PhD Retreat at Schloss Döttingen
On October 19–20, our iFIT PhD students came together at Schloss Döttingen for two exciting days filled with scientific exchange, career insights, teamwork and plenty of opportunities to connect across the iFIT community!
💡 From play-dough to innovative research ideas! The retreat kicked off with a creative play-dough introduction session, followed by interactive activities encouraging participants to share their PhD experiences, explain complex research through drawings and develop new interdisciplinary project ideas.
🔬 Inspiring talks and valuable perspectives were another highlight of the retreat:
Prof. Dr. Bettina Weigelin provided insights into the development, goals and scientific vision of iFIT.
Dr. Sonal Jaiswal introduced the iFIT PhD Program and its opportunities and resources for young researchers.
Cosmin Pocanschi from CeGaT shared his career journey from academia to industry and insights into sequencing technologies and their applications in oncology research.
Sabine Ranft from the Startup Center Tübingen explored opportunities for turning scientific research into start-up ventures.
Prof. Dr. med. Juliane Walz, iFIT co-spokesperson, shared her personal experiences and perspectives on becoming a (female) Principal Investigator.
🤝 The program also featured discussions about different stages of PhD life, career perspectives, networking activities and a creative team challenge in which students developed and pitched their own interdisciplinary iFIT research projects.
👏 A special thank you to our iFIT PhD students representatives Lisa Arnholdt and Poorya Davoodi for their commitment to organizing and shaping this retreat and to all speakers and participants for contributing their ideas, experiences and enthusiasm!
💐 Our heartfelt thanks also go to Dr. Marcia Goettert, iFIT Scientific Coordinator, for all her work behind the scenes - from the extensive preparations and organizational support to taking care of everything after the retreat.
📸 And another big thank you to Marcia for capturing so many great moments during the retreat and sharing these lovely photos with us!
💫 Two days full of fresh perspectives, new connections and team spirit – a wonderful example of the vibrant iFIT PhD community!