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The Danish Institute for Human Rights appoints new Director of Research

Katharina Ó Cathaoir will take on the position on 1 January.
Katharina Ó Cathaoir

The Danish Institute for Human Rights has appointed Katharina Ó Cathaoir as its new Director of Research. 

As Director of Research, Katharina Ó Cathaoir will be responsible for developing and strengthening the institute’s research activities, which form a central pillar of its work to protect and promote human rights in Denmark and internationally.

Katharina Ó Cathaoir brings many years of academic experience in the field of human rights and health law, with a particular focus on individual rights, social protection, and the intersection between health, law, and technology. She also has extensive experience with interdisciplinary research and collaboration across universities and public institutions.

“I look forward to contributing to research at the Danish Institute for Human Rights that generates new knowledge and strengthens the practical protection of rights — both where classical challenges persist and where new questions arise in response to, for example, climate change and digitalisation,”
Katharina Ó Cathaoir.

Cathaoir will take up the position on 1 January. Executive Director Louise Holck welcomes the appointment:

“Katharina Ó Cathaoir brings a strong academic profile and a deep understanding of how knowledge can lead to real change. She combines intellectual rigour with a clear sense of relevance and results — both in the short and the long term. Under her leadership, our research will stand even stronger as the foundation for our work to achieve tangible results for human rights,” says Louise Holck.

Katharina Ó Cathaoir has served as Associate Professor in Health Law at the University of Copenhagen, Law Fellow at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Legal Advisor at Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and has worked for the Irish Courts Service.

She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Copenhagen and an LLM in International and Comparative Law from Trinity College Dublin.