Who we are

This blog is an initiative hosted by the EuroScientist magazine.

It all started from the realisation that we, as European scientists, need to deal with some issues that are common to all European territories. But, until recently, we were not joining forces to solve them. The trouble is that, until now, these issues were discussed at the national level by well-formed researchers’ communities. And not so much in a concerted way across European borders.

It is now time to make communications beyond borders a reality among us. It is also time that we avail of readily available technology to dissect, discuss and analyse the issues that we face to help devise some proposals to policy makers. This blog has a grassroots vocation and calls upon the voices of researchers at all level of the scientific hierarchy regardless of where they live.

To tell you a bit more about the history of this initiative, the need for the Homo scientificus europaeus forum stemmed from the realisation that we, as researchers, were not coordinating our efforts enough to shape our own research environment—particularly in the countries most affected by the recession in Eastern and Southern Europe.

It all started with initial discussions between Sabine Louët, editor of the EuroScientist, and Gilles Mirambeau, molecular biologist at UPMC Sorbonne Universities, in Paris, and scientist at the AIDS Research Group, at IDIBAPS, in Barcelona. They came that the conclusion that greater awareness of shared issues among scientists from various part of Europe, could help improve their research environment.

This led to the publication, in April 2013, of a special issue of the EuroScientist on Austerity , which provided a snapshot of the effect of the recession on Southern European scientists.

Next, Gilles Mirambeau and Amaya Moro-Martin, astrophysicist, currently working at the Space Telescope Science Institute, in Baltimore, USA, and the spokesperson of the science grassroots Investigación Digna, set out to bring existing active researchers’ communities involved in defending scientists’ working environment and conditions to talk to each other across borders. This became reality by the way of a meeting in Barcelona in November 2013, followed by a dedicated session at ESOF 2014, held in June in Copenhagen.

As a result, the momentum created around this concept led to the gathering of key actors, who have started a community including members from all over Europe.

These include:

  • Amaya Moro-Martín, astrophysicist; Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore (USA); spokesperson of Investigación Digna (Spain); Euroscience.
  • Gilles Mirambeau, HIV virologist; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06 (France); IDIBAPS, Barcelona (Spain); Euroscience.
  • Rosário Mauritti, sociologist; ISCTE, CIES-IUL, Lisbon (Portugal).
  • Sebastian Raupach, physicist; initiator of “Perspektive statt Befristung” (Germany).
  • Jennifer Rohn, cancer cell biologist; Division of Medicine, University College London, London (UK); Chair of Science is Vital.
  • Francesco Sylos Labini, physicist; Enrico Fermi Center, Institute for Complex Systems (ISC-CNR), Rome (Italy); editor of Roars.it.
  • Alberto Baccini, economist, Department of Economy and Politcs, University of Siena Italy), editor of Roars.it.
  • Varvara Trachana, cell biologist; Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa (Greece).
  • Alain Trautmann, cancer immunologist; CNRS, Institut Cochin, Paris (France); former spokesman of “Sauvons la Recherche”.
  • Sophie Duchesne, political scientist, CNRS, Institut des Sciences sociales du Politique (Science Po), Paris (France).
  • Patrick Lemaire, embryologist; CNRS, Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, Universités of Montpellier; initiator and spokesman of “Sciences en Marche” (France).
  • Olivier Coux, cellular biologist, CNRS, Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, Universités of Montpellier; “Sciences en Marche” (France).
  • Jens Degett, science journalist, (Denmark); Euroscience.
  • Thomas König, political scientist, Vienna Institute for Advanced Studies (Austria); Euroscience.
  • Wolfgang Eppenschwandtner, executive coordinator, Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) (Germany),
  • Slobodan Radicev, doctoral candidate in industrial engineering and management, University of Novi Sad (Serbia); former EuroDoc president, Euroscience .
  • John Peacock, president EuroDoc (UK).

Photo credit: George Thomas