ACCESS Steering Committee
ACCESS is governed by the ACCESS Steering Committee that defines the goals and objectives of the ACCESS network and provides direction and leadership for the overall network. Steering Committee members are appointed by the leadership of their university. The ACCESS Steering Committee always has a member from each of the four founding member universities as well as a member from the host university(s) of the nearest two upcoming Forums. The coordination and implementation of the overall activities is led by Lund University who also chairs the ACCESS Steering Committee.
Meet the Steering Committee Members:
Prof. Stacey Sörensen, Lund University
Stacey Sörensen is the Chair of the ACCESS Steering Committee. She is also a Professor of Physics at Lund University, and is the director of the Pufendorf Institute of Advanced Studies. She currently serves on advisory committees at several European large-scale research facilities, and has previously served on the board of the Swedish Research Council, and on the government advice panel on new materials.
Prof. Suruchi Thapar-Björkert, Uppsala University
Suruchi Thapar-Björkert is Associate Professor at the Department of Government, University of Uppsala. She researches on postcolonial and decolonial feminism(s), political economy of gender and development and feminist research methologies. She has held lectureships and teaching fellowships at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1998-2000) and University of Bristol (2000-2010) in the U.K and Amherst College (Autumn 2022), USA.
Prof. Pedro Bouchon, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Pedro Bouchon, a Full Professor in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, also directs the Food Structure Design Laboratory where he actively participates in doctoral education, research and knowledge translation. He collaborates dynamically with the industry and successfully spun off a company in 2021. Since 2017, he has been serving as the Vice-President for Research at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. In this role, he focuses on doctoral training, research and creation, as well as technology transfer and innovation. He holds the prestigious position of President for the Research Leaders at the global network U21 and also serves as the President of the Vice Presidents for Research of the Chilean Universities Council (Cruch).
Prof. Christian Gonzalez-Billault, Universidad de Chile
Christian Gonzalez-Billault, is the current Vice Rector for Research and Development at University of Chile. He plays a prominent role as a tenured academic in the Faculty of Sciences, and his teaching work extends to the Department of Neuroscience of the Faculty of Medicine, and the Public Nutrition Unit of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA) “Dr. Fernando Monckeberg Barros” at the same university. With over 20 years of dedication to the study of the human brain, he has led various research projects and initiatives, including the Center for Geroscience, Mental Health and Metabolism (GERO), a pioneering space in Latin America focused on aging research. Also, he stands out as the past-president of the Chilean Society of Neurosciences, the director of the institutional project “Science 2030”, and his participation as a member of the executive committee of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), among others roles.
Prof. M. Andrea Rodríguez, Universidad de Concepción
M. Andrea Rodríguez finished an undergraduate program in Informatics at the Universidad de Concepción and, thanks to a Fulbright fellowship, she finished a MSc. and then a Ph.D. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering at the University of Maine, USA, in 2000. She is a full professor at the Department of Informatics and Computer Science and, currently, Vice President for Research and Development of the Universidad de Concepción.
Prof. Goran Hilmersson, University of Gothenburg
Göran Hilmersson is a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in developing new methods for organic synthesis, particularly using organolithium reagents and samarium diiodide. His research has focused on understanding reaction mechanisms and developing new ways to create specific chemical bonds. He is also involved in teaching advanced organic chemistry courses and currently serves as the head of the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology. Additionally, he has been the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology, and Built Environment since 2018.