Meet the speakers and contributors

Dr. Fidel Echevarría is professor of Ecology at the University of Cadiz (UCA). His research experience has been related with the “Analysis of plankton communities in aquatic ecosystems”. He has participated in more than 25 national and European research projects and is author of around 90 articles published in scientific journals.

Throughout his professional career, he has also been involved in research management and science policy. His main positions include:

• [2008-2013] Manager of CYTMAR (the Thematic Area of Marine Science and Technology at the Spanish Ministry of Research), a position from which he has coordinated the annual evaluation of national marine research projects, participating in the monitoring and control of funded projects.
• [2013-2017] General Coordinator of CEIMAR (International Campus of Excellence of the Sea), a consortium that brings together 14 institutions from Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
• [2013-2019], Director of EIDEMAR (International Doctoral School in Marine Studies).
• [2017-2019] Member of an expert advisory group of DG Mare (Skills and career development in the blue economy).
• He is currently the General Coordinator of SEA-EU (European University of the Seas), a strategic alliance linking 9 European coastal universities coordinated by the University of Cadiz.

Jaime Llorca is currently the CHARM-EU Manager at the University of Barcelona. He holds a PhD in Physical Geography and worked for a few years as a Managing Editor of open access scientific journals, mostly focused on Earth Sciences and Social Sciences. He also acted as Knowledge Management Specialist at IDIBELL, dealing with the analysis of the institution’s scientific performance and researchers' evaluation, as well as with the design and implementation of practices linked to Open Science and Responsible Research and Innovation. Lately, he was the Project manager for TORCH, the project developing CHARM-EU’s R&I dimension. 

Alette Gilhus Mykkeltvedt has 15 years of experience from the University of Bergen. Before she in 2023 started at the Division of Research and Innovation, she worked nine years as Faculty Director of the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has also worked for Norwegian Centre for Research Data. She holds a Master’s degree in political science 

Balázs Vince Nagy has a MSc in mechanical engineering; degrees in corporate economics and in illumination engineering. PhD in mechanical engineering (2009). Post-doctoral fellow (2010-2014) and visiting scientist (2015-2016) at the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Main research areas: optics, optomechatronics, illumination, colour science, visual perception and electrophysiology. President of the European Society for Engineering Education - SEFI (2023-). Chair of the EELISA European University Alliance Executive Board (2023-). Division 1 representative from Hungary in the International Commission on Illumination (CIE).  

Dr. Anna-Greta Nyström is Professor of International Business and Head of subject (international marketing) at Åbo Akademi University, School of Business and Economics, in Finland. Anna-Greta’s research areas are related to innovation management, business networks and ecosystems, market shaping and creation as well as business model innovation in different contexts. Anna-Greta has published her research in, for example, Journal of Business Research, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and Industrial Marketing Management. She is the principal investigator of several research projects with industry-academia collaboration. In addition, Anna-Greta is passionate about teaching and learning, and developing pedagogical approaches for bridging the gap between industry and academia, facilitating the development of work life competences and professional identity among learners. She has received several awards, e.g., Teacher of the year and Pedagogical visionary and developer of the year. Anna-Greta is also actively involved in coaching startups and young entrepreneurs.

Gareth O'Neill is a specialist in European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), Open Science, Research Careers, and University Alliances. He is an ambassador for Plan S under cOAlition S, coordinating the EOSC Observatory in EOSC Future, developing indicators and metrics for Open Science in OPUS, and developing a research career framework in SECURE. He is involved in TORCH as a Quality Committee member and has lately authored the Progress of University Alliances Projects report for the European Commission.

Prof Dr. Paul Pauli studied psychology at the University of Tübingen from 1979 to 1986. Afterwards, he held positions as a doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich and as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics at the Technical University of Munich.

He completed his doctorate in 1991 and earned his Habilitation in medical psychology at the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural Neurobiology at the University of Tübingen in 1997. From 2000 to 2001, he held the Chair of Clinical Psychology Research at the University of Southampton, England. Since 2001, Paul Pauli has held the Chair of Psychology I, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the University of Würzburg. His research interests include anxiety disorders, pain and addiction.

After holding a variety of roles at the University of Würzburg since 2003 (e.g., managing director of his institute, dean of studies, dean, liaison officer of the German Research Foundation), the University Council elected him as future President in October 2020. On 1 April 2021, he finally has taken office and since then he is the legal representative of the University.

Building a culture of trust, appreciation and constructive communication is one of the most driving objectives Paul Pauli wants to achieve during his term as President of the University of Würzburg. Giving all the members of the University a feeling of unity and belonging will help for working together as a team. On this basis, the University in teamwork and with a spirit of interdisciplinarity will be able to further enhance its reputation for excellence in research, teaching and innovation and it will succeed in meeting the challenges ahead.

Photo by Jonas Blank

Alexandre Pennaneac’h started out as an economic developer, working in consular, regional and national circles, before joining Cité du design in Sant-Etienne (France) in 2010 to manage the Innovation department of the Business Unit and ensure the national roll-out of the LUPI methodology (Laboratory of innovative practices). 

In 2018, he took over the management of the ERASME Laboratory, an open innovation Living Lab in Lyon, and was responsible for its design management: leading the transformation of the organization, in conjunction with the local authority’s public policy departments (health, transport, social services …). In 2020, he created the BLOB Project, a cooperative for creative communities.  

In 2022, he joined the Syndicat mixte du basin de Thau (Montpellier area) to manage the “BlueThau” Living Lab platform, a local incubator for projects of general interest dedicated to the coastal and environmental protection. Between a collaborative methodology and a physical space, the BlueThauLab deploys and leads a territorial dialogue between the scientific, academic and economic communities, including civil society, in a forward-looking approach to ambitious public policies designed to help the Thau basin to meet the challenges of the 21st century. 

Orsolya (Orsi) Réthelyi (1970) is associate professor, head of the Department of Dutch Studies at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), vice-dean of international affairs of the Faculty of Humanities ELTE and literary translator. She is a graduate of Utrecht University and Central European University (CEU). Her research interests include the history of intercultural transfer, influence, and translation between the Low Countries and Hungary, the history and dissemination of old and modern Dutch-language literature, and the literature of migration. Some recent publications she has been involved in as author and editor are:  Doing Double Dutch. The International Circulation of Literature from the Low Countries (2017), De kindertreinen (2020), ‘The Transnational Trajectories of Dutch as a Minor Literature’, special issue of Dutch Crossing (2020), Destination: Hope. The International Children's Train Action in the Interwar Period (2022), A holland nyelvű irodalom története [The history of Dutch Literature] (2022).

Gilles Subra is full professor in the faculty of Pharmacy and leads his research at the interface of chemistry and biology in the Institute of Biomolecules Max Mousseron where he founded and lead SynBio3 biomolecules synthesis platform. He is interested by the design of bioactive compounds, nanoobjects for targeted therapies, biosensors, and 3D biofabrication for tissue engineering. Besides academic projects funded by national and international grants, he led several projects in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies leading to 15 patents and supervised 19 PhDs. Gilles received the Leonidas Zervas award of the European Peptide Society and the Xiaoyu Hu Memorial Award of Chinese Peptide Society for his scientific achievements. Since 2021, Gilles is the director of the Doctoral College of University of Montpellier whose mission is to provide transversal training to PhD students and promoting the PhD diploma to the civil society and private stakeholders. 

Anne-Sophie Gresle promotes active participation of patients, caregivers and citizens into all the phases of research projects. She also works as the Patient Experience practitioner and researcher at the Hospital Clinic Barcelona, promoting active participation and co creation together with patients and caregivers in order to redesign healthcare according to their unmet needs. 

Ferenc Takó studied Philosophy and Japanese Studies at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary, where he currently lectures at the Department of Japanese Studies. He used to be head of the Rector's Cabinet International Strategy Office at ELTE between 2018 and 2021. Since 2021, he is head of the Rector's Cabinet CHARM-EU Office and ELTE Executive Director of CHARM-EU.

Roland Thaler has been involved for two years in the development of relationships between the CHARM EU Alliance and external stakeholders. This involvement is in line with his status as a contract teacher at the University of Montpellier where, for the past twenty years, he has been promoting his professional experience as a consultant in sustainability in several Master's degrees. Himself with a background in continuing education, he is passionate about lifelong learning, collaborative working methods and systemic thinking on sustainable development issues. Thus, the design office he created 18 years ago promote transversal approaches, involving as much as possible all the stakeholders concerned by a sustainable territory project. This way of acting is one of the bases of the MoXMo ("Montpellier cross Mobility") experience in CHARM EU, where students teams worked on challenges proposed by a local authority near Montpellier, in close collaboration with the actors of its territory (companies, farmers, fishermen, associations, social services, scientific centers, etc.) The development of this "Challenge Based Learning" approach, which is beneficial for both learners and partners, is one of the main objectives of the CHARM EU work package in which Roland is involved today. 

Ludovic Thilly is Vice-Rector of the University of Poitiers since 2012. Coordinator General of the EC2U Alliance since 2020, he has coordinated the preparatory work and submission of the EC2U E+ projects in 2020 and 2023. He is also the Coordinator of the companion EC2U H2020 SwafS project (RI4C2) and Chair of FOREU2 (group of 24 pilot II Alliances). Ludovic Thilly is the Chair of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group of Universities since 2017 and Member of several Expert Groups at the European Commission (DG EAC and DG RTD). He is Full Professor of Physics and still active Coordinator of several national and international research projects in the field of nanoscience (mechanical properties of nanoparticles and small objects).

Marjanneke Vijge is Associate Professor of Sustainability Governance in the Developing World at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University. Marjanneke is involved in 5 international research and educational programs, including a research project that she leads on the water-energy-food nexus in South Africa. She has 14 years of teaching experience in higher education. Within CHARM-EU, Marjanneke is Academic Director at UU. She led UU’s contributions in developing the Master’s program and has been UU program leader of the Master’s. Marjanneke has been representing UU in the Academic Council since 2021. She has been Capstone coordinator since its inception and served as WP leader Public Engagement in TORCH. She co-led CHARM-EU’s external engagement committee, has a co-leading role in CHARM-EIGHT WP15 on stakeholder engagement, and helped mobilize the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Joint Doctoral Networks proposal that pilots parts of CHARM-EU’s transdisciplinary collaborative PhD concept.

Sergio Villanueva Baselga is Associate Professor and Rector's Delegate for CHARM-EU at the University of Barcelona, and research coordinator of the Barcelona-based NGO StopSIDA, one of the leading Spanish associations in the fight against HIV/AIDS. His research is performed under a transdisciplinary approach focusing into the intersection between media, sexual health, and collective identities formation.

Simone Roth, Professor of Business Economics (in particular Marketing) at the Institute of Economics of Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, boasts many years of professional experience in both business and teaching, including but not limited to the development of new brands (idea generation to market launch in various countries), the management of existing brands, and the advancement of novel market-brand combinations in an international context. Her current research focuses on international brand management, social media marketing and intercultural communication, and consumer behavior. Through her existing network in the business world, she enjoys myriad collaborative ties to the retail sector as well as other industries, such as insurance. 

Audrey Crosbie has over 25 years’ experience in the Higher Education Sector in Ireland. She has an in-depth knowledge of the research & innovation eco-system and funding landscape. She has co-developed and implemented large scale (multidisciplinary) collaborative programs across all disciplines with industry partners.  Her corporate and agency network in Ireland and abroad has enabled highly successful, impactful long-term engagements between industry and academia.  In her current role Audrey identifies, develops, and supports industry engagement and the commercialisation of Trinity research. She has extensive experience of collaborating with industry and the business community, developing strategic and beneficial, scaling engagements and partnerships, enabling industry to benefit from Trinity’s teaching, research and infrastructure.

Previously Audrey worked with Trinity’s Dean of Research on Trinity’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship strategy and Research Alliances. Prior to this Audrey set up and ran Trinity’s High Performance Computing Centre, building research programmes and networks to accelerate computational science in Trinity - managing a team of 15 securing over €23m in funding from National funding agencies, European Commission, industry and philanthropy. During this time Audrey co-founded  a Trinity campus company,  licensing technology from the University, which currently employs 25 people in the data science and scientific modelling sector.

Freek van Muiswinkel (1966) graduated as medical biologist at Utrecht University and defended his PhD thesis on neuronal transplantation in Parkinson’s disease at the VUmc in Amsterdam in 1994. After pursuing a career in Science, in 2006 he became policy advisor for the Academic Biomedical Centre Utrecht and served as staff member ‘Innovation and Valorisation’ for the executive board of the University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) thereafter. From 2004 till 2013, he was member/co-chair of the Medical Research Ethics Committee and Institutional Review Board (IRB) Biobank at UMC Utrecht.

In 2011, he joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University to become deputy director Research. In this role he also served as the managing director of the regional innovation cluster ‘Utrecht Life Sciences’ and as advisor ‘Life Sciences&Health’ for the Economic Board Utrecht (EBU). In 2017 he left the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to be appointed as full time managing director of Utrecht Life Sciences.

Most recently, in 2020 he was appointed as corporate director ‘Entrepreneurship & Regional Partnerships’ by the Executive Board of Utrecht University, hence involved in a wide range of university-wide initiatives. As part of his work, he is managing director of Stichting Incubator Utrecht (operating two multi-tenant buildings at Utrecht Science Park with laboratories and offices for life sciences companies) and Chair of the ‘Working group Impact’ of the strategic alliance of Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, UMC Utrecht and Utrecht University - an alliance that challenges new generations of researchers and students to cooperate right across disciplines without setting prior limitations.

In recent years he has been active as member of the Executive Board of Studies of the Graduate School of Life Sciences - Utrecht University and as founder/board member/advisor for various public private partnerships, including ‘Netherlands Centre for One Health’ (NCOH), Netherlands Antibiotic Development Platform (NADP), RegMed XB (public private partnership on Regenerative Medicine), ‘Summerschool Biobusiness’, ‘MBI Health’, Regiodeal Food Valley, Utrecht Talent Alliantie, Stichting Incubator Utrecht, Utrecht Science Park, Health Hub Utrecht, and the ‘Data- and Knowledge Hub Healthy Urban Living’.

Christian Schuchardt was born in 1969, the child of German war refugees. At the age of 19 he became the youngest city council member in his hometown.

Following his A-levels (Abitur), he pursued a career as a bank clerk and later embarked on studies in administrative sciences in Constance, Germany. Subsequently, he held a position as an authorized signatory at a major bank in Frankfurt (Main), overseeing the debt management of prominent German cities. Concurrently, he also lectured at academies and universities of applied sciences in Frankfurt (Main) and authored numerous publications.

At the age of 34, he assumed the role of treasurer for the Westphalian City of Schwerte. By 37, he was elected treasurer and human resources officer for the City of Würzburg.

In 2014, he was elected as the Lord Mayor of Würzburg for the first time, securing a re-election with an absolute majority six years later. His primary focus has always been on propelling the city's development and ensuring the comfort and satisfaction of its residents. He takes pride in the fact that the city and its citizens have prospered during his time in office. In addition, as a dedicated father, he is pleased that his son has been a source of joy and support throughout his tenure.

Braminski, 27.10.2023

Heleen van Ravenswaaij is a PhD-candidate in her final year at University Medical Center Utrecht and focuses on students’ generic skills development. She looked at how generic skills learning can be evaluated in complex-problem solving contexts and which generic skills are relevant for life sciences students. She is currently investigating students’ generic skills goal setting and goal attainment in relation to self-regulation. She furthermore works at Utrecht University in challenge-based learning course design and teacher support. She is interested in how teachers can be supported in challenge-based learning and how they can guide students in their professional development.

Meritxell Chaves has more than thirty years of experience in the higher education sector, in four universities of the Catalan university system, in different functional areas of the University such as academic management, strategic planning, quality and accreditation, and international relations in different organisational cultures. As Secretary General of European University of CHARM-EU since the start of the initiative in 2019 she has been leading CHARM-EU team.

Dr. Lukas Kagerbauer was born in Würzburg and works at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Würzburg-Schweinfurt as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. He is lecturing at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in the fields of econometrics and statistics, as well as in the domain of economic journalism and business communication. Through his professional endeavors, he actively promotes the integration of business and academia, and the development of talents within the region.

Julia Reimer is a Research Assistant and a PhD Student in Industrial Organization at the University of Würzburg. Her research interest primarily focuses on the economics of digital platform markets.