The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases is supported by a Secretariat, and led by the Special Representative. The GRA Council is the representative body of all Members and Partners which oversees all activities of the GRA and encourages greater global cooperation and knowledge sharing.

Dr. Karl Walsh
Council Chair

Dr Karl Walsh is the Head of the Research, Bioeconomy & Codex Division in the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). He grew up on a mixed dairy and beef pasture farm in Ireland. He graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2003 with a degree in Agricultural Science. He then went on to complete a PhD at the Teagasc Grange Beef Research Centre in Meath, Ireland, as well as at UCD. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Policy Analysis from the Institute of Public Administration.
Karl joined the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2007. He worked in a variety of areas, including Livestock Breeding, Production and Trade, Animal Feed and Fertiliser, Research, Economics, and as the Agricultural Attaché in Irelands Embassy to France as well as its multilateral Mission to the OECD. He was appointed Head of the Research, Bioeconomy and Codex Division in 2021.
Ireland, through the Research Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, was a founding member of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) when it launched in December 2009. Since then, Ireland has been active in the GRA in a number of ways, including as Chair/Co-Chair of thematic research groups.
As incoming Chair of the GRA Council, Ireland aims to:
- Further develop the reputational profile and leadership role of the GRA in tackling agricultural GHG emissions
- Advance research priorities to address both GHG emissions reduction and food security
- Support the international multi-lateral model and dimension of research, which Ireland has championed, through aligned collaborative partnerships to build both momentum and mass of resources, financing, and expertise to advance scientific and technological solutions
- Support and platform the goals of Ireland’s international development work, such as through engagement with the Africa Agri-food Development Programme