Dr. Michel Claessens, Professor and Author, holds a PhD in Sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He has worked at ULB, in the biotechnology and chemical industries, and as a science journalist.
From 1994 to 2011, he worked at the European Commission in the Directorate-General for Research, where he was notably involved in “Science and Society” activities. He held several key roles, including Head of the Communication Unit, Editor-in-Chief of the researcheu* magazine, Coordinator of Eurobarometer surveys on science and technology, and Spokesperson for the European Commissioner for Research.
He was later appointed Director of Communication and External Relations at the ITER International Organization in France, which oversees the construction of the ITER fusion reactor.
Michel Claessens has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Network on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) and a lecturer at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he taught a course on scientific communication.
He has authored numerous articles on science and technology and has written or co-authored around ten books.