The Young Academy Groningen welcomes seven new members among which Antonija Grubisic-Cabo

The Young Academy Groningen welcomes seven new members. The Young Academy Groningen (YAG) is a group of talented, enthusiastic, and ambitious early career researchers from various disciplines at the University of Groningen (UG) and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Members share a passion for science and scholarship and an interest in their broader impacts on academia and society.

The YAG has been very successful in bringing early career researchers together at the ‘ECR lunches’ to discuss ideas related to current debates about recognition, rewards, and academic freedom, as well as to explore interdisciplinary collaborations. The YAG members forge interdisciplinary ties with joint member projects and supervision of interdisciplinary PhD projects.

Recently, the YAG organized the symposium, ‘Interdisciplinarity in Practice’, in collaboration with the PhD/i network, offering a platform for PhD students and supervisors to discuss the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research projects. YAG members contribute to scientific policy, for example with advice concerning the implementation of the Starter and Stimulation grants and a call for effective communication on academic freedom within the UG. YAG members engage in activities with the broader public at events such as the Pint of Science Lecture series, Noorderzon and Zpannend Zernike.

The YAG also offers support to staff members and early career researchers: In the Loop is a platform provided by the YAG to keep young staff at the UG and UMCG in the loop about the ins and outs of a career in academia, including topics such as HR, funding, career paths, and dual careers, among many others. In the Language Buddy project, the YAG has matched 31 scholars affected by the war in Ukraine with experts in their field. We are happy to announce that the seven new members presented here will support us over the coming five years in all our endeavours.

Dr Antonija Grubisic-Cabo (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

In early 2022, I was appointed as an assistant professor at Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (ZIAM), where I work with surface sensitive techniques and their application in solid-state physics. Prior to joining the UG, I worked at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Monash University (Australia), and Aarhus University (Denmark). My current work focuses on nano and quantum materials, tailoring their properties, and studying how they behave when they are pushed out of equilibrium. By doing this, I search for materials with hidden phases and novel or unusual properties, which cannot be found in their regular state. Beyond my interest in fundamental physics, I am passionate about open science and science communication. For example, I am a co-PI in an interdisciplinary project called ‘Human and Science Histories’, which is investigating how science communication approaches have changed over time and with the appearance of social media.

I am thrilled to be joining the YAG and meeting and collaborating with like-minded, motivated researchers. As an ardent proponent of open science, I hope to contribute to the public engagement efforts led by the YAG, to make science open to all and to inspire the general public and make them curious about our projects.

●     Stay up to date! – Sign up for our early career researcher mailing list
●     Are there any topics you would like to discuss with us? Let us know!