EYCN Podcast - Chemistry To Your Ears European Young Chemists' Network

In this episode, we delve into the intricate world of science policy and explore avenues for greater collaboration between scientists and policymakers.

To address this complex topic, Marie Perrin sits down with two distinguished experts to unravel the complexities and synergies between science and policy. From the science side, Prof. Jovana Milić, assistant professor at the university of Fribourg (Switzerland) and member of the Swiss Young Academy and Global Young Academy, and from the policy side Marton Kottmayer, science communication and policy officer at the European Chemical Society (EuChemS).

Whether you’re a passionate scientist, a policy enthusiast, or simply curious about the forces shaping our world, this episode promises to ignite your intellect and inspire action.

During this conversation we cover:


1:55 What is science policy
3:55 How is EuChemS involved in advising policy makers?
7:06 What are the motivations and challenges for scientists to be actively involved in science policy
10:42 Understanding the complexity of policy making: scientists are only one of many stakeholders.
15:48 Opportunities for early carrier scientists to be part of the conversation.
24:50 Why it matters, or how policies affect science at every level.
33:31 Where to start; how can I be involved?

If you want to go further, you can read about « The Role of Early-Career Chemists in European Policy-Making » and « Engaging Early-Career Scientists in Global Policy-Making » and check out the EuChemS magazine to get the latest science policy news from Brussels. Moreover, the EuChemS workshops targeting the selected elements carbon, lithium, nitrogen and phosphorus can be watched online! And for a more active involvement you can always find the public consultations from the European Commission online.

In this episode Carl Schneider interviews IUPAC’s past-president Prof. Dr. Javier García Martinez about the 2023 “IUPAC Top Ten”. Javier and Carl talk about the origin of this tradition, what concerns the chemists of the world, and how IUPAC as a global organization encourages local acting.

For a further look at last year’s finalists you can read up on them here.

Until the 31st of March you can also submit your candidates here to be considered for the 2024 edition of the Top Ten.
You always wanted to know something else about IUPAC? Now, is your chance! We are planning a follow-up episode to talk with Javier about IUPAC in general and we invite you to submit your questions to us beforehand.

In this episode, we dive into an under-explored yet thrilling career path for chemists: becoming a full-time science communicator. To discuss this topic, Marie Perrin interviews not one but two successful science communicators, Rute Pereira, founder of amazingchemist and social media editor for the ESA and Fernando Gomollón Bel, founder of the science communication startup Agata.

During this conversation we cover:

2:18 What does a typical day in the life of a science communicator look like?

6:08 How can one become a full time science communicator ? 9:47 How can one learn about the tools commonly used in science communication?

17:51 What are the most effective media to reach out to the public about science?

24:24 What are the rewards and challenges of being in science communication?

37:03 How can mentoring help you in defining your dream career path and how can a network like the EYCN enable that?

47:20 Take home message from our guests.

If you want to seize the opportunity of building strong mentoring connections and friendships, don’t forget to sign up for the ECC9 in Dublin! Application for abstracts are open until the 8th of December.

In this episode, we looked into the private sector as a potential career path.

For that, Katarina Josifovska interviewed our guest Dr. David Giltner, and discussed the switch into industry by providing a great overview into the company mindset and by giving many helpful tips that could ease your transition.

In our latest podcast episode, we are discussing Carbon turnover in the deep biosphere, its relevance to modern society, how it takes place and how it influences life on the surface.
For that, Katarina Josifovska interviewed Prof. Dr. Alexander Probst, associate professor for "Aquatic Microbial Ecology" at the University of Duisburg-Essen

In this episode, we focus on the importance of electrocatalysis in general and water splitting in particular. For that, Katarina Josifovska interviewed Prof. Dr. Kai Exner, an expert in this field.

Dr. Exner explains the fundamentals of electrocatalysis and why it is popular nowadays. Further, we discuss the oxygen evolution reaction, OER, as the limiting process in electrolyzers. Dr. Exner gave an overview of challenges in the OER, ranging from the atomic to the industrial scale.