Paula López, deputy director of CiTIUS, appointed new lead of the European project MENELAOS
The researcher affiliated to the Singular Research Centre in Intelligent Technologies of the University of Santiago de Compostela (CiTIUS) has just been appointed as the new scientific coordinator of the innovative training network (ITN) MENELAOSNT, a European project funded under the excellence call “MSCA Actions” of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme.
The deputy director of CiTIUS, Paula López Martínez, is now officially the lead responsible for the MENELAOSNT project, a European-wide training network for early-stage PhD researchers funded by the competitive Horizon 2020 support programme. The scientific leadership of the project, coordinated until now from the University of Siegen (Germany), is thus transferred to the research centre located in Santiago de Compostela, while the executive coordination of the partners’ activities will continue to be carried out from the German institution. The appointment, proposed by the former lead of the project —researcher Otmar Loffeld, who will remain involved as scientific advisor— also makes the CiTIUS deputy director a “Permanent Guest Scientist” at the University of Siegen.
“An empathetic, recognised and respected person”
It was the outgoing coordinator, Otmar Loffeld, who proposed to the Siegen rectorate the appointment of the CiTIUS deputy director: “from the very earliest phase of the project, Paula was very constructive, getting involved in every step of the proposal; she is an important member of the consortium’s steering committee, a highly recognised and respected person”, the professor stated in a message to the partners.
Loffeld also wanted to highlight the personal qualities of the new coordinator: “there are many good reasons why I proposed Paula, an empathetic person who knows how to talk to and deal with her colleagues”. Professor Loffeld noted that “these qualities are an indispensable ingredient for leading a team, because you do not lead a group by governing it, but by convincing your colleagues”. The senior researcher concluded his argument by stressing that “Paula has these qualities and, beyond the work —which for the most part will be fun”, he joked, “it will also be a great opportunity”.
MENELAOSNT: improving our understanding of the environment around us
The MENELAOSNT project addresses the increasingly urgent challenge of exploring the world around us at both micro and macroscopic scales, through science and technology. The aim of this research network is to provide scientists with deeper knowledge, better understanding and more information to understand and monitor the processes that take place in our environment, with the goal of being able to predict, and even control, possible critical developments.
MENELAOSNT applies new technologies to perform multimodal - multisensor data fusion, that is, to optimally combine the information recorded by different types of sensors (in situ / remote, optical / non-optical, etc.), and at different scales, with different resolutions and varying reliability. Comprising 7 partners from 5 different countries, the consortium has an overall budget of more than 3.6 million euros, aimed at fostering new generations of scientists in line with the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. A total of 15 early-stage researchers (ESR - Early Stage Researchers) take part in MENELAOSNT; they receive high-level training through individual projects and specialised courses that will lead them to the central scientific questions of the project.
The deputy director of CiTIUS, Paula López Martínez, is now officially the lead responsible for the MENELAOSNT project, a European-wide training network for early-stage PhD researchers funded by the competitive Horizon 2020 support programme. The scientific leadership of the project, coordinated until now from the University of Siegen (Germany), is thus transferred to the research centre located in Santiago de Compostela, while the executive coordination of the partners’ activities will continue to be carried out from the German institution. The appointment, proposed by the former lead of the project —researcher Otmar Loffeld, who will remain involved as scientific advisor— also makes the CiTIUS deputy director a “Permanent Guest Scientist” at the University of Siegen.
“An empathetic, recognised and respected person”
It was the outgoing coordinator, Otmar Loffeld, who proposed to the Siegen rectorate the appointment of the CiTIUS deputy director: “from the very earliest phase of the project, Paula was very constructive, getting involved in every step of the proposal; she is an important member of the consortium’s steering committee, a highly recognised and respected person”, the professor stated in a message to the partners.
Loffeld also wanted to highlight the personal qualities of the new coordinator: “there are many good reasons why I proposed Paula, an empathetic person who knows how to talk to and deal with her colleagues”. Professor Loffeld noted that “these qualities are an indispensable ingredient for leading a team, because you do not lead a group by governing it, but by convincing your colleagues”. The senior researcher concluded his argument by stressing that “Paula has these qualities and, beyond the work —which for the most part will be fun”, he joked, “it will also be a great opportunity”.
MENELAOSNT: improving our understanding of the environment around us
The MENELAOSNT project addresses the increasingly urgent challenge of exploring the world around us at both micro and macroscopic scales, through science and technology. The aim of this research network is to provide scientists with deeper knowledge, better understanding and more information to understand and monitor the processes that take place in our environment, with the goal of being able to predict, and even control, possible critical developments.
MENELAOSNT applies new technologies to perform multimodal - multisensor data fusion, that is, to optimally combine the information recorded by different types of sensors (in situ / remote, optical / non-optical, etc.), and at different scales, with different resolutions and varying reliability. Comprising 7 partners from 5 different countries, the consortium has an overall budget of more than 3.6 million euros, aimed at fostering new generations of scientists in line with the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. A total of 15 early-stage researchers (ESR - Early Stage Researchers) take part in MENELAOSNT; they receive high-level training through individual projects and specialised courses that will lead them to the central scientific questions of the project.