TÜBA Members Elected to ALLEA Working Groups
Within the scope of the call titled “Science-Policy Standing Committee & Task Forces” issued by ALLEA (All European Academies), Full Members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), Prof. Dr. Erol Arcaklıoğlu, Prof. Dr. Arzum Erdem Gürsan, Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, and Prof. Dr. İlkay Erdoğan Orhan, who were nominated by TÜBA, have been elected to ALLEA’s working groups.
President of TÜBA, Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, congratulated the elected TÜBA members and wished them success in their new roles. Prof. Dr. Erol Arcaklıoğlu, a faculty member at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University (AYBÜ), will serve in the working group “Strengthening Trust in Science: Exploring the Role of Scientific Evidence in Policymaking and Scientific Literacy to Counter Mis- and Disinformation.” He noted that the group will examine the dynamics between democratic resilience and public trust in scientific institutions and knowledge. He stated that the group will provide evidence-based guidance on how research communities can help rebuild trust, combat disinformation, and promote democratic engagement across Europe.
Prof. Dr. Arzum Erdem Gürsan, a faculty member at Ege University (EÜ), was elected to the working group “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research,” jointly coordinated by ALLEA and the British Academy. The group will build upon ongoing efforts to improve fairness and transparency within the European academic landscape, focusing on issues such as underrepresentation, institutional bias, and the challenges faced by early- and mid-career researchers.
Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), will serve in the working group “Net Zero: Promoting Climate Sustainability in the Academic System.” The group will address key challenges such as balancing international collaboration with sustainability goals, reducing the carbon footprint of research infrastructures, and reforming norms around academic travel.
Prof. Dr. İlkay Erdoğan Orhan, a faculty member at Lokman Hekim University, expressed her pleasure in participating in the working group titled “Integrating Research Security and Academic Freedom: Ensuring That Research Security Measures Uphold Fundamental Academic Values and International Collaboration.” Prof. Dr. Orhan stated: “We will work to ensure that emerging security frameworks safeguard core academic values and facilitate open international collaboration. At a time when the European Commission is prioritizing research security, our working group will contribute to policy development processes and collaborate with the European conference scheduled for October 2025.”