Our team

Dr Lidia Borrell-Damián has been Secretary General of Science Europe since 2019. Previously, she worked at the European University Association, where she was Director for Research and Innovation. Her areas of expertise cover a wide range of European and global R&I policies, including business R&I and energy. Prior to that she worked as Director of Research at Pompeu Fabra University, and as an assistant professor and visiting scholar in USA and Canada universities. She contributes to several international advisory committees including the Global Research Council. She holds a Doctorate in Chemistry, with a specialty in Chemical Engineering from the University of Barcelona.

Adrien Braem is the Senior Policy Officer in charge of dossiers related to the European Research Area and Science Europe's activities related legal matters and to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. As a law graduate specialising in EU law and policy, he has worked for several organisations in research policy, public health, international co-operation, and human rights.

Sara Cesari joined Science Europe as Policy Officer in March 2022. Previously, she worked as a project officer at several institutions and NGOs in Morocco, Italy and Belgium, including the UC Louvain university as project manager of the Metrolab project, a EU-funded applied urban research laboratory [ERDF 2014-2020]. Her professional background includes more than ten years of experience in policy and project management roles. Sara has contributed to strategy development for the organisations where she worked. She specialised in the fields of urban research, human rights, and public management of culture. Sara holds a master's degree in cultural anthropology and a postgraduate degree in peace studies. She also recently completed a master's degree in public affairs and European communication.

Dr Nicola Francesco Dotti is Senior Policy Officer for the Green and Digital Transition. He graduated in urban planning and holds a Doctorate in regional economics and policy evaluation from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Before joining Science Europe in October 2021, he was a researcher on the European geography of research, EU Cohesion Policy, policy-knowledge brokerage, research–policy interactions, data-driven university governance, and assessment of the societal impact of university research. He also worked for the Brussels Capital Region on the economic impact of international and European institutions.

Sophie Lemahieu joined Science Europe as a Senior Policy Officer in June 2023. Previously, she has experience working as a Policy Advisor at the Belgian national level, on research and innovation as well as employment policy. Sophie has been following closely the developments linked to Horizon Europe and the European Research Area. She also specialised in international and cross border collaboration through her previous roles, and has a specific interest in these topics. Sophie holds a master's degree in European and North American politics, as well as an advanced master's degree in European studies.

Dr James Morris is a Senior Policy Officer at Science Europe working broadly on the topics of Research Culture, Research Assessment, and Research Infrastructures. He joined Science Europe in 2019 and has a background in marine and molecular biology and a strong interest in science communication. Before joining Science Europe he was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions post-doctoral fellow at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology by the University of Southampton, UK.

Dr Bregt Saenen joined Science Europe as Senior Policy Officer in November 2021. He has previously worked for several membership and policy organisations, including the European University Association, DG EMPL of the European Commission, SOLIDAR and the EU office of the International Labour Organization. Bregt has a Doctorate in EU Studies from Ghent University in Belgium and was a visiting researcher at New York University. He also has a Master of Science in EU Studies from Ghent University, as well as a Master and Bachelor of Arts in History.

Valentina Garoia joined Science Europe as Communications Manager in October 2021. She has previously worked for several European associations and organisations, including the COST Association, European Schoolnet, and Euroseeds. Valentina has over 10 years of experience in communications roles for NGOs and trade associations, shaping and leading communication projects and campaigns in food and agriculture, science, education, and innovation. Valentina holds a Master and Bachelor of Political Science and International Relations.

Iwan Groeneveld is Communications and Events Officer. In that role, he makes sure that Science Europe’s events run smoothly, from the planning stage to the actual meeting. Together with the Communications team, he also works on making Science Europe’s outputs look good and read well. Before joining Science Europe in 2015, Iwan worked in several communications roles for the City of Amsterdam, including for its web team. Although he holds a Master's degree in Ancient History from VU University Amsterdam, he is a digital native always looking for modern tools and improvements.

Stéphanie Flouquet joined Science Europe in March 2021 as Personal Assistant to the Secretary General and administrative support to the team. Prior to that, Stéphanie worked for more than 15 years for international companies in the chemical and healthcare sector as well as European organisations.

Artemis Rodopoulou has been working in Science Europe since 2012 and is the Office Manager since January 2020. She is responsible for the good financial management of the organisation and provides support to Human Resource matters. Educated and trained in Human Resource Management (MA) and Business Administration (BA), she has held various positions in the private sector and the European Commission.