Brussels, 18/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - EFSA is inviting scientific experts with experience in chemical risk assessment and wishing to contribute to food safety in Europe to send in their applications with a view to joining two of EFSA's scientific groups when the current mandate of those groups expires in July 2014. The groups in question are the scientific panel on food additives and nutrient sources added to food (ANS Panel), headed by Dr Alicja Mortensen, and the scientific panel on food contact materials, enzymes, flavourings and processing (CEF Panel), headed by Dr Iona Pratt, a toxicologist. A call for expressions of interest, launched on 15 April, will be open until 17 June 2013.
Applicants must show proof of experience in the achievement of scientific risk assessment and demonstrate recognised scientific excellence on the basis of work carried out in the fields of toxicology, toxicity testing, chemicals, food exposure assessment, human nutrition and food enzymes - including those from genetically modified micro-organisms - and food technology, EFSA states. Applicants selected will be offered a three-year term and will be entrusted with the task of providing top quality scientific opinions for European decision-makers in the fields of food safety relating to both human food and to animal feed.
Hubert Deluyker, the EFSA director responsible for scientific strategy and coordination, has stated (our translation): “The ANS and CEF Panels operate in key areas such as food additives and food contact materials. EFSA is seeking eminent scientists that have acquired experience in their respective areas or as risk assessors in the context of their work at universities, research institutes, national food safety authorise or risk assessment bodies in Europe and in the world as a whole”.
Experts in these fields are invited to apply by following the online procedure to which access can be gained via the EFSA website throughout the whole period of calls for expressions of interest: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scpanels/memberscall2011.htm .
The call was also published in the EU Official Journal. The EFSA scientific groups provide advice in the form of scientific opinions in order to guide the decisions of risk managers (European Commission, member states). (AN/transl.jl)