Tell us a bit about you - what is your background?

Marta Jędrych: Regarding my academic background, I have a master's degree in sociology. Professionally, before joining the JRC, I worked mainly as a manager of EU-funded projects in organisations from various sectors: local public administration, a non-governmental organisation and a university, dealing with different aspects of project management. For a couple of years, I was also responsible for a regional Europe Direct centre providing information and training on EU matters.

What made you apply to this post?

Marta Jędrych: Unlike most of my colleagues at the JRC, I did not move to Seville to take up this post, but for other reasons. When I arrived in Seville, I started looking for a job and I was very surprised to discover the presence of the European Commission in this city. My first thought was that this would be a perfect place for me to work. I didn`t know EUROMOD when I applied, but I had the necessary experience to work as a project assistant. What attracted me most was the international nature of the job, the opportunity to work with people from many countries and backgrounds and, of course, the prestige of the European Commission.

How long have you been working with EUROMOD? What are your main responsibilities?

Marta Jędrych: I started in June 2021. As administrative assistant, my role is to take care of the formal procedures related to the EUROMOD project, as well as to provide administrative support to the whole EUROMOD team, National Teams and external data users, in a close cooperation with the project leader. This includes tasks related to data management (granting access to EUROMOD input data to interested researchers), contract management (mainly related to contracts with EUROMOD National Teams), organisation of meetings (such as annual National Teams` meetings, trainings, monthly project meetings) and public procurement. I also contribute to the maintenance and updating of the EUROMOD website and act as the first point of contact for user queries.

What do you enjoy most about working with EUROMOD?

Marta Jędrych: My work is purely administrative, so I don`t work with the model, but I do work with the EUROMOD community and that is what I enjoy most. Meeting people is always an enriching and inspiring experience, and even more so when it happens in an international environment.

Would you like to share any recent highlights?

Marta Jędrych: This is closely related to the previous question. One such recent highlight for me was the EUROMOD Annual Meeting and Research Workshop that we hosted in Seville in September. It was a very nice experience to organise such a meeting and a great pleasure to meet the National Teams and other members of the EUROMOD community.