Aoife McLysaght appointed Science Advisor to Government

to distract from her views on what makes a woman - DNA or drugs/ surgery and clothing choice?

This position has a very bad track record, probably because it is a political appointment.

The first person to hold the position, although a high-achieving scientist, was found to have bought his doctorate from a diploma mill.

Later on, another appointee was found to have "dual published" research, a violation of scientific ethics.

The bar has been set low. However some posters here seem more interested in attacking Prof. Lysaght for her views on trans issues and her "zero covid" track record rather than her scientific track record.

Zero covid does look extreme with the benefit of hindsight, but it was a hugely uncertain time with limited understanding of the virus. It was a risk-averse position but hardly "lunatic", and what you would probably expect from a scientist.

Likewise, the views on trans issues are not remarkable and are probably shared by the majority of the population or at least a large minority.

I wish the Professor well!

I would not see anything to even suggest she was or is anti Covid vaccines.

If someone`s position as an advisor on epidemics was to keep me awake at night, Johan Giesecke the architect behind Sweden`s chasing naturally acquired herd immunity who was appointed in late 2020 as vice-chair of the W.H.O. Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards as special advisor to Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on pandemic response, she would be a long way futher down that line than Giesecke.

Even if we play that game, give a huge benefit to hindsight, gloss over gross underperformance in scientific predictions & modelling, ignore the insane claims by ISAG that weren't entertained in any other scientific community, and try to move past the loss of life from excess deaths, or much smaller issues like the contribution to the housing crises or the economic damage from money printing.

You're missing one huge question there with your analysis. Why?

Why was ISAG formed? Why did it mostly consist of scientists from different fields, very few of whom were qualified experts in infectious diseases? Who brought them together? Why did they actively target journalists sympathetic to their views?

Why did they "look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty " (an email that their head, Anthony Staines, has admitted to sending). Why did they feed government officials information that "may or may not be true" in order to give the government the chance to "line up with our proposals".

Seriously, what on earth was going on with this group? At best they were taking advantage of a worry stricken public at an opportune time. The worst is something far more sinister. What was their motive? Who was funding it all?

She should be getting investigated by the government and instead she's going into a high profile government position on a huge salary. That is as mind blowing strange as it is sickening and disturbing

I wish her well too. Nobody is right all the time. So, long as we can learn from past experiences and mistakes, that is what matters.

Likewise, the views on trans issues are not remarkable and are probably shared by the majority of the population or at least a large minority.

A "majority or at least a large minority" of an increasingly insular and captured elite more like.

I'd be interested to know what her views on the Cass Review are. A lot of people who repeat that TWAW slogan in her tweet, are tending to reject it for ideological rather than scientific reasons.

I was just thinking what’s Aoife been up to since she was appointed last year. I can’t find any evidence of anything from googling.

Her twitter posts are still readable, nothing I can see since 2023. Some of it quite fanatical and crazy from the “zero covid” perspective: https://x.com/aoifemcl?lang=en

Well, I was very surprised by her appointment, once I started reading about her. For someone who was such a heavy social media user, I thought that there would be some PR - or anything really to show what’s being done in a public role, with a salary advertised in May 2024 of €160,000.

Maybe she’s busy?

Somebody was funding these people to colour public opinion.

The fact that one of these absolute charlatans, who was clearly funded by a vested interest, 

Evidence? Any, at all?

Public opinion my hole. 90% (being generous here) of the Irish public had no idea what ISAG was. Just because certain people on Boards or Twitter were obsessing about them doesn't mean that that is representative of the public

She's now on a stamp. A living person, a current government advisor and a member of a rather strange lobby group gets put on a stamp.

Maybe she moved to Bluesky.

I wonder how much they are being paid for these positions. I think the salary should be announced anytime the government announces a position like this or that someone has been appointed to chair a review etc. It’s our money.

"Women in STEM".. seems like such a demeaning thing to say. I get the purpose of it, but c'mon.

Hey so tell us about yourself, "I'm a scientist but also a WOMAN!"