MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award: Ashish Avasthi

Share the journey that led you to the Award. 

My journey to the MCAA Outstanding Contributor Award has been shaped by nearly a decade of volunteering, learning, and growing with the MCAA community. I feel that within the Association, I have found not only a professional network, but also a space to serve, experiment, connect people, and help researchers feel heard.

Over the years, I have contributed through communications, editorial work, conference organisation, policy engagement, science communication, and community-building. From supporting MCAA publications and Annual Conference activities to chairing the Communication Working Group, serving as Vice-Chair of the Spain-Portugal Chapter, coordinating webinars, launching new initiatives, organising events, and representing the MCAA in European and international spaces, my motivation has always been the same: to make the Association more visible, inclusive, useful, and connected.

Receiving this recognition is deeply humbling. Voluntary work is often made of many small, consistent efforts, be it ideas, meetings, drafts, events, and collaborations that may not always be visible. This award makes me feel grateful, encouraged, and even more responsible for continuing to contribute to a community that has given me so much.

What are your future goals?

This award motivates me to continue strengthening the MCAA as a space where researchers can connect, grow, and contribute across borders, disciplines, and career stages. I want to keep supporting initiatives around communication, policy, inclusion, science diplomacy, and community engagement, while encouraging more members to take active ownership of the Association.

My advice to fellow MCAA members is pretty simple: do not wait to be invited to make a difference. Start with what you care about, offer your skills, learn new ones, collaborate generously, and stay consistent. Small contributions, when sustained, can create real impact.