Milos Mihajlovic
Milos is very happy to announce his new co-authored publication:
Dos Santos Rodrigues, B., Leroy, K., Mihajlovic, M., De Boever, S., Vanbellingen, S., Cogliati, B., Aerts, J. L. and Vinken, M. (2023). Evaluation of Functional Candidate Biomarkers of Non-Genotoxic Hepatocarcinogenicity in Human Liver Spheroid Co-Cultures, Archives of Toxicology, 97, 1739–1751. DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03486-4
We used this opportunity to ask Milos about his secondment, his plans for the future, and the impact of the programme on his career:
Secondment experience
“During my secondment at ILSI Europe, I was involved in the Horizon2020 project FoodSafety4EU, which aims at synchronising food safety research strategies, increasing the availability of knowledge and improving cooperation within the system and with civil society and consumers. Within this project, ILSI Europe is directly involved in the communication, dissemination, and outreach activities. My tasks during secondment were to assist and provide support for some of these actions (social media campaigns, video interviews with experts etc), mostly by getting in contact and engaging with various experts on food safety across Europe. Related to that, I was conducting and recording video interviews with the experts on food safety-related questions raised by the citizens, and I was assisting them with respect to their engagement on social media channels.
In addition to the FoodSafety4EU project, I got the chance to experience other aspects of ILSI Europe’s activities, including participation in specific working groups/taskforce meetings on various topics related to human nutrition and food, as well as to get familiar with the organization of important scientific events, such as the yearly symposium of ILSI Europe.
Overall, this experience helped me to significantly improve my networking and communication skills, by meeting and working with many international experts, which will complement my research skills developed in the context of imπACT program. Most importantly, I got the chance to meet and work with some very nice, welcoming, supportive, and highly experienced people working at ILSI Europe, which made the whole experience even more joyful.”
ImπACT support in future career
“Considering my personal goals oriented towards an academic research career, the support provided by the imπACT program so far has been extremely valuable. In particular, the introduction about the European Commission’s funding strategies, and the support of the ERIS team in identifying suitable calls for proposals was very clear and indicative of possible steps to take. Besides, of significant importance, will be the training sessions and workshops organized during the next get-together training week, by VUB TT and ERIS team, and regarding funding opportunities, proposal development and how to set up a successful consortium. These training activities provided by VUB TT, together with my current imπACT fellowship and research project performed at the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences at VUB, will be crucial for preparing successful grant applications that will help me to achieve my career aspirations with respect to continuing academic research.“
Johannes Thumfart
In our previous newsletter, we have shared the interview of our postdoc fellow Johannes with Sciences Po. For this newsletter issue, Johannes has told us a bit more about his collaboration with Sciences Po:
Collaborating with Sciences Po
“My collaboration with Sciences Po has been an enriching experience! The video interview was part of a series of interviews recorded with the participants of the Annual Conference of the Digital, Governance and Sovereignty Chair, which took place on December 6, 2022, on the theme of “Digital Sovereignty and Geopolitical Crisis.” The invitation to give a talk and participate in this conference was a great honour. My interventions were based on my research and publications, which explored the norm development of digital sovereignty and the Chinese perspective on the concept. In particular, two texts (co-)authored by me have been influential in shaping the discourse:
Thumfart, J. (2021) “The norm development of digital sovereignty between China, Russia, the EU, and the US: From the late 1990s to the Covid-crisis 2020/21 as a catalytic event.” This chapter, included in the book Enforcing Rights in a Changing World, published by Hart Publishing, delves into the historical evolution of digital sovereignty and its relationship with major global players.
Cong, W., & Thumfart, J. (2022) “A Chinese precursor to the digital sovereignty debate: Digital anti-colonialism and authoritarianism from the post–Cold War era to the Tunis agenda.” This article, published in Global Studies Quarterly, explores the Chinese perspective on digital sovereignty, particularly focusing on the concepts of digital anti-colonialism and authoritarianism.
These texts have contributed to the academic discourse by providing critical insights into the evolution and motivations behind digital sovereignty strategies. They examine the geopolitical dynamics between China, Russia, the EU, and the US, shedding light on the normative frameworks and debates that have shaped the concept in recent years.
During the panel discussion and movie interview with Sciences Po, I had the opportunity to delve deeper into these ideas and discuss the significance of digital sovereignty in the context of geopolitical crises. The interview emphasized the importance of understanding diverse perspectives on digital sovereignty and its potential implications for global internet governance.
By exploring the Chinese perspective, we broaden our understanding of the complex interplay between technology, culture, governance, and geopolitics.”