The team is growing! The start of the new academic year comes with a new member of the COMPARE project, Elvira Mª González Salmón. Elvira will be working as research assistant at the Granada headquarters, and we have prepared some questions for her. Let’s get to know her!
1- What’s your background?
I’m from Santander, a seaside city in the north of Spain. I moved to Madrid for my International Relations bachelors (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), and then to Utrecht to obtain a History of Politics and Society Masters (Utrecht University). Then, I came back to Spain to enjoy a JAE-intro fellowship at the Instituto de Políticas y Bienes Públicos (CSIC). It was during this experience that I was introduced to the world of scientometrics and its numerous possibilities.
2- What are your scientific interests?
I am specially interested in the social responsibility of science, and I’m drawn to bibliometrics and scientometrics given the evidence that this area of research can provide policy makers and others to help them change the current social structure for the better. My focus is on gender related inequalities in science and how they affect research agendas. I firmly believe that a research world that is equal can only be so if we can all participate, and meritocracy will be just a word until everyone is truly equally able to produce research.
Moreover, in the current state of inequality, if science and research are carried out without critical introspection, they will not reduce these inequalities nor maintain them, but increase them. I am also interested in the way in which binarism in gender is addressed in social sciences and in tackling conventional gender assumptions.
3- What will your tasks be at the COMPARE project?
My tasks at the COMPARE project are twofold. On the one hand, I will be able to continue my training in sociology of science, science policy studies and quantitative science studies. On the other hand, I will engage with the rest of the team on researching profiles of scientists and team dynamics. My first task will be related to one of the main goals of this project, namely “What is a team in science?”. I’m very excited about this, I love definitions!