Frances P. Ruane is director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin, Ireland. She succeeded Brendan Whelan in 2006, after 30 years of teaching economics at Trinity College, Dublin and Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Previously, she worked at the Industrial Development Authority and the Central Bank of Ireland. She holds a B.A. in economics, an M.A. in econometrics from University College Dublin, and a DPhil from Oxford University.
Ruane has contributed to the understanding of international economics, industrial development, structural change, and firm heterogeneity. She has served on many committees and boards, including the Higher Education Authority, the Health Research Board, the Council of Economic Advisers (Scotland), the National Statistics Board, the European Advisory Committee on Statistical Information in the Economic and Social Spheres, the National Board for Science and Technology, the Industrial Development Authority, Forfás, and Bord Gáis.
Ruane regularly appears in the media.[1][2]