EPFL professor to coordinate European particle physics research
© CERN
Professor Tatsuya Nakada, head of EPFL’s High Energy Physics Laboratory, has been appointed secretary of the European Strategy Session of Council. It’s a pivotal role for coordinating research policy in particle physics at the European level.
On June 24, scientific and political delegates gathered for the strategic session of the European Council for particle physics research. During the meeting, they appointed EPFL professor Tatsuya Nakada to the role of scientific secretary. Research in this area of physics might appear to be dominated by CERN, but many national research institutes also carry out smaller research projects. The objective of this assembly is to coordinate, politically and scientifically, all this research. It’s a delicate task at a time when politicians are expecting scientists to meet the challenge of abandoning nuclear power and finding new sources of energy.
What role does the scientific secretary play? He presides over the preparation group, made up of researchers who give scientific impetus to research directions, as well as the strategic group, which works in the political arena. He must them present a document defining a strategy for the upcoming five years, in which the scientific objectives and political obligations can all be met.
The goal is to maintain niche activities in national institutes, such as the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. “We can help them develop good programs, but we are not there to dictate to them what they should do,” says Nakada. It’s a job he knows how to do, thanks to his experience as President of the European Committee for Future Accelerators (ECFA), an organization made up uniquely of scientists who choose their president, as well as his participation on CERN’s governing board.
Links:
http://council.web.cern.ch/council/en/EuropeanStrategy/NewsESJune11.html