Diarmuid Cowan
About Diarmuid Cowan
Diarmuid Cowan is an Online Insights Associate currently working at Ofcom in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has a diverse background in education and leadership, including roles at the Office for Students and Heriot-Watt University Student Union, and has contributed to projects focused on algorithms and data ethics.
Work at Ofcom
Diarmuid Cowan has held multiple positions at Ofcom, starting as a Graduate Associate from 2018 to 2020. In this role, he focused on personalisation algorithms and recommender systems as part of the Online Insights Programme. He currently serves as an Online Insights Associate, a position he has held since 2020. His responsibilities include horizon scanning for online issues, generating briefing insight papers, and identifying relevant academic literature for projects related to algorithms. He also created a guide for non-technical colleagues on algorithms, which outlines applicable tools, methods, and suggests policy actions.
Education and Expertise
Diarmuid Cowan has a diverse educational background. He earned a Master of Arts with Honours in Economics from Heriot-Watt University from 2012 to 2016. He furthered his studies at The University of Edinburgh, where he completed courses in Data Ethics, AI and Responsible Innovation, and Representing Data. Additionally, he studied Lean Organisation Management Techniques at West Sussex College and obtained a TQUK qualification in 2019. His expertise also includes Competition Law and Equality and Diversity, which he studied at Cullen International and North East Scotland College, respectively.
Leadership Experience
Cowan has significant leadership experience, notably serving as President of the Heriot-Watt University Student Union from 2016 to 2018. During his tenure, he led the union to win two awards: Student Union of the Year and Officer Team of the Year 2018 from NUS Scotland. He also served as a Governor and a Senator at Heriot-Watt University, demonstrating his commitment to student representation and governance. In his current role as Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Network at the UK Regulators' Network since 2020, he continues to engage with emerging professionals in the regulatory field.
Previous Roles and Contributions
Prior to his current roles, Diarmuid Cowan worked at the Office for Students as Deputy Chair for Social Sciences and later as Deputy Chair of the Natural and Built Environment from 2017 to 2019. He also served as a Reviewer at The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education from 2017 to 2020. His contributions in these roles included involvement in the TEF Subject-level Pilot and various quality assurance initiatives. His experience spans multiple sectors, enhancing his understanding of education and regulatory frameworks.