Call for Nominations for the ESRS Board and Scientific Committee

According to the ESRS Bylaws, members of the ESRS Scientific Committee are elected for a period of two years, and only one additional two-year renewal in a particular position is possible. In 2024, the number of symposia and abstracts submitted for review has more than doubled.  

Accordingly, the Board sees fit to expand the number of Scientific Committee members to avoid overburdening any individual members.  

Moreover, the Scientific Programme of Sleep Europe follows a topical track system, and the expertise of Scientific Committee members should reflect this to maintain an appropriate balance between basic and clinical science. Therefore, in 2024, Scientific Committee members will be nominated to represent a field of expertise.  

The composition of the current Scientific Committee is as follows:

To accommodate the organisational change in the structure of the Scientific Committee, we have asked all members eligible for re-election to choose a field of expertise. In the table below, you can find the expertise of the current members. To ensure continuity and avoid complete turnover in any speciality during an election, we strongly encourage re-electing at least one member from each area of expertise whenever possible. 

Therefore, as has been done in the past, we would ask you to vote for all current members of the Scientific Committee as a single position. If there are objections to doing so, please make them known by Wednesday, 31 July 2024 to the Secretariat at esrs@esrs.eu. 

Note: Both Christine Blume and Eva Winnebeck initially expressed their desire to represent the Basic Human track, in line with their primary research focus. However, the new rules require one representative of each track to be a newly elected one. They have decided on a distribution that best aligns with their backgrounds and additional expertise. Christine has a background in psychology, and clinical experience as a CBT-I therapist, and has also been involved in clinically oriented research projects. Therefore, she is well-suited to represent the Mental Health track. Eva, with her background in biomedicine, will now represent the Basic Human track. Both Christine and Eva are eager to continue contributing to the ESRS as members of the Scientific Committee for another two years and the Scientific Committee fully supports this allocation. 

While 6 of the current Scientific Committee members are eligible for re-election, we are opening a call for 10 additional members to join the committee in the following areas of expertise. 

• Basic Animal (1) 
• Basic Human (1) 
• Neurology (2) 
• Respiratory (1) 
• Public Health (2) 
• Mental Health (1) 
• Paediatrics (1) 
• Sleep Technology (1) 

The main task of the Scientific Committee is to assist the Board with the scientific organisation of the ESRS congresses. In practice, this means that the Scientific Committee: 

• Reviews, scores, and advises the Board on the selection of symposia. 
• Reviews and scores submitted abstracts, advising the Board on the selection of poster and oral presentations. 
• Participates in a full-day virtual meeting (or an equivalent of 8 working hours) for abstract selection, typically 3 to 4 months before the ESRS congress. 
• Reviews and enhances the scientific content and format of the ESRS congress. 
• Evaluates scientific proposals submitted to the ESRS as needed. 
• Oversees the selection, evaluation, and assessment of grant applications. 
• Holds monthly meetings. 
• Ensures that the chair attends the mandatory monthly Board meetings. 

Being a member of the Scientific Committee is a significant commitment, involving active participation in regular monthly meetings. The tasks of reviewing and scoring abstracts, as well as assessing symposia, are particularly demanding and require substantial effort under tight deadlines. 

Beyond the ESRS congresses, the Scientific Committee is responsible for promoting and awarding ESRS grants throughout the year. Their involvement is required continuously, with peak periods where the workload intensifies, particularly in the four months leading up to the congress. 

Meeting dates and times are agreed upon well in advance, and members should prioritise these meetings in their calendars.  

Given the broad scope of sleep research and sleep medicine, the Scientific Committee must comprise experts from a wide range of specialisations to ensure comprehensive coverage of all main areas within the field. 

All nominations for the Scientific Committee must include the following details, submitted through the online form provided below, with responses directed to the ESRS Secretary:  

• Name, title, position, institute, nationality, and email of the candidate 
• Name and affiliation of the nominator 
• Choose one of the following areas of expertise that the nominated candidate should serve: Basic Animal, Basic Human, Neurology, Respiratory, Public Health, Mental Health, Paediatrics, Sleep Technology. 
• A written acceptance from the candidate agreeing to be nominated (Download the template).
• A brief introduction/presentation of the candidate to be shared during elections (in .PDF format, no more than 500 words).

Please note the following: 

• Your proposal must be received no later than 11 September 2024, 23:59 CEST. No further nominations shall be accepted after this date. Please, submit one PDF with all the required information. 
• If you do not receive an email confirmation upon form submission, please ensure your PDF submission is sent to the ESRS Secretariat  esrs@esrs.eu  for further assistance. Please note that late submissions will not be evaluated. 
• Publication of the list of the candidates will be distributed two weeks prior to the Business Meeting at the Seville Congress. 
• Electronic voting will open on 12 September 2024 for a period of two weeks, closing on 25 September 2024 23:59 CEST.