Hi all! My name is Elena Secomandi and I am enrolled in the third year of the National PhD program in Sustainable Development and Climate Change (PhD-SDC) at IUSS Pavia. My host university is the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza), where I am currently working on researching the impact of climate change and specifically abiotic stresses such as cold, drought, flooding, salinity, and heat, on the metabolism and photosynthetic performance of plants.
I have always been passionate about environmental problems and the challenge of climate change. After completing my Master’s studies in Biology, I wanted to continue in academia to pursue this passion. What I love about this Ph.D. program is its multidisciplinary approach, which allows students like me to broaden our knowledge of sustainable development and climate change, as well as strengthen the complex framework of our individual research.
During my time abroad, I spent five months at the European Environment Agency (EEA), an agency of the European Union based in Copenhagen that delivers knowledge and data to support Europe's environment and climate goals. In addition to collecting, checking, and disseminating data, the EEA provides evidence-based knowledge to support policies and informs policymakers and the public about the state of the environment, climate change, and sustainability topics. Understanding how this institution, which operates at the interface between scientific data and policy, works was one of the reasons why I decided to spend this time abroad at the EEA.
While there, I was part of the Biodiversity, Health, and Resources Unit, and I contributed to the development of the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability indicator framework (published in as a ECHA joint assessment on April 17th!) and the Zero Pollution Action Plan in accordance with the European Green Deal. I delved into various aspects related to environmental topics, with a particular focus on food systems, pesticides, and ecosystems impacted by pollution. Additionally, I actively participated in the development of comprehensive policy-related reports. This experience allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the intricate and sometimes obscure mechanisms underlying these assessments, thus collaborating with others EU Agency/DG including ECHA, EFSA and DG SANTE. Simultaneously, I honed my skills in data analysis, presentation, and scientific writing within a highly interdisciplinary and multicultural environment.
Despite my relatively short stay, I felt empowered to contribute my opinions to the decision-making process, thanks to the trust and responsibility given to me. Moreover, I had the privilege of immersing myself in the working culture of both the Agency and the host country. The work environment stood out for its openness, trust, and respect for work-life balance. These values were truly integral to the way things operated, making my experience abroad incredibly enriching.
Now that I’m back to my academic activities in Italy, I feel recharged and even more committed to my research project. As part of this PhD program and after having worked in a profoundly transdisciplinary institution, I know that each of us is contributing to a small piece of this big endeavour to tackle the sustainability and climate change challenge and that EU institutions rely on researchers’ works and evidences to address scientific-based decision. Contributing with my research is the best thing I can do! 🌱