The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors is a key part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism. Their role is to provide independent scientific advice to the College of European Commissioners to inform their decision-making, and thus contribute to the quality of EU legislation.
List of Advisors
The Group is composed of up to seven Advisors, and never fewer than five. They are chosen for their outstanding level of expertise, covering a wide range of scientific fields.
The goal is to have a broad vision which collectively reflects an understanding of important scientific developments, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research.
 | Nicole Grobert | Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Professor of Nanomaterials, University of Oxford | |
 | Nebojša Nakićenović | Deputy Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Director of The World In 2050 Former director-general of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis | |
 | Naomi Ellemers | Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University | |
 | Maarja Kruusmaa | Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Professor of Biorobotics, Vice-rector for Research, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) | |
 | Eric Lambin | Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Professor of Geography and Sustainability Science, Université catholique de Louvain and Stanford University | |
 | Alberto Melloni | Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Professor of History of Christianity, University of Modena/Reggio Emilia | |
 | Eva Zažímalová | Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors Professor of Plant Anatomy and Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences |
How do the Advisors make recommendations on subjects where they are not experts?
The Advisors are scientific experts, but usually not on the specific subjects for which we receive requests.
Instead, the Advisors are guided by the evidence. A detailed review of the evidence is provided by experts in SAPEA (and any other experts they choose to consult).
No group of scientists can ever have expertise in every area of scientific enquiry. But the fact that the Advisors are not usually subject experts is actually an advantage. It means that they can take an objective view of the evidence, without being distracted by their own opinions and priorities.
Establishment
The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors was set up as an independent expert group by a decision of the European Commission in 2015.
Selection and appointment
Individual Advisors are selected and appointed by the European Commission. An independent identification committee helps the Commission to make this decision.
Declarations of interests
You can view the Advisors’ declarations of interests on the European Commission website.