Shirin Faraji Young Academy of Groningen board member

Shirin Faraji, professor theoretical and computational chemistry at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials and member of the Young Academy Groningen since 2019 has stepped forward for a vacant Board position of the YAG.

"Since I joined YAG, I observed that YAG, and in particular the board, is an exciting and vital initiative that has the ability to play a significant role in shaping the landscape of RUG science policy by providing a unified voice and I would like to contribute to this voice on (inter)national scale. I see policymaking as an important aspect of scientific enterprise and, despite of being only 3 years in the Netherlands, I act already in various (inter)national boards; e.g. NWO vice chair for Fundamentals and Methods Chemistry, Lorenz Center Chemistry advisory board at Leiden, EU open science platform, and QChem software company. Additionally, born post Islamic revolution in Iran and growing up during the war, made me to understand complex geopolitical situations and deal with confusing social inhibitions. Building on my experience, I believe I can significantly contribute to YAG board. I am a good communicator and enjoy organizing thematic events, and more importantly I am outspoken, as I like to grow and help others grow."