert voices in a new context.
Katrin has a Master of Science in Society from Victoria University of Wellington, awarded with Distinction, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and a Bachelor of Sciences in Ecology and Biodiversity.
Claire Mac Evilly, CEO
Claire has over 25 years of experience in science communication and public affairs across the USA, UK, and Ireland. Claire worked closely with the UK Science Media Centre in its early days during her time as a communications manager at the University of Cambridge. She has since held leadership roles in corporate and public affairs, media relations, and public engagement, including co-founding SCICOM, Ireland’s largest gathering of science communications professionals.
She is currently CEO of the Science Media Centre All Ireland and its host organisation, Airfield Estate, a 38-acre urban farm, organic garden, and research institute in south Dublin focused on sustainability and food education.
Advisory Board
Jonathan McCrea
Helen Jamison
Robert Grundy
Dr Clare O’Connell
Sarah Jones
Suzanne Lagan
Kevin O’Sullivan
Gillian Cosgrave
Luke Pierce
Past Staff
Adam Murphy
Past Advisory Board Members
Professor Alan Kelly