Kathleen Gregory joins Young Academy Leiden
Announcement image: Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash
Kathleen Gregory has been appointed as a new member of the Young Academy Leiden (YAL) as of 15 September 2026. In this interview, Kathleen reflects on her appointment and her plans as a member.
Congratulations Kathleen for becoming a new YAL member! What made you want to join the Young Academy Leiden?
‘Being involved with YAL is a chance to bring expertise and research from CWTS to serve the community of Leiden University and beyond. By becoming a member, I have the opportunity to both represent the concerns of other young academics as well as to advocate for broader change – this makes it a very attractive opportunity!’
‘Being involved with YAL is a chance to bring expertise and research from CWTS to serve the community of Leiden University and beyond.’
How does your current work at CWTS connect with YAL's aims and pillars?
‘My research focuses on many of the topics which motivate work within the YAL: How is knowledge produced and communicated, both within academia and to broader publics? How can academia be done ‘otherwise’ in ways which benefit both research and society? I have been researching such questions throughout my career, with the aim of creating practical interventions, which aligns very nicely with the aims and pillars of YAL.’
‘For example, my current research project, funded by a Veni grant from the NWO, investigates the resilience of infrastructures for open data, with the aim of ensuring that data needed in the future would continue to be available. At the Research on Research Institute (RORI), I recently worked with a team of researchers and funders to investigate and develop recommendations for how peer review across the research system could be improved and differently organized. These projects are good examples of combining research and intervention and will be helpful within YAL as well.’
How can YAL build connections with stakeholders both within and beyond academia?
‘YAL already does an excellent job of hosting events and workshops with different stakeholders through its Outreach and Communication pillars and is involved in numerous communities at Leiden University. I see room for YAL to make (continued) strategic connections with other stakeholders within the university and academia, for example with funders, other networks for early career researchers such as APNet, and within faculty-wide efforts, such as Academia in Motion.’
What are some of the topics that you would like to emphasise at YAL in the future?
‘In the coming years, I think it will be important for YAL members to think together about tensions related to Open Science, knowledge security/digital sovereignty and AI–and to address these issues not as separate but rather as issues which shape and inform each other.’
Kathleen’s appointment is warmly welcomed by CWTS. Ludo Waltman, Scientific Director of CWTS, says:
‘CWTS congratulates Kathleen on her YAL appointment. Kathleen’s deep expertise in science studies puts her in an excellent position to contribute to the many important issues YAL is working on.’
YAL: A platform for early-career scholars
The Young Academy Leiden (YAL), founded in early 2019 at Leiden University, brings together a select group of enthusiastic and driven early-career (post-PhD) academics from across Leiden University. Representing a wide range of scientific and scholarly disciplines, YAL provides a platform for early career academics to collaborate and exchange across all faculties. Its mission centres around three pillars: interdisciplinarity, science and education policy, and outreach. Every year in September, YAL appoints a new board and adds new members.