EASA Scientific Committee (SciComm)

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Scientific Committee (SciComm), active since 2022, provides advice to the EASA Executive Director on scientific issues that may influence the future development of the EASA expertise in scientific and technical domains linked to research, innovation, and disruptive technologies.  Furthermore, the group advises EASA as regards processes in aviation that may impact Aviation Safety, Environmental Protection, Security, and Aviation Health Safety.

Advice from the SciComm helps EASA to strategically  adapt its competence to accompany societal, environmental, and technological transformations.

The Committee may additionally provide its expertise for the preparation of EASA webinars on innovative/disruptive technologies and other events linked to innovative/disruptive concepts.

Members of the SciComm

The SciComm Members are appointed by the EASA Executive Director based on the list of Independent External Experts maintained by EASA as a result of EU Call(s) for Expression of Interest.  

The SciComm’s competence covers the following:

  • high-profile academic and/or industrial expertise;
  • range of views and competences within the scientific community (i.e. coverage of the most relevant scientific fields linked to the needs of the EASA activities); and
  • experience in a range of relevant research and innovation activities with publications and/or public appearances, or PhD schemes.

EASA has currently appointed the following chairman and members for the Committee for a three-year term in their personal capacity:

Prof. Dr. Peter Hecker,  
Chairman of SciComm
Vice President TU Braunschweig
Dr. Nicholas Asher
As director of the Artificial and Natural Intelligence Toulouse Institutes.
Prof. Frances Brazier
Professor at TU Delft in Intelligent Systems
Prof. Marianna Jacyna
Dean of Warsaw Faculty Transport
Prof. Martin Kaltschmitt
Head of the Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics
Prof. Christiane Schmidt
Senior Associate Professor in the Academic Excellence in ATM and UTM Research Group, Communications and Transport Systems Division, Department of Science and Technology (ITN) at Linköping University
Prof. Nicole Viola
Associate Professor of Aerospace Systems at Politecnico di Torino, Turin 
Affiliate Professor at Concordia University, Montreal
Prof. Marco Lovera
Leading the Research Laboratory of the Aerospace Systems and Control Laboratory at the Politecnico di Milano Advanced Systems
Dr. Torben Hovald
Analysis and Monitoring Unit Team Leader, European Union Agency for Railways
Prof. Silas Michaelides 
Adjunct Professor at the Cyprus Institute — Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C)

 

Work Programme, Task Forces, and Reporting

The SciComm Chairperson coordinates the yearly Work Programme and activities with the EASA Chief Engineer. The Work Programme is being implemented by the respective Task Forces:

  1. Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Automation: 
    • support the development of an AI Ethics Survey for the general public;
    • testing of the published Level 2 human factors guidance;
    • support the development of design principles for Level 3 AI ('advanced automation') in preparation of the EASA AI Concept Paper Issue 3.
  2. Impact of Climate Change on Aviation:
    • review the research works on the trends regarding jet streams;
    • changes to atmospheric conditions at low altitude;
    • trends regarding dust storms and sandstorms; and
    • trends regarding coastal flooding.
  3. Networking Platform with Academia:
    • develop relations with academia to facilitate identification of key civil aviation research themes;
    • help anticipate future competences and skills needed by EASA to fulfill its legal mandate under Article 86 of the Basic Regulation; and
    • support, through the Network, the organisation of conferences and webinars to facilitate knowledge-sharing and networking.

Task Forces

The SciComm is organised in Task Forces, which include EASA experts and possibly other experts. The following three Task Forces are active in 2024:

  • Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Automation;
  • Task Force on Impact of Climate Change on Aviation and Extreme Weather; and
  • Task Force on Academia Networking.

Reporting

A collective report on the SciComm inputs and advice is published on an annual basis (see the Downloads Section).