EN | DE

The creative side of science

HZI + IMIB PhD assembly took place at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

This year's meeting of all PhD students of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Braunschweig (HZI) was hosted by the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI). Nearly 80 doctoral students from the HZI and the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB) at the University of Würzburg gathered on October 17 and 18 at the Medical Campus. The event provided a platform for networking, collaboration, and discussions on current and future challenges in doctoral research.

After opening remarks by HIRI department head Chase Beisel, a workshop by Itai Yanai, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at New York University and Founding Director of the Institute for Computational Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, followed. His workshop focused on “Night Science”, which refers to the creative processes in science. Unlike the planned, systematic approach of “Day Science,” such as the execution of experiments, “Night Science” is more intuitive, unsystematic, and characterized by bilateral, personal conversations. The distinction between “Day Science” and “Night Science” goes back to the Nobel Prize winner François Jacob.

The meeting also featured “Day Science”: Poster presentations gave participants the possibility to present and discuss their projects with their peers. In addition, three students gave short talks: Leandro Buhlmann from IMIB, Sidra Eisa from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), and Judit Burgaya Ventura from TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research.