Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) , founded in 2012 was established by European Commission to help Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) participants stay connected with one another, and to provide them with tools and services for advancing their careers. The MCAA is an AISBL (international non-profit association) under Belgian law.  All past and present beneficiaries of MSCA are eligible to join the MCAA for free of cost.

Currently, I am Vice-Chair of MCAA. Earlier, I also worked as Chair of Austrian Chapter.

Goal for next two years

As an inspired and active Vice Chair, to achieve the vision “MCAA 2020”, I proposed three specific strategies: Synergy, Investment and Development.

• Synergy for Competence: MCAA members with diverse skill-sets and goals will have “Structured Profiles” (based in common background and interest) coordinated and institutionalized so that jobs, funds, positions, publications and recognition are achieved more efficiently. Better teamwork, harmony among working groups/chapters, and new alliances created to harness and optimize the synergism of MCAA.

• Invest in people: “Job employability” of each MCAA member is increased by guided training, improving academia industry relationship, job fair representation.

– Self-sustainability: through revenue generating workshops, partnerships with national and international funding programs such as COFOUND.

– Gender Equality, inclusion & Diversity: Support and mainstream female members, scientists from developing countries, less represented groups.

– MCAA Incubator: specific training program to support MCAA members in their entrepreneurship ventures.

• Development: professional and career development of MCAA members through guidance, training, in house resource sharing, external technical expert consultation. MCAA as an organization streamlined and focused through success stories, partnerships, media presence, and joint events.

Previous Experiences

Activities such as organizing, coordinating, participating and managing events, workshops, conferences, and associations, be it formal or informal, multicultural or multilingual, has always been an integral part of my Academic and Professional life in Bangladesh, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. Naturally, MCAA also has been my passion from its establishment to evolution as follows:

• Chair, 2019 MCAA GA Organizing Committee
– Secured external funding and sponsors

• Chair, MCAA Austrian Chapter (MCA3C) and Ex-officio board member (2017- till now):
– Generated revenue from workshop
– Initiated partnerships with Austrian Science Fund, Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Institute of Science & Technology

• Represented MCAA at Erasmus Mundus Association GA 2017 to form successful collaboration

• Founding member, MCA3C and Events & Networking working group

• Recipient first ever “MCAA Alumni of the year” (2014)

• Recipient “Austrian Chapter Member of the Year” (2015)

• Facilitated the Financial Affairs Working Group to secure Euro 14,000+ funding and industrial sponsors

• MCAA Incubator Austria: Initiated the process with innovation incubation center (i2C)

• Represented MCA3C at Rethink Europe meeting & European Research Council event

• Vice-Chair & Founding Secretary, IEEE Young Professionals Austria

• Organizing Secretary, 4th Int. Nanotechnology Student Conference (INASCON) 2010 in Netherlands

• 4 international awards for nanotechnology research