Meet the new MindMint Editorial Committee

Hi there! We are Jonne, Hector, Taichi, Julie and Tanja - the members of the MindMint Editorial Committee for the 2020/2021 academic year.
We are currently looking for new members to join us; either to help us out in the Editorial Committee or as content creators!

If you are interested in joining us, please find the ‘join us’ button at the bottom of this page, or if you have any other questions you can always write to us in an email to mindmint@rug.nl.

Our aim is to provide an online platform to young researchers at the University of Groningen for showcasing their State of the Art research and for sharing their experiences as up-and-coming scientists. We will also inform you about opportunities to develop your research communication skills and organize events and meetings about digestible and engaging content-creation!

On this platform you will find: 

1. Blogs/columns/movies/radio interviews and any other type of content created by PhDs and Postdocs about 

   • their research; 

   • current affairs and commentaries on scientific topics; 

   • and a look into the kitchen of life as a PhD or Postdoc at the University of Groningen

2. Information on science communication opportunities (i.e. workshops, trainings and other platforms) in and around Groningen, including an agenda with upcoming workshops and events from MindMint as well as other organizations.

In the meantime get to know a little bit about us below:

Chairperson

Jonne Thomassen is a PhD candidate at the Department of Demography exploring the roles of family and friends in the decision to move or stay in the place of birth. She specifically focuses on young adults who decide to stay despite the idea that ‘moving creates opportunities’. She is passionate about finding new ways to make scientific research more digestible and relatable for people with and without a scientific background. As a member of the Mindmint committee she hopes to simulate young researchers at the University of Groningen to show what their research is about and what it is like to be a young researcher using fun and unconventional formats.

Secretary

Hey everyone! My name is Julie Merten, I am from Germany and a second year PhD candidate in applied mathematics at t he Bernoulli Institute. I am currently chairing the MindMint committee together with Jonne Thomassen and supporting her at the same time. Being a math tutor is what started my interest in making complex theories more accessible. Attending the writing workshop at the Springer office in Heidelberg has also helped me to learn what it is like to work for a renowned publisher. I will do my best to assist the board and to support our PhD members on their journey in Science Communication.

Chief Editor

Tanja van Hummel is a PhD-student at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. She researches the sacred dimension of climate change-induced conflicts among indigenous peoples in Kenya. Since she did a bachelor in philosophy (2006), she has been working as an editor / chief editor, published many a book, a book chapter and many articles. As a member of the MindMint committee she hopes to develop MindMint’s network and to provide a good platform for science communication and communication about PhD-life. She will use her experience to support other PhD-students to develop their writing skills and to show that writing is fun, especially when you keep your audience in mind. Since she highly values education and access to knowledge, science communication is a perfect way to explain the research conducted by PhD-students to a broad audience.

Event Manager

Hector Gallegos is a PhD candidate in the field of Arts and Cognition, he conducts research on empirical aesthetics investigating the relation between gender identity and the experience of contemporary digital art and music. He has worked in advertisement, exhibition design, and visual communication, as part of MindMint he would like to make use of this previous experience to propel our PhD community’s research beyond closed academic circles, the lab, or the armchair. He is deeply motivated to improve the sense of community and learning opportunities available for PhD students, thus he was part of last years’ Gopher board as PR and Research Communication Manager.

Social Media Manager

Taichi Ochi is currently undertaking a PhD investigating drug-drug-gene interactions of pharmacogenes, with a focus on depression and its comorbidities. In conjunction with his PhD, he coordinates Pint of Science in the Netherlands, a global science communication festival, and is employed at a CRO focusing on unraveling microbial genomics for industrial applications.

He aims to contribute to MindMint by disseminating the latest research being conducted by the University of Groningen's young academics towards a greater audience.

Are you passionate about science communication as well, and would you like to join our Editorial Committee?

You can always fill in our form in the application form below (click picture):