Ruairi is a lawyer in both in the US (Attorney, New York) and the UK (Solicitor, England and Wales). Since May 2018, he has worked part-time with the GO Lab, where his research is focused on public procurement and public contract performance. Ruairi convenes the Oxford Procurement of Government Outcomes Club (Oxford POGO Club), an online peer learning initiative to which all are welcome.
Ruairi has almost two decades of experience negotiating and managing US federal government contracts with a wide range of agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, US Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. He has a master of laws (LLM) degree in government procurement law from the George Washington University and a bachelor of laws (LLB) degree from Queens University Belfast. His master's degree included placement at the US Congress House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he focused on implementation of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act). He has previously worked for the Open Contracting Partnership to promote the use of the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). Ruairi was a participant on the prestigious Washington Ireland Program and was an intern with Congressman (now Senator) Edward Markey. He is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and travels there often. Ruairi is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration.