The Society Fellows bringing a Welsh view to European debates

Wales’s voice will be heard at an important European level after three Learned Society of Wales Fellows were appointed to task forces with ALLEA, the Federation of European Academies.

ALLEA’s task forces provide advice, share innovative practice and support national academies across a range of important areas.

The presence of three Fellows on the task forces means that Wales’ unique perspectives will be heard at a European level. All of them worked with the Society during the application process as we strive to maintain links with Europe and EU states in the post-Brexit environment.

Professor Roiyah Saltus FLSW joins the task force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research, which works to improve fairness and transparency in European academic institutions. Professor Saltus is a sociologist at University of South Wales and specialises in the impact of gender, age and social class as experienced by racialised and minority ethnic population groups.

Professor Martina Feilzer FLSW, Professor in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Bangor University, works on, among things, surveillance practices and their impact in democratic states. She will sit on the Strengthening Trust in Science task force, which will focus on how research communities can help rebuild trust, counter disinformation, and fostering democratic engagement across Europe.

Professor Tom Crick FLSW will sit on the Protecting and Sharing Data task force. He is Professor of Digital Education & Policy at Swansea University, as well as Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. He has contributed to government policy on science and technology education, and digital competency. His task force will explore the relationship and tensions between open science and the legal requirements of GDPR, intellectual property rights, and data storage and management.