RDA/EOSC Future Domain Ambassador Spotlight: Pedro Mendes, Catalysis (Chemistry)
The RDA/EOSC Future team is launching a series of spotlights to showcase the grantees, their work and experience, and highlight the benefits of being an RDA Domain Ambassador.
Find out more about the RDA/EOSC Future grants.
This week we spoke to Pedro Mendes, Domain Ambassador for Catalysis (Chemistry).
See also:
⇨ RDA and Chemistry Discipline page
⇨ Pedro’s page on the EOSC Future grants platform
⇨ Pedro’s RDA profile
⇨ Pedro’s Domain Ambassador page
⇨ Pedro’s page on the EOSC Future grants platform
⇨ RDA and Chemistry Discipline page (prepared by Pedro)
Can you describe your achievements during your time as RDA/EOSC Future Domain Ambassador?
The promotion of open science to the catalysis and chemistry community was the most noticeable achievement. Via the workshops and interactive lectures I am instructing, researchers are getting, often for the first time, an understanding of what is open science, why it is relevant for the whole society and how they can make a difference. As importantly, I have identified and I’m interacting with the key institutional players on open science. Only by having a clear view on who is doing what, I can better act and communicate on the future of open science in my community.
What challenges did you face, if any?
Setting up European-scale events (even online) takes some time, resulting in many actions taking place in the last few months of my “ambassadorship”. To balance this, I am also promoting open science locally where workshops are easier to arrange and more effective on a smaller scale. Navigating the institutional conundrum of the key open science players has also been a challenge. It takes quite some search and interactions to reach the right people, but one also learns a lot on the way.
How has being an RDA Ambassador contributed to your professional development?
I believe my work will make open science an indispensable topic of discussion in my community. Locally, I believe more people will be sharing their research, also knowing I can support them in their way to make their science more open
Are there any lessons learnt that you could share with the community?
Getting an open science mindset takes some initial effort, but once that adaptation is made it all becomes as smooth as before and we are making a significant contribution to science and society by openly sharing our knowledge.
What do you want to get out of the RDA 20th Plenary Meeting?
On top of meeting all the fantastic RDA and EOSC people I have been interacting with online, I want to understand better where the open science frontline to chemistry lies, also a step further.
You can contact Pedro Mendes by completing this form.
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