User Committee

Terms of Reference MLZ User Committee April 2019
V 3.2

In an effort to better manage the user needs and to create a direct link to the users, the MLZ partners establish the MLZ User Committee (UC) to improve the user role and to organize a discussion forum for the benefit of the users. The MLZ User Committee proposes new strategic ideas and procedures to the MLZ Directorate with the ultimate goal to improve the MLZ user satisfaction.

Task The following tasks are outlined for the MLZ UC:

• Report to the MLZ Directors and propose new strategic ideas and procedures for improving the user access and work at the MLZ
• Represent the MLZ user community at official MLZ meeting
• Organize the MLZ UC meetings, and compile the minutes of the meeting
• Collect reports from the users on any issue related to the proposal system and experiments performed at the MLZ
• Attend conferences of MLZ interest, such as the German Neutron Scattering Conferences, to meet the user community

Membership The MLZ UC consists of five members. The members are appointed for three years

• No MLZ staff member can be appointed in the UC.
• Each member is eligible if she/he has performed experiments at the MLZ in the three years before the election.
• In case of needs of external expertise, the Chairperson may co-opt external scientists as permanent members.
• A KFN representative may join the MLZ User Committee as an observer.

Roles The MLZ UC includes the following roles:

• Chairperson
• Deputy Chairperson
• Member
  The elected members will decide upon their internal role in the UC with written procedure; their decision will be communicated to the MLZ User Office.
  The Chairperson reports to the MLZ Directorate and is asked to represent the MLZ UC at official MLZ meetings.
  The MLZ UC secretarial work is provided by the MLZ User Office.

Election The MLZ User Office will support the organization of the online election, with the following tasks:

• Definition of the list of candidates: the list of those who performed experiments in the last three years will be compiled by the User Office and distributed to all potential candidates.
• Those scientists who intend to be candidates shall inform the User Office per email.
• Distribution of the list of candidates to all the active MLZ users (those who performed at least one experiment in the last five years)
• Organization of the online/email voting procedure
• Communication of the elected members
  Each voter has the possibility to vote up to five candidates. The five candidates with the largest number of preferences are elected.

MLZ User Committee Meetings
The MLZ UC meets at least once a year, either in person or in telephone/videoconference.
The Chairperson calls for the meeting with at least 1 month advance notice. The agenda and all relevant documents shall be emailed to the members one week prior the meeting.
The Chairperson may invite any persons relevant for the discussion.
At each meeting, minutes will be compiled by the Secretary and approved by the MLZ UC.
A web page with the information on the passed meetings and the date of the next one is available online, with the support of the MLZ User Office.
The costs of the UC meetings, such as, for example, travel, accommodation and subsistence ones, are covered by the MLZ Directorate, according to the current German laws.

Support of the MLZ User Office The MLZ User Office supports any request and need of the UC members, as, for example, it is ready to:

• Organize the UC meetings
• Provide MLZ user reports available in the MLZ online system
• Organize the election procedure
• Secretarial work for the MLZ UC meetings

Costs
Any travel and further costs need prior approval of the MLZ User Office.

The I. MLZ User Committee was in charge for the period 2018 to 2020.

Members

• Sophie Combet, CEA, Saclay, France
• Jens Gibmeier, KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany
• David Keeble, Univ. Dundee, United Kingdom
• Luigi Paduano, Univ. Napoli, Italy
• Diana Quintero Castro, Stavanger Univ., Norway
• Adrian Rennie, Uppsala Univ., Sweden (Chairman)
• Rainer Niewa, Stuttgart University, Germany, was an observer from KFN

Meetings
1 – May 3^rd, 2018
2 – July 3^rd, 2018
3 – September 18^th, 2018
4 – November 8^th, 2018
5 – December 10^th, 2018
6 – January 18^th, 2019
7 – March 12^th, 2019
8 – April 30^th, 2019
9 – June 18^th, 2019.
10 – September 03^rd, 2019
11 – November 19^th, 2019
12 – December 10^th, 2019
13 – December 16^th, 2019
14 – February 11^th, 2020
15 – March 23^rd, 2020
16 – May 25^th, 2020
17 – July 24^th, 2020
18 – September 28^th, 2020
19 – November 24^th, 2020
20 – December 08^th, 2020

Remarks in the printed MLZ Newsletter 2018-2020

• MLZ News 24
• MLZ News 23
• MLZ News 22
• MLZ News 21
• MLZ News 20