EFSA Call for Expression of Interest External Experts Working Groups - Genotoxicity

Location: Parma, Italy
Deadline for applications: 2nd April 2021

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), based in Parma, is looking to expand its pool of scientists with expertise in the area of Genotoxicity.
Scientists with the required expertise are invited to express their interest by applying to this call and may be considered for participation in one of EFSA’s Working Groups.

THE EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is an Agency of the European Union and an integral part of the EU’s food safety system. The Authority’s mission is to contribute to the safety of the EU food and feed chain and a high level of protection of human life and health. EFSA brings together Europe’s best available experts in risk assessment in the field of food and feed safety, animal health and welfare, plant health and the environment, who act in an independent capacity to provide the European Union Institutions and Member States with scientific advice of the highest standard.

To find out more about EFSA, visit us at www.efsa.europa.eu.

EFSA’S WORKING GROUPS
EFSA’s Working Groups (https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/wgs-and-networks) are composed of experienced, independent experts tasked to gather scientific evidence on certain topics and to draft scientific opinions and conducting preparatory work for EFSA’s scientific panels and the Scientific Committee. Currently, EFSA is coordinating more than 100 Working Groups with 500+ experts, who deliver on a wide array of mandates. 

Working Group - Genotoxicity
Genotoxicity is a central topic in many of EFSA’s Working Groups, and in particular in its cross-cutting Working Group on Genotoxicity. The genotoxicity experts in the EFSA Working Groups are responsible for the assessment of the genotoxicity potential of substances under evaluation by EFSA Units or Panels. The cross-cutting Working Group on Genotoxicity also provides advice regarding the correct implementation of the various EFSA guidance documents in the area of genotoxicity (EFSA J 2011, EFSA J 2017, EFSA J 2019) and contributes to updating these guidance documents with the latest scientific advances.

Working Group Experts
Members of the Working Groups are expected to work in cooperation and have a high degree of professional ethics and integrity. Members of Working Groups are entrusted with the following responsibilities:

• Timely preparation and discussion of scientific opinions, guidance documents and statements of the Working Group;
• Preparatory work for EFSA’s Scientific Panels or the Scientific Committee, e.g. review of the data package concerning the toxicological aspects of dossiers or published literature (with specific reference to genotoxicity in vitro and/or in vivo);
• Contribution to independent scientific advice on matters falling within the remit of the Working Group;
• Contribution to the consistency of EFSA’s scientific assessment approaches and work in close cooperation with the Scientific Panels and the Scientific Committee;
• Ensuring adherence to sector specific and horizontal EFSA guidance documents and relevant EU legislation;
• Contribution to the updating of genotoxicity related guidance documents.

General Conditions
Members of the Working Groups are expected to attend and contribute actively and timely to the meetings of the Working Groups where opinions, statements or guidance documents are prepared. Attendance and active contribution at the meetings of the Working Groups requires preparatory work, including prior reading, data analysis and drafting of documents. Meetings are held in English and the documents are in the English language.

Members of the Working Groups will be requested to attend 1 to 2 day meetings around 6 to 8 times per year, by teleconference or physically in Parma (Italy) or in other EU cities. Experts will receive an indemnity in accordance with its rules laid down in the Experts’ Compensation Guide.

WORKING GROUP EXPERTS SELECTION
In order to express their interest, candidates should fill in and submit the online application form via the ''Apply'' button. The selection and appointment of Working Group experts follows EFSA’s standard operating procedure on experts selection. If additional expertise is needed, EFSA may also draw external experts from other relevant databases.

Expertise required

Proven experience of at least 5 years in one or more of the following areas:
• Developing guidance documents in the area of genotoxicity or similar fields.
• Communicating scientific outputs to target audiences in English.
• Conducting risk assessment with particular focus on genotoxicity/mutagenicity assessment.
• Collecting and collating evidence on genotoxicity in vitro and/or in vivo.
• Critical analysis of assessment reports and publications on genotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. 
• Assessment of in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity tests for regulatory purposes.
• Excellent knowledge of English language (written and spoken). 
• As an asset, knowledge and experience in: genotoxicity assessment of nanomaterials and/or chemical mixtures; and/or use of in silico tools (i.e. (Q)SARs models, read across) for prediction of genotoxicity.

EFSA may contact pre-selected candidates for further assessment on their expertise and motivation and to check their availability. Please note that only pre-selected candidates will be contacted.

Declaration of Interest (DoI)

Suitable candidates identified as having the most appropriate expertise for the Working Groups shall be requested to submit a Declaration of Interests (DoI), which will be screened by EFSA in accordance with EFSA’s Independence policy[1]. In the absence of a Conflict of Interest (CoI)[2], candidates may be invited for Working Group membership.

Appointment

The decision on the appointment of the most suitable experts shall take into consideration the matching of the experts’ profiles with the scientific profile required for the specific scientific task in question, thorough knowledge of the English language, nationality and gender balance within the Working Group.

The members of the Working Groups are appointed in a personal capacity. They shall therefore not delegate their responsibilities to another member or to a third person. The appointment could be for the duration of a specific mandate or for a longer period. This pool of experts maybe consulted also on ad hoc basis, as needed.

Should you have any queries please send an email to selection.experts@efsa.europa.eu.

[1] EFSA's independence policy is implemented by the rules laid down in the Decision on Competing Interest Management.

[2] A conflict of interest may arise e.g. where a candidate is employed by any legal or natural person carrying out any of the activities on which EFSA’s scientific outputs impact directly or indirectly, such as food production, processing and distribution, agriculture or animal husbandry.