Melpomeni (Melina) Antonakaki

I am a doctoral candidate at the Department of Science, Technology and Society (Technical University of Munich) and a member of the Laboratory for Environment │Human Relations at the Institute of European Ethnology (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin). I research and write about how practices of investigating research misconduct intercept and intersect with practices of experimental replication in the life sciences, including bioengineering/materials science. I study controversies that erupt at this intersection, and new types of epistemic activism that exploit dynamics therein, in pursuit of research culture reforms and access at evaluative contexts.

Outside of research, I have been active in drafting codes of conduct for STS from a feminist standpoint, I am an advocate against the abuses of power in German higher education (with a joint project on the ‘habitable university metric’), held the office of PhD student representative at my university and am currently elected ombudsperson of a regional STS association. Being member of EASST since 2018, I cannot account for my migration through Europe without factoring the support of the association in the story: I have twice benefited from the EASST conference fee waiver, which made it possible to present my research in Madrid and Amsterdam. This also opened opportunities for small publications at the EASST Review, a vehicle of EASST I appreciate and support. I have a keen interest in EASST’s code of ethics and early-career initiatives, and if elected, I would dedicate time and energy to their future. For everything else, I’m here to learn.