Tim Conlon is the Acting Director of the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). He also works on projects at the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in both Research Programmes and Policy and Planning sections. He graduated from the University of the Creative Arts with a BA Hons. in Photography and has an MBA from the Smurfit School of Business at UCD.

Tim has worked at the HEA for over ten years, holding various posts at the IRCHSS, in HEA Research Programmes and in HEA Policy and Planning. He has worked on the design and assessment of Cycles 4 & 5 of the Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI), Cycle 2 of the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), the mid-term review of SIF and the development of a HEA policy on Open and Distance Learning. He has also participated in external reviews of architectural education provision, the review of the Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) and the review of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in relation to the commencement of its degree-awarding powers. Tim is currently working on a review of ICT Skills provision in the higher education sector and on access policies for national research infrastructures for the HEA as well as managing the IRCHSS on a temporary basis.

Since participating on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme in 1997 he has maintained an interest in the language and culture of Japan. He is the National Delegate for FP7 Theme 8: Social Sciences and Humanities. He also serves on the management boards of ERA-Net projects in the social sciences (NORFACE) and in the humanities (HERA). More recently Tim has served as policy adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.