The euRobotics Office team welcomed its latest recruit last month. Javier Luque joins as Project Manager, succeeding Marco Rosa in the role. Javier had an unusual introduction as his first week coincided with the General Assembly and ERF in Odense, Denmark. We had to assure him that not all weeks would be like this, although there would certainly be plenty of other periods of frenetic activity to come!
Here Javier tells us about his life and career so far:
What were you doing before you joined euRobotics?
In 2015, I decided to study a master’s degree on European Studies at University of Seville – my hometown – because I had a strong interest in EU projects and policies. After its completion, I worked at Europe Direct Sevilla as an assistant.
Afterwards, I moved to the private sector, and I worked as a Project Officer managing European projects and liaising with project coordinators and beneficiaries.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I moved to Brussels to start working at the European Commission where I worked as a Project and Policy officer and before joining euRobotics I worked as a Political and Policy Assistant at the European Parliament for a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
What is your role for euRobotics now?
At euRobotics I work as a Project Manager, especially in the domain of the RODIN project.
My tasks not only include the project management itself, but also communicating with stakeholders, contributing to deliverables, steering internal projects, and providing general support to the team.
The main priority is the contribution to the RODIN project sustainability and relations between euRobotics, the DIH, the IAs and the European Commission.
What have been your first impressions?
I landed at euRobotics just in time to take part in the European Robotics Forum 2023 in Odense (Denmark). There, I had the opportunity to meet the IAs presidents, representatives from the European Commission in charge of the RODIN project as well as a wide range of experts and companies belonging to the robotics industry. In addition, I have been able to participate and support in Consortium and IAs meetings.
Moreover, I have a positive impression about Rodin, and I am glad to work in such a fascinating project. In addition, since the very first day I have felt very welcomed and integrated by my amazing team.
What do you do outside of work?
One of my main passions is biking. Fortunately, Brussels has several parks on the outskirts of the city with good tracks for biking such as in the Forêt de Soignes. In addition, I love to have walks in the countryside and making picnics in late spring.
In addition, I like training and meditating every day. Also, I love a calm chess game and making small trips on the weekends.
What are you most looking forward to in this role?
Learning is one of my main goals in every dimension of my life. Therefore, I hope this opportunity allows me to learn several new skills as well as enriching my knowledge and skills in project management.
In addition, I am looking forward to making a strong contribution to the RODIN project as well as supporting process improvement at the office.
Finally, I hope I can add value and contribute to the team spirit.