I am the director of Neanderthal Museum in Germany. We are telling the story of human evolution close to the famous site where the first Neanderthal remains were discovered. Together with my team I aim at generating an interest in the subject of human evolution. The thematic orientation of our museum is unique: in short we are a museum about people for people. I am archaeologist and worked as exhibition manager at Neanderthal Museum since the opening in 1996. I played a decisive role in the conception and delivery of visitor-oriented permanent and temporary exhibitions. In the upcoming years I plan to intensify the exchange of our researchers with the exhibition and education staff. I aim at driving forward the inclusive opening of the museum. I was elected on the Ecsite Board in June 2019 for a two-year Trustee’s mandate.

Hilde has been working at Hidrodoe since the start-up. From the choice of an architect for the building, over the construction of the exhibition to visitor services, operations, marketing and to manager Hidrodoe. Her passion lies with hospitality/hostmanship. Making Hidrodoe a place where everyone is genuinely welcome is her assignment. She likes to work on sustainability, retail, catering and day-to-day challenges that come with running a science center. She likes to inspire other people and help them to grow, so that their organization improves and becomes the nicest place to work and to visit. Hidrodoe is an initiative of water company Pidpa in Belgium, it is an educational do- and experience center about water.

I have been working in the field of science communication since 2002, and in particular in science centres with a focus on astronomy and space science, since 2006. During my 9 years working as Public Engagement Programme Manager for the Science & Technology Facilities Council, I developed curriculum related educational material and worked closely with the Physics teaching community in Scotland, to support the use of astronomy and space science as a context for teaching science at all levels. Since 2015, I have been working for the European Southern Observatory – the world’s most productive ground-based astronomy organisation – managing the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Newly opened in 2018, the ESO Supernova brings together 2200 m2 of interactive exhibitions and a 14m diameter planetarium, in which the science and technology behind modern astronomy is introduced.

Lisa Månsson is the Director General of the Swedish Museum of Natural History and holds a PhD in Infection biology from Karolinska Insitutet. The Swedish Museum of Natural History has 11 million specimens in the collections and is a world class research institution. The museum is one of Sweden’s largest museum attraction with approximately 700 000 visitors a year and holds Northern Europe’s biggest dome-theatre. Lisa was appointed Director General by the Swedish government in November 2021, but started at the museum the year before as Director of Museum Operations. Lisa has been a leader within museum and science center organizations for more than a decade. During the years 2010-2015 Lisa worked in various leading positions at the science center Tom Tis Experiment and after that she was the Museum Director of the Vasa museum for five years. Vasa is a maritime museum located in Stockholm and is the most visited museum in Scandinavia (1,5 million visitors yearly). In a world with threatened biodiversity, increasing global warming and climate change as well as challenging spread of science neglect, Lisa decided to move back towards nature science. Lisa is a board member of the non-profit membership organization Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public & Science), that works to promote dialogue and openness between researchers and the public. She is also on the board for the national organization for museums in Sweden.