New UCD Podcast Highlights Inclusivity in European Research Fellowships

Dr Shane Bergin, an associate professor in science education at University College Dublin, has launched a six‑part podcast titled “We Are Fellowship” to explore inclusivity among researchers funded by the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Actions (MSCA).

Podcast examines researchers’ lived experiences

The series, funded by the MSCA, features conversations with 15 scholars from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, probing how fellowships affect their personal and professional lives. Bergin says the programme looks at connectivity, curiosity and the nurturing of these qualities within the research community.

Since its inception, the MSCA has supported more than 150,000 researchers, enabling mobility across countries and the development of transferable skills. Over 40 % of its beneficiaries have arrived in the EU from abroad, often navigating challenges linked to visas, family separation and representation, particularly for scholars from the Global South.

One interviewee, Dr Karen de la Vega‑Hernández, a Cuban researcher studying pharmaceutical drug modification, discusses the difficulties of moving to Europe, including visa hurdles and being the sole Latina in her laboratory. She stresses the importance of representing her roots and the pride that can arise from bringing new perspectives.

Bergin, also a children’s science author, warns of a growing anti‑intellectual climate in several societies, noting recent push‑back against experts and the closure of humanities departments in places such as the US and the UK.

Source: Silicon Republic. Photo: FOX ^.ᆽ.^= ∫ / Pexels.