Dr Mikey Creane
The Chair, Legal Director
Dr Mikey Creane obtained his BSc in Physiology, MSc in Regenerative Medicine, and PhD in Translational Cell Therapy at the University of Galway between 2005 and 2016. After postdoctoral research training, Dr Creane worked for many years as a Research Fellow and Programme Manager in the Regenerative Medicine Institute at the University of Galway, translating stromal cell therapies from laboratory studies to first-in-human testing. Dr Creane also served as Strategic Lead for the Centre of Cell Manufacturing Ireland, an academic Good Manufacturing Practices facility at the University of Galway. He recently joined HAON Lifesciences as Translational Research Manager, leading preclinical development of novel cell therapies for rare diseases.
Dr Silvia Vilches
Vice-Chair, Legal Director
Dr Silvia L Vilches leads and researches community-based family and child care provider programmes, including on outdoor free play, as an Associate Professor at Auburn University. As a state outreach Extension Specialist, she leads training for child care providers and families in Tuning in to Kids, a parenting programme trainer that uses Gottman’s approach to emotion coaching for families, developed at the University of Melbourne. She has a special interest in marginalised and rural communities, most recently working with graduate students exploring supports for families with incarcerated parents, and menstrual justice for women in prison. Dr Vilches provides her lengthy experience on boards, including as the former chair of the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars to assist with organizational mandates of ICoRSA. She is currently exploring disaster mitigation approaches for families with young children, using her doctorate in urban planning and her masters in multidisciplinary policy and practice in child and youth care. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Qualitative Family Research Network, and on the inclusion, engagement and access committee of the ‘National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science’ professionals.
Dr Rosarii Griffin
Company & Legal Secretary, Director
Dr Rosarii Griffin is the Company (and Legal) Secretary and Board Director of ICoRSA. She is also Secretary of the national Researcher Staff Association (IrishRSA) and Chairs her University’s Researcher Staff Association (UCCRSA) at University College Cork, Ireland. Rosarii’s expertise lies in International and Comparative Education (DPhil, Oxford University). She has undertaken research capacity-building projects in Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, South Africa, and Rwanda, receiving research funding from Irish Aid, UNESCO/World Bank, EU, and Government of Ireland Research (formerly IRC). Rosarii has published five books in ‘International and Comparative Education’ and is currently working on a sixth. Rosarii’s books foster an interdisciplinary approach embracing different cultural perspectives. She advocates for researchers, especially safeguards protecting researcher careers, gender equality, disability, STEM, science communication, and science diplomacy. In addition to research capacity building in developing contexts, Rosarii’s current research focus is on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in relation to pedagogical practices, including teaching, learning, assessing and research. She is specifically interested in ethical practices and AI. Rosarii is a longstanding Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London, UK.
Dr Alison Tidy
Treasurer, Director
Dr Alison Tidy continues her vital role as ICoRSA Treasurer, bringing 13 years of academic experience focused on plant responses to abiotic stress and climate resilience. Her postdoctoral career, marked by fixed-term contracts, has given her firsthand insight into the precarity facing early career researchers (ECRs), fuelling her advocacy for fairer research cultures. Since 2017, Dr Alison Tidy has Chaired her University’s Early Career Committee and led the UK Research Staff Association (UKRSA) as Chair and Co-Chair from 2018 to 2024, delivering workshops at Vitae and national postdoc conferences on post-pandemic career safeguarding. Joining ICoRSA’s board in 2024, she assumed the Treasurer position in 2025, developing reimbursement and spending policies while overseeing monthly audits, salary approvals, and non-project expenditures. Dr Alison Tidy’s financial stewardship ensures good governance, balancing inflows and outflows to support ICoRSA’s global mission amid evolving research challenges.
Dr Gianna Avellis
Legal Director, Ordinary Committee Member
Dr Gianna Avellis, as Chair Emeritus, will continue her role on the ICoRSA Board as both Legal Director and Ordinary Committee Member, as Dr Gianna Avellis is a founders of ICoRSA. Dr Avellis is leading researcher in ICT at InnovaPuglia SpA, Bari, Italy. About 100 publications and conferences and reviewer of several International Journals of Emerging and Interactive Mobile Technologies. Her current research interests are AI and Gender Equality, Generative AI in Education, and AI for Eradicating Online Violence against Women and Girls. Marie Curie fellow at Imperial College of Science Technology Engineering and Medicine, London, UK, research in Requirements Engineering and Software Design. Founder and Chair of MCAA WG on Gender Equality. Founder and vice-Chair of the Italian Women Innovators and Inventors Network ITWIIN www.itwiin.org promoting annual Award for the best Women Inventor and Innovator in Italy. Advisory Board member of Gender Equality.
Dr Richard Vance
Ordinary Committee Member
Dr Richard Vance joins ICoRSA as a new Ordinary Committee Member, bringing expertise as Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University, Ireland, where he serves as deputy chair and incoming chair of the MSc in Psychology and Wellbeing programme. His research focuses on well-being determinants, cognition, ageing, and assistive technology, complemented by active participation in COST networks on research careers. Elected Chair of the Irish Research Staff Association (IRSA), a constituent member of ICoRSA, in 2022, Vance has mastered research policy, careers, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. As Chair of IRSA, he has provided in Ireland’s parliament at the Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science; contributed to public consultations; and engaged government stakeholders to shape policy, including impacts reflected in the 2025 Programme for Government. Dr Richard Vance has established partnerships with unions like IFUT and the national students’ union (AMlÉ), while representing Ireland in Eurodoc since 2024 on PhD scholars’ conditions and working groups. His rights-based, evidence-driven approach strengthens researcher advocacy across national and European levels, positioning him to advance ICoRSA’s equitable research culture mission.
Dr Lucia Martinelli
Ordinary Committee Member
Dr Lucia Martinelli joins ICoRSA as a new Ordinary Committee Member, bringing her distinguished career as a retired Senior Researcher and biologist with expertise in biotechnology, gene transfer, GMO traceability, and risk communication. Holding degrees from the University of Bologna (Biological Sciences), Wageningen University (PhD in Agricultural Genetics), and University of Ferrara (Master in Scientific Journalism), she earned the 2004 Rudolf Hermanns Foundation Prize for pioneering gene transfer research into grapes.Since 2011 at MUSE – Science Museum in Trento, Italy, Martinelli has advanced Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and gender equality, coordinating the Gender Equality Plan Working Group within international collaborations. Her extensive networking spans multiple COST Actions and European projects, fostering cross-border dialogue in research communities. Martinelli serves on boards including “Donne e Scienza” (since 2011), European Platform of Women Scientists – EPWS (president since 2021), ICoRSA Gender Working Group, Italian Research Staff Association, EU W20 delegation, and Navigating Knowledge Landscape Network. An active science communicator, she has authored science-theatre texts and hosted radio programmes, enhancing researcher representation and gender equity globally.
Dr Erna Karalija
Management
Dr. Erna Karalija is a plant biologist and professor at the University of Sarajevo, specializing in molecular plant physiology, seed priming, and plant adaptation to environmental stress. She has coordinated and contributed to numerous Horizon Europe projects, including SECURE2, SECURE, RRING, GRRIP, PHAROS, OPUS, MUSICA, and H2HEAT, focusing on researcher career frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable innovations in plant science. As a member of the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA), she has actively contributed to addressing researcher precarity, particularly in the Western Balkans, through regional initiatives such as the Berlin Process. Dr. Karalija is also the main proposer of a successful COST Action and a recipient of multiple University research awards. In addition to her scientific work, she is engaged in science communication, public outreach, and stakeholder engagement, promoting the societal relevance of science and fostering inclusive dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and communities.
Sal Music
Head of Communications
Sal Music is a communications expert with over 25 years’ experience, including eight years leading communications within development agencies (USAID, SDC) and EU Horizon projects (PHAROS, OPUS, RRING, GRRIP, MUSICA), as well as 12 years of professional experience in executive management and C-level roles in the corporate sector. Sal has worked with international clients across the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands, and many other countries. Sal Music brings more than two decades of expertise in communications, specialising in communication strategy, content creation, and team leadership. Sal’s experience spans multiple sectors, including development agencies, EU-funded projects, and both communication agency and in-house environments. As Communications & Dissemination Manager for EU Horizon projects, Sal led comprehensive dissemination activities, developing and implementing strategies, maintaining project websites, engaging target audiences through social media, and organising key events.
Mak Loncar
Communications Officer
Mak leads the development and implementation of internal and external communication strategies for ICoRSA and its EU-funded projects. He ensures that complex scientific concepts reach diverse audiences with clarity and impact. As a strategic communications leader, Mak oversees project communications while directing technical copywriting and content strategy across all platforms. Managing cross-cultural communication with sensitivity and precision, he has developed ICoRSA’s brand identity and drives the organisation’s overall marketing strategy. This includes design, social media campaigns, website architecture, UX strategy, content direction, SEO implementation and content performance to maximise reach and engagement. With an eye for design that aligns with branding goals, Mak also develops merchandise that strengthens organisational & project identity.
Carolina Varela
Policy & Administration
Carolina Varela has a MSc in Development and International Cooperation at ISEG-Lisbon School of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon. Her career started with international cooperation projects in Spain followed by a five year experience as a research manager, most recently as a pre-award advisor at the NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is an active member of several Portuguese research managers and science communicators science networks such as, the national network Plataforma de Interface à Ciência and the Lisbon network Finca Pé. Her research interests focuses on the comparative analysis and international benchmarking of RDI policies.
Dannie O’Brien
Finance & Stakeholders Officer
Dannie has various experience in research and innovation management whether that is marine, aquaculture, environmental, ecological, food systems, waste and social projects that emphasis innovative solutions to big and small problems.