As it happens with other associations of this kind, a recommendation is required to be considered for membership.
‘I was invited to apply by dr Solymosi Katalin, a member of the Hungarian Young Academy and the Young Academy of Europe’, says dr hab. inż. Marta Gmurek. 'We met in Brussels during the fourth Gago conference on European science policy. We worked at the time on a manifesto to support early research careers and improve working conditions for researchers.’
The candidature of the Lodz University of Technology researcher was also endorsed by the Academy of Young Scientists of the Polish Academy of Sciences, of which dr hab. inż. Marta Gmurek, TUL professor, is a substitute chairperson.
The Young Academy of Europe was founded in 2012 in Brussels. It represents the voice of young scientists who seek to have an impact on science policy and contribute to the development of the European science agenda for the coming decades.
Dr hab. inż. Marta Gmurek, TUL professor, is involved in a variety of activities advocating for young scientists, especially women and girls engaged or interested in research work, especially in the STEM fields. In her own words:
‘With The Young Academy of Europe, I wish to continue my work to engage Polish universities and research institutions in the pan-European COARA coalition to reform the way research is evaluated on our continent and the implementation of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA, a global initiative for responsible research evaluation. I hope to contribute to fostering the empowerment and capacity building among women in engineering, refining networking and globalization to include young scientists more, and encouraging scientists to become members of The Young Academy of Europe and AMU PAN.’
She is a researcher well-versed in collaborating in international research groups. She has held several-month long internships at Charles University in Prague and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. In 2019/2020, she worked as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Coimbra, and in 2021/2022 as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
In early July 2023, dr hab. inż. Marta Gmurek, TUL professor, was elected member of the Board of Directors of the prestigious Stowarzyszenie Humboldtystów Polskich- Societas Humboldtiana Polonorum, where she serves as treasurer.
Among the nearly 180 members of the YAE, apart from dr hab. inż. Marta Gmurek, TUL professor, there are only six female researchers who are affiliated with Polish universities and scientific institutions.