You, Me & HIFMB - Stories of Science and the Sea

In today's episode, we have our very own director Helmut Hillebrand! He chats to us about the history of how the institute was created (you can follow along here: https://hifmb.de/institute/history/). We also talk about how he became HIFMB's director on top of (!!) being the Professor for Plankton Ecology at the University of Oldenburg. 
Take it away, Helmut!

In this episode, Jan welcomes Daniela Portella Sampaio for a conversation about her scientific journey through Antarctica and current research on Antarctic governance. We particularly focus on Antarctic intersectionality research. Daniela also shares memorable moments from the field (like finding a historic shoe) and tips on how to successfully score grants - she scored 2 (!!) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships! Tune in for a return to our regular interview-style format.

Today in another European Commission Edition episode, I talked to Sahar Stevenson-Jones. She is working at SERE (The Society for Ecological Restoration Europe) and there she is the Project Officer for the Marine Restoration Project.The Marine Restoration Working Group was established at the SERE2024 Conference in Tartu, Estonia, and currently meets 4 times a year, with the 5 task forces, which are each focusing on unique objectives, meeting more regularly. The group is currently at 65 members, from across Europe, and includes researchers, practitioners, experts in finance and policy, as well as students. The group is chaired by Roberto Danovaro, and co-chaired by Joel Lindholm. Their primary priority is to adapt the SER International Principles and Standards, specifically the attributes tables of the Ecological Recovery Wheel, to the marine space. You can find out more here: www.ser-europe.org/mrwg.
Enjoy the episode! All the best from Brussels.

HIFMB's Transfer Office was attending the Knowledge Exchange Network for Marine Biodiversity Cluster Event at the European Research Executive Agency (REA) of the European Commission (EC).  Here in Brussels, I interviewed participants of the event - one of them being Paris Vasilakopoulos - today's guest. Paris works at the EC, specifically the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and, among many topics, we talk about his role in the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD). Enjoy these short episodes of the podcast coming to you straight from Brussels!

Episode overview
This episode covers the essentials of social science research in terms of practical concerns and ethical considerations. It firstly spends some time, thinking about time! How researchers can plan projects within specific timeframes, budgetary constraints, possible travel restrictions, and how to also think on vital matters of risk, health and safety in doing social research. The podcast secondly shifts to ethical principles, discussing the importance of taking ethical approaches and engaging formal ethical procedures when working with human subjects. The episode considers matters such as informed consent, confidentiality, and minimising harm and how ethics is not just about forms and approvals but treating people with respect, ensuring their well-being, and building trust. We also offer ‘top tips’.
 
You can tag us on social media #SocialScienceMatters
 
Supporting readings
There is a light introduction to practicalities of doing social science research, time, cost, logistics, health, safety and ethics here:
Peters, K. (2017). Your Human Geography Dissertation: Designing, Doing, Delivering. SAGE: London (chapter 5) and online: https://study.sagepub.com/yourhumangeography/student-resources/chapter-5/external-links
 
This chapter covers the essentials of health and safety in social science work:
Bullard, J (2016) ‘Health, Safety and Risk in the Field’ In: Clifford, N., Cope, M., Gillespie, T.,& French S. (eds.) Key Methods in Geography. Third Edition. Sage. Pp. 19-29 with online support: https://study.sagepub.com/keymethods3e2/student-resources/chapter-2/further-reading
 
On ethics specifically, listeners may find the following useful:
Hay, I. (2016). On being ethical in geographical research. In: Clifford, N., Cope, M., Gillespie, T.,& French S. (eds.) Key Methods in Geography. Third Edition. Sage. Pp. 30-43. https://study.sagepub.com/keymethods3e2/student-resources/chapter-3/further-reading
Wilson, H. F., & Darling, J. (Eds.). (2020). Research Ethics for Human Geography: A Handbook for Students. https://sk.sagepub.com/book/mono/preview/research-ethics-for-human-geography-a-handbook-for-students.pdf
 
Supporting websites
Do you want to know more about ethics? These websites may help (we are not responsible for external content)
Research Ethics Guidelines from UK Research and Innovation: https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/guidance-for-applicants/research-ethics-guidance/
Ethics in Social Science and Humanities Research from the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ethics-in-social-science-and-humanities_he_en.pdf