Academic autonomy and open science in the Latin American horizon. An interview with Fernanda Beigel

Abstract

 Fernanda Beigel is an Argentine sociologist who has made outstanding academic
achievements throughout her career. She obtained her degree in Sociology in 1993, her PhD in
Political and Social Sciences in 2001 and did her postdoctoral studies at the Centre de
Sociologie Européenne (CNRS-EHESS, Paris). She is currently a professor at the National
University of Cuyo (Argentina), where she directs the Center for the Study of the International
Circulation of Knowledge (CECIC). In her role as Director of CECIC, she has deepened the  analysis of institutional cultures and the evaluation of research in the context of open science. In
addition, she has conducted comparative studies addressing crucial issues such as publishing
performance and gender asymmetries. Her multidisciplinary approach and commitment to
promoting equity and transparency in research make her work a valuable contribution to the
advancement of scientific knowledge. She acts as principal investigator of the National Council
for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and coordinates the Open and Citizen
Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology in Argentina.
Her important contributions transcend national borders, as she chaired the UNESCO Open
Science Advisory Committee (2020-2021), which demonstrates her global impact in the field.
He has also actively participated in the Latin American Forum on Research Evaluation
(FOLEC) of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO).
In this conversation she shares her knowledge and experiences, shedding light on critical aspects
of open science and the future of research in Latin America. The sociologist seeks to address
issues such as: what are the challenges faced for the implementation and adoption of open
science in Latin America; the barriers faced by Latin American researchers to internationalize
their work; the issue of gender, which is an important analytical dimension in academic studies;
the impact of the APC (Article Processing Charge) model and the commodification of the
scientific publishing system; the OLIVA project, on which she has been working in recent years;
beyond her hopes for the future of open science.