Johnathan Dalzell has been appointed the director of the Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC).
Dalzell has previously worked in private and public sector research and education. He joins the NIMC from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, where as head of branch he had a remit including expert input to national policy, stakeholder engagement and advocacy.
Prior to that he was a senior lecturer and director of education at Queen's University Belfast, where he coordinated and taught undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, and led an independent research team.
He also chaired a diverse portfolio of committees and contributed to strategic management at the level of school and faculty.
Dalzell is a current member of the National Trust NI’s Regional Advisory Group and has served as trustee for a number of national and international learned societies.
He has fulfilled editorial roles for a range of international research publications, and has consulted for organisations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and UK Research and Innovation.
In his role at the NIMC, Dalzell said he was keen to develop career themes around education, policy and socio-economic impact, while supporting and advocating for the local museum sector. He started his directorship on 9 May.
Dalzell replaces Siobhan Stevenson, who had been interim director of the NIMC since March 2021.