Would you like to become a member of the Young Erasmus Academy? Read more about the selection criteria and procedure for this network of ambitious young researchers.
Membership is for a period of five years, starting on January 1st of the year of selection. Membership is given on a personal basis. Members are expected to actively contribute to the YEA activities and participate in EUR-wide discussions for the entirety of the membership period.
Nomination procedure
Every year in the Fall YEA, the Rector and the Academic Affairs contact evaluate the number of new members that need to be selected to maintain the maximum number of 25 YEA members and guarantee a fair representation of all Faculties.
The Rector sends out an invitation to the Deans, Vice-deans, and the faculty research and education policy advisors inviting the faculties to nominate candidates for YEA membership. Each faculty may nominate two persons, incorporating diversity among their nominees. YEA welcomes diversity in all forms, as an asset to cultivate healthy and multifaceted exchange and vision. Nominations are coordinated and submitted to yea@eur.nl by the Deans.
Eligibility
The YEA eligibility criteria are closely based on the guidelines for The Young Academy (KNAW), Article 3, and adapted to the context of the Erasmus University Rotterdam:
- The nominee must have obtained their PhD degree less than 10 years before nomination for YEA membership, measured from the date of the defense to the date the membership would start.
- The nomination period may be extended on account of pregnancy, parenthood, care duties, illness, or training as a clinical specialist. The maximum overall extension period is five years.
- An extension is also permitted for members who hold part-time positions in several of the clinical specialism programs. In this case an extension of a maximum of five years can be granted.
- The nominee must hold an Assistant or Associate Professor position at the EUR or at the Erasmus Medical Center.
- YEA explicitly accepts various academic profiles.
- Candidates can be nominated for a maximum of two rounds.
Content of nomination
The nomination must be written in English and must include:
- A nomination letter from the faculty Dean, detailing in what ways the nominee meets the selection criteria (e.g., describing relevant academic contributions of the nominee in terms of research, education, engagement/impact and management/leadership, as well as the nominee’s interest in policy matters).
- A CV of the nominee, and a short narrative CV (max 700 words) reflecting on the academic contribution in terms of research, education, engagement/impact and management/leadership.
- A motivation letter (max 500 words) by the nominee explaining:
- Why they want to join YEA.
- In what way they wish to actively contribute to YEA and its working groups, preferably supported by examples of previous similar contributions elsewhere.
- A proposal for a project that contributes to YEA’s goals and working groups, and that aligns with the EUR’s strategic goals (e.g., a policy contribution, an initiative on the theme Science and Society, or an interdisciplinary project).
All these elements of the nomination must be combined into a single pdf-file and sent to yea@eur.nl before the communicated deadline.
Selection criteria
The selection criteria are closely based on the guidelines of The Young Academy (KNAW), Article 5, and adapted to the context of the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
1. The assessment of the nomination as described above will focus on the following selection criteria:
- the scientific quality of the nominee;
- the nominee’s fascination for research, education, engagement/impact and management/leadership;
- the desire to be active in YEA, and having interesting ideas for being so;
- enthusiasm for topics that are relevant for academia and that YEA focuses on, such as science policy, crosspollination between science and society, interdisciplinary collaboration and team science, internationalization, recognition and rewards, sustainability, with multi-disciplinary thinking being demonstrated.
2. The following elements play a role in assessing the selection criteria. Not all elements have to be met. In line with the principles of Recognition and Rewards, YEA welcomes candidates with diverse careers.
- Quality and originality of publications and other scientific output, as evidenced by journals, publisher and review articles;
- Quality of education, as evidenced by educational assessments, initiatives for educational innovation, impact education or educational awards;
- Public relevance of research, as evidenced by the candidate's description of the connection between their research and public issues where relevant, the ways in which the candidate has sought to involve wider, non-scientific audiences in their research, and the outreach activities the candidate has undertaken and is undertaking (spin-off, business ventures, popularization activities, valorization, both economic and social or cultural and policy-related, external management positions);
- External recognition, as evidenced by invitations to lecture, membership of scientific committees, editorial boards etc., as well as fellowships, prizes, grants, taking into account what is possible and normal in the discipline in question;
- Scientific independence, development of the candidate’s own research, teaching, and/or impact line;
- Broadening of scientific ideas and work after the candidate has gained their doctorate, not restricted to a single topic;
- International orientation, as evidenced by periods spent abroad or collaborating with counterparts abroad during or after doctorate work, taking into account what is possible and normal in the discipline in question;
- The interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary nature of the research;
- Management and Erasmian leadership values;
- Effectiveness of the scientific work, taking account of such things as the extent of the research appointment, the teaching load, the candidate being a parent, and other factors that may explain a lower level of scientific productivity;
Selection procedure
Following the nomination deadline, an internal jury consisting of two YEA members and the Rector will evaluate all the nominations and meet to determine a shortlist of nominees. The nominees on the shortlist will be invited for a short physical interview. Interviews will be conducted in English or Dutch and will focus on the aspects mentioned in the selection criteria.
Following the interviews, the internal jury will decide which nominees are to be appointed as members of the YEA network. They will pay particular attention to and strive for a fair representation of EUR faculties, as well as diversity and balance in the composition of YEA members to reflect the diversity present in the EUR community in terms of gender, ethnicity, nationality, background, talent etc.
The jury is supported by the Academic Affairs contact person for YEA. This person is not a voting member of the jury, but has a facilitating and process monitoring function, to guard: 1) that the rules concerning the selection of new members of the Young Erasmus Academy are followed, 2) the diversity of the YEA membership is continued.
After the deliberations, the nominees will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible. A news message will be published about the newly appointed YEA members.