European Food Safety Authority seeks experts for its scientific panels

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is seeking around 200 independent scientists with experience in the field of food and feed safety for its scientific advice. Interested scientists may apply from 1 June to 8 September 2017. The new panels will begin their three‑year mandate in July 2018.

A call for expressions of interest for membership of the Scientific Panels and the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 1 June.

The European Food Safety Authority is an agency of the European Union and is an integral part of the EU food safety system. The Authority’s mission is to contribute to food and feed safety in the EU and to a high level of protection of human life and health.

EFSA is seeking scientific experts holding a university degree and with at least 7 (seven) years of professional experience in one of the following areas: genetics, ecology, plant health sciences, veterinary medicine, zoology, toxicology, nutrition, public health, biology, chemistry, mathematics/statistics/biostatistics, food/feed technologies, pharmacology, exposure assessment, epidemiology and regulatory science.

The call concerns all 10 EFSA Panels – Animal Health and Welfare (1), Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (2), Biological Hazards (3), Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (4), Contaminants in the Food Chain (5), Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (6), Genetically Modified Organisms (7), Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (8), Plant Health (9), Plant Protection Products and their Residues (10).

Each EFSA Panel consists of between 10 and 25 scientific experts. The Chairs of the Scientific Panels, together with 6 additional external experts, form EFSA’s Scientific Committee. The mandate of the selected experts for the renewal of the composition of the Scientific Panels is 3 years.

EFSA brings together Europe’s leading risk assessment experts in the fields of food and feed safety, animal health and welfare, plant protection and the environment. They act as independent specialists in order to provide the institutions and the Member States of the European Union with scientific advice of the highest standard.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements by the deadline for submission of applications:

citizenship of a Member State of the European Union, of a country of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) or of a candidate country for EU membership. Experts from third countries may also apply, but their applications for membership of the Scientific Panels/the Scientific Committee will be considered only if no specialist with the required level of expertise can be found among citizens of EU, EFTA or EU candidate countries;

excellent command of English;

commitment to attend meetings and to participate actively in the work of the Scientific Committee/Scientific Panels and their Working Groups;

an educational qualification corresponding to a completed course of university education of at least four (4) years, certified by a diploma, in one of the following areas: agriculture, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biology, biometrics, biotechnology, chemistry, dietary exposure, ecology, epidemiology, food science, food technology, genetics, food safety and hygiene, medicine, life sciences, mathematics, microbiology, molecular biology, natural sciences, nutrition, pharmacy, public health, statistics, toxicology, veterinary medicine or similar fields;

at least seven (7) years of professional experience related to the remit of the Panel(s), acquired after obtaining the required diploma.

Applicants must submit their applications online via the EFSA website.

Applications will be considered eligible only if a correctly completed online application form is submitted before the deadline. No other forms of application will be accepted.

The deadline for submission of applications is 8 September 2017 at midnight (local time, Central European Time).

Further information on EFSA’s call, a detailed description of the activities of the Panels, the criteria for the selection of experts and other useful information materials can be found on the dedicated webpage for this initiative - http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/careers/experts . 

You can view and download the full text of the notice HERE

For more information you may also contact the EFSA National Focal Point in Bulgaria HERE