EPSO TEAM & BOARD

JOHN FITZGIBBON

Publications Officer

Website & social media management, EPSO briefings and newsletter, Fascination of Plants Day coordination

Main responsibilities include management of EPSO’s website & social media, drafting briefings, & writing/editing articles for the EPSO newsletter. John supports communication in EPSO’s EU projects. He is one of the Global Coordinators of the “Fascination of Plants Day” & Chair of the Outreach Working Group.

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’.

See the EPSO Internship call including our former Internship Experts on Internship Expert Alumni Page.

ODD ARNE ROGNLI

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway

EPSO President

I strongly believe that plant science will play a major role in solving the grand challenges defined by the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. We need to develop more sustainable food and feed systems. I am very much concerned with understanding genetic diversity and the use of genomics, phenomics and biotechnology to utilize this diversity for breeding resilient, climate adapted and resource efficient cultivars. Translation of knowledge from model species to crop plants, implementation of new breeding technologies and international collaboration are essential elements for innovations in the plant sector. I have a keen interest in feed crops and sustainable grassland systems, and a better integration between livestock and crop production is needed to improve overall agricultural sustainability in Europe. Finally, I think EPSO needs to focus on students and plant science study programmes also need to integrate technology and data science to attract the best students.

Marie-Theres Hauser

University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria

EPSO Treasurer

The motivation to serve EPSO is my passionate belief that plant sciences are highly important for a sustainable future and thus need a powerful independent advocate in Europe to increase visibility. As professor at the only University in Austria teaching Agricultural Sciences and Forestry among Food and Biotechnology, Environmental and Bioresources Management, Civil Engineering and Landscape Planning, I am trained to communicate and teach together with experts of these different fields which I consider as beneficial for several goals of EPSO. I feel that a fully environmentally friendly future depends on us plant scientists. My focus lies on education and the support and promotion of innovative ideas on how this goal can be reached.

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.

PRZEMYSLAW WOJTASZEK

Adam Mickiewicz University,
Poland

CECILIA SARMIENTO

Tallinn University of Technology,
Estonia

I am convinced that plant sciences have a crucial role in achieving important goals of today’s society such as food security, sustainable agriculture and taking care of biodiversity. EPSO is paving the way to accomplish these objectives. 

It is my wish to stimulate communication between all plant scientists and policymakers to build a strong network that reaches farmers and the agricultural sector. The benefits of EPSO should reach all stakeholders, starting at home (Estonia).
I also want to encourage international cooperation in plant sciences among EPSO members: projects, PhD students and postdocs’ mobility.

As one of my passions is education, I wish to engage students in outreach activities like the Fascination of Plants Day and EPSO Plant Science Seminars. 

ALAN SCHULMAN

LUKE University, Finland

Adviser to the Board

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 diverse species that have received insufficient attention or funding, but contribute nutritionally to our diverse diets. 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.