EPSO TEAM & BOARD
EPSO’s strategy is defined by the representatives at the General Meeting, further elaborated by the elected Board and implemented by its members and staff.
TEAM
KARIN METZLAFF
Executive Director
Science and science policy (EPSO, GPC, ISE, Plant ETP), members, observers, association relations
Karin has been the Executive Director of EPSO since its creation in 2001. She works with the EPSO members and partners to promote plant research in the European science and science policy arena by overseeing the EPSO Working Groups, providing advice and recommendations to policy makers at European, multinational and national level. Karin represents EPSO in the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) and in the Global Plant Council (GPC). She is also a member of the Steering Council and Executive Committee of the European Technology Platform ‘Plants for the Future’ and one of the global coordinators of the Fascination of Plants Day.
SOFIA CIRAVEGNA
Executive Assistant
Personal membership, office, accounts, meetings
Sofia is responsible for the day-to-day management of the EPSO office, personal membership and any administration and general queries. Sofia administers the EPSO and EU project accounts. In addition, she supports Karin with the organisation of our events such as workshops and EPSO Conferences.
Alexandra Barnoux
Publications Officer
Website & social media management, EPSO publications, event communication, Fascination of Plants Day coordination
Main responsibilities include the management of the EPSO communication, website and social media activities, writing and editing articles for the EPSO newsletter and creation of visual content. They are also responsible for drafting briefings and internal documents for the EPSO members and acts as one of the Global Coordinators of the “Fascination of Plants Day”.
Trainee
EPSO is continuously looking for PhD students in biological, agricultural or food sciences for a remote or on-site (scholarship/grant holders) traineeship of 3 to 6 months. This Traineeship offer is for PhD students in biological, agricultural or food sciences.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN OUR TEAM?
Policy Intern
Expert from an EPSO Institutional Member
Each EPSO Institutional Member can offer an Internship Expert to EPSO for a stay of at least 6 months. See the EPSO call for internship experts from institutional members and the ‘Internship Agreement’.
BOARD
ALAN SCHULMAN
LUKE, Finland
EPSO President
My goal is to help EPSO achieve public and governmental recognition that from basic science in crop and model plants transformative innovations emerge and that plants are the basis for human health and social stability. The wellbeing of Europe and the world depends not only on a few strategic crops but also on many regionally important “orphan” species that have received insufficient attention or funding. In the face of a shifting climate and decreasing inputs, the EU needs both a bottom-up plant research agenda and science-driven crop improvement.
ULRICH SCHURR
Forschungszentrum Jülich,
Germany
EPSO Vice-President
EPSO needs to be a key driver for plant sciences in Europe. We all, in the board and beyond, should work together to improve the basis for plant sciences in Europe and beyond. This requires emphasising the enormous importance of plants sciences (based on facts, not fiction), adequate funding and collaboration options within the science community, with industry and society, state-of-the-art infrastructures as well as technology-open perspectives to implement plant sciences and, last but not least, communication with politics, industry and society. We need to mobilise effective channels to communicate at the European and the national level.
CAROLE CARANTA
INRA, France
My aim will be to promote translational research to make findings from basic research, chiefly from model species, useful for practical applications in agriculture, environment and food. To address the biggest challenges in agriculture, we need to improve the interaction and collaboration between private and public research. I also aim to work on interdisciplinarity and close the gap between disciplines in plant science, for example between genetics and agronomy.
ERNST VAN DEN ENDE
Wageningen Plant Research,
Netherlands
EPSO Treasurer
I believe that there is a strong need within Europe to stress the importance of fundamental and applied plant sciences in relation to the great challenges the world is facing. My aim is helping to bridge the gap between the needs of society, government and industry and innovations from plant science. I would like to further strengthen collaboration within the plant science community to increase our visibility and influence in Europe.
ANTONIO LEYVA
CSIC, Spain
I strongly believe that plant science will become a strategic technological sector in the near future and will therefore make key contributions not only to food security or safety but to other areas such as water quality, and environmental sustainability. As a promoter of public-private-platforms, my aim is to encourage and strengthen the interaction between public and private sectors in Europe, while maintaining the excellence of basic science as the keystone for knowledge generation.
ANGELO SANTINO
ISPA / CNR, Italy
I strongly believe that nutritional security will be a challenge topic to reduce the impact of important human pathologies in Europe and improve people’s perception regarding the application of new breeding technologies in agriculture. Plant scientists are working strongly to improve the quality and nutritional value of main crops. I’ll work with EPSO to bridge the existing gaps among plant scientists, clinicians, politicians, consumers, industries and achieve this strategic goal.
JOSEF GLOESSL
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU),
Austria
ODD ARNE ROGNLI
Norwegian University of Life Sciences,
Norway
All Board Members
2018-2020 – Alan Schulman (2019 – President)
2018-2020 – Angelo Santino
2018-2020 – Josef Gloessl
2018-2020 – Przemyslaw Wojtaszek
2018-2020 – Antonio Leyva
2017-2019 – Ernst van den Ende
2015-2020 – Cathie Martin (2015 – Vice-President)
2015-2017 – Robbie Waugh
2014-2019 – Svend Christensen
2013-2020 – Carole Caranta
2013-2018 – Tomas Vanek
2013-2018 – Aldo Ceriotti (2017-2018 – President)
2013-2013 – Maurice Moloney
2012-2017 – Jose Pio Beltran (2014-2016 – President)
2012-2014 – Eckhard George (2013-2014 – Vice-President)
2011-2016 – Ton Bisseling
2011-2016 – Bruce Osborne
2011-2013 – Heribert Hirt (2011-2013 – President)
2009-2014 – Christophe Plomion
2009-2014 – Eva-Mari Aro
2009-2011 – Raoul Bino
2007-2012 – Jonathan Jones (2012 – Vice-President)
2007-2012 – Chiara Tonelli
2007-2012 – Jacek Hennig
2007-2008 – Dirk Inze (2007-2008 – Vice-President)
2006-2011 / 2018-2020 – Ulrich Schurr (2009-2011 / 2018-2020 – Vice-President)
2006-2011 – Pere Puigdomenech
2005-2010 – Wilhelm Gruissem (2007-2010 – President)
2005-2010 – Erkki Truve
2003-2008 – Helene Lucas
2003-2008 – Kirsi-Marja Oksman-Caldentey
2003-2005, 2014-2017 – Mark Stitt
2003-2005 – Paolo Costantino
2001-2006 – Denes Dudits
2001-2006 – Pierre de Witt
2001-2002 – Chris Bowler
2001-2002 – Lothar Willmitzer
2001-2006 – Mike Bevan (2001-2006 – Vice-Chair)
2000-2006 – Marc Zabeau (2000-2006 – Chair)