EURAC Scientific Advisory appointment for Professor Maria Nijnik

"By furthering links with EURAC, I hope to be able to promote scientific excellence through knowledge sharing and the developing of new opportunities to widen the James Hutton Institute’s international research collaborations"

Professor Maria Nijnik, a senior scientist at the James Hutton Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group, has been appointed a Scientific Advisory Council member of EURAC, a research centre based in Bolzano, Italy, whose work addresses sustainability, political and social systems, and environmental science.

Founded in 1992, EURAC employs over 300 scientists and is linked to research networks in more than 50 countries on five continents. It collaborates with international organisations such as the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and others including several space agencies.

Professor Nijnik said: “By furthering links with EURAC, I hope to be able to promote scientific excellence through knowledge sharing and the developing of new opportunities to widen the James Hutton Institute’s international research collaborations. Eventually, this may contribute to jointly tackling global challenges and addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda.”

In addition to her appointment, Professor Nijnik was invited to the annual meeting of EURAC's Scientific Advisory Council, which was described by EURAC President Roland Psenner as one of the organisations' most important events of the scientific year. He also thanked Professor Nijnik for taking part in an impartial and detailed evaluation of research projects.

Similarly, Professor Nijnik has also been named a member of the Advisory Board of InnoForESt - a new H2020 project for Smart information, governance and business innovations for sustainable supply and payment mechanisms for forest ecosystem services that has obtained EU funding under the Call RUR-05-2017: Novel public policies, business models and mechanisms for the sustainable supply of and payment for forest ecosystem services (IA-Innovation Action).