Originally from Dublin, Professor Maria Slowey is Director of Higher Education Research and Development in Dublin City University, where, from 2004 to 2009 she was Vice-President for Learning Innovation and Academic Registrar. She has held senior academic leadership and managerial positions in three different universities in Ireland (DCU: 2004 to present) Scotland (University of Glasgow: 1992-2004) and England (University of Northumbria: 1984-1992). Her career has particularly focused on research-led innovation in higher education, widening access, internationalisation and lifelong learning.

Her research and policy interests include patterns of participation in higher education, equality of opportunity and widening access to lifelong learning opportunities, comparative tertiary education policy, the participation of adults in education and training, and the role of the university in the community. She has written extensively on these issues and has acted as a consultant to a range of bodies internationally, including OECD, UNESCO, the EC, the Council of Europe, the European Training Foundation, the European Association for Education of Adults, the Swedish National Board for Higher Education, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the US Advisory Council on Continuing Education.

In relation to PASCAL, Maria was founding Director of the Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelomng Learning (CRADALL) in Glasgow University which is a lead PASCAL node. In 2009, she participated in a PASCAL Peer Review of Melbourne, Knowledge Capital.