Karen Slavin works for the European Commission and one of her responsibilities is managing the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS). She is a Computer Scientist and worked in energy research for 15 years before moving to the Directorate General for Research and Innovation in Brussels. She gained an interest in science competitions as a child growing up in Dublin where a visit to the Irish contest was an annual event. She is also responsible for Science Education projects and Science Education policy in DG RTD.