I know Evangelia as a colleague at the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Something she is too modest to mention in this piece is the tremendous work that she, along with many of my other colleagues, has put in to help other early-stage researchers (ESRs) at our institute to keep working happily and productively and miminize the chances of disruptions to their career paths --- the same kind of concerns she describes having to deal with for herself too.

In Evangelia's case, this has included taking the lead in finding and assessing options for our ESRs whose contracts are ending soon, looking for (...sometimes "creative"...) solutions, guiding contract extension paperwork through the complex rules that apply to our multi-national, intergovernmental, organisation, and negotiating across that organisation to find ways to act quickly using principles that can be applied consistently across our 6 sites located in 5 European countries.  This has taken a significant amount of Evangelia's time and --- I would have thought, although I have seen no evidence for it! --- energy, which she has given willingly.

This has been a great example of how "boring research admin" becomes a vital part of career progression for others. Evangelia writes that she is very lucky that EBI gives her the freedom to adjust her working life during the COVID-19 pandemic. I would add that EBI is lucky to have scientists like Evangelia, whose collegial attitude allows us to achieve a result greater than the sum of the parts.

Nick Goldman
EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute