Retreats Archive (5 years)

After another productive year in the lab, the HBIGS community came together for our annual retreat—this time in the scenic Black Forest town of Bad Wildbad. More than 25 passionate PhD students took part in the event, eager to exchange scientific ideas, make new connections, and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
Our retreat began on Monday afternoon at the charming Auerhahn Hotel, where we were warmly welcomed. The program kicked off with an inspiring talk by HBIGS-Alumna Dr. Franziska Hentschel, who shared her journey of becoming a young principal investigator at Heidelberg University. Her honest and engaging insights offered valuable guidance to early-career researchers navigating academic pathways. A relaxed group dinner followed, setting the stage for meaningful conversations and the start of new friendships.
Tuesday was dedicated to student presentations, featuring a series of 15-minute talks that covered a broad range of research areas—from rare diseases and plant biology to evolutionary biology and parasitology. Each talk sparked lively discussion, reflecting the diversity and depth of the projects within the HBIGS community. The prize for the best oral presentation was awarded to Ramona Walder which investigates treatment of Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Alongside the talks, students also presented their work during a poster session, showcasing an impressive range of topics. The poster prize was awarded to Alina Müller for her outstanding work on DNA-encoded library technology targeting membrane proteins.
The scientific program was further enriched by career-focused sessions. HBIGS-Alumnus Dr. Sebastian Bender shared his professional journey from academia to industry, ultimately becoming Head of Biomarkers in Oncology at Merck. His talk provided an inside look into R&D careers and was met with great interest and many questions. Later, Sandra Martini led a session on career paths after the PhD, encouraging open and honest discussion about the future steps available to young researchers.
Beyond science, the retreat also offered space for relaxation and fun. We enjoyed a guided garden tour through the Kurpark Bad Wildbad, followed by a cheerful game night on Tuesday evening. The hotel’s excellent meals and scenic setting added to the overall experience, and informal chats during coffee breaks and on the terrace allowed for meaningful peer-to-peer exchanges.
In summary, the HBIGS Retreat 2025 was a perfect blend of science, inspiration, and connection. It highlighted the value of stepping away from the lab to reflect, share, and grow—both personally and professionally. We’re already looking forward to next year’s retreat!

Report by Kim-Loreen Carlstedt

Participants

Alperen Acarı (University Hospital Mannheim), Lukas Baltes (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Paul Beltzig (University Hospital Mannheim), Kim-Loreen Carlstedt (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Dimitrios Destounis (University Hospital Heidelberg), Pablo Gonzalez Jabalera (IPMB), Manar Ewis (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Buyuan He (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Melika Katebi (University Hospital Mannheim), Anežka Kramná (Dept. Inf. Dis.),  Aiste Kudulyte (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Kamil Lalik (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Giovanni Merolla (Inst. Hum. Gen.), Alina Müller (MPImF), Maria Pereira (University Hospital Heidelberg), Laura Plutowski-Wrobel (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Lara Rohleder (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Celine Saad (University Hospital Heidelberg), Snehith Shetty (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Daniel Soto Carballo (ZMBH), Ramona Walder (University Hospital Heidelberg),  Siyi Wang (ZMBH), Anni Zhang (COS)

Impressions

Our retreat began on Monday afternoon as we arrived at the welcoming Jugendherberge Speyer, nestled near the Rhine. After settling in and sharing a relaxed dinner, we kicked things off with a lively game night—an easy-going icebreaker that helped everyone connect, laugh, and ease into the spirit of the retreat.
Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to science, with an impressive line-up of 15-minute talks spanning a rich variety of research topics—from rare genetic disorders and plant biology to molecular dynamics and beyond. The presentations were followed by insightful and supportive discussions, where fellow students didn’t hesitate to ask challenging questions or offer thoughtful feedback. Alongside the talks, a vibrant poster session showcased even more of the cutting-edge research within our community. The poster prize went to Pragati Lodha for her captivating work on melanoma extracellular vesicles and their interactions within tumour-draining lymph nodes—earning both scientific and audience acclaim.
The program also featured inspiring guest speakers. Dr. Aleksandra Kasperowicz shared her unique and unconventional journey from research and development to becoming a restaurant owner, showing us that science can open doors in the most unexpected places. Her story was both motivational and thought-provoking, sparking a flurry of questions from curious students. Later, HBIGS career advisor Sandra Martini hosted a dedicated session on post-PhD career paths, with a special focus on academic trajectories. The open and honest discussion that followed showed just how relevant—and often complex—career planning is during this phase of our lives.
But science wasn’t the only thing on the menu! Monday’s game night set the tone for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, which continued into Tuesday evening with a traditional dinner at the cozy “Alter Hammer,” complete with hearty German dishes and drinks. After dinner, we explored the charm of Speyer through an atmospheric night tour led by a fantastic local guide, offering history, humour, and a new appreciation for the city around us.
All in all, the HBIGS Retreat 2024 was a wonderful blend of science, storytelling, and shared experience. It reminded us how much our research community thrives on real conversation and in-person connection. We left Speyer with new ideas, new contacts, and new energy—and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Report by Kim-Loreen Carlstedt
 

Participants

Ziyuan Wang (University Hospital Mannheim), Pragati Lodha (University Hospital Mannheim), Ashwini Palav (COS), Luca Menges (University Hospital Heidelberg), Lavanya Gupta (University Hospital Mannheim), Stefano Russo (University Hospital Mannheim), Tetyana Murdza (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Patrizia Kühne (University Hospital Heidelberg), Manisha Sahu (COS), Mansi Srivastava (ZMBH), Hanna Theresa Weber (University Hospital Mannheim), Franziska Stamm (COS), Veronika Lashkul (ZMBH), Zakiya Ghouse (COS), Srishti Shekhar (University Hospital Heidelberg), Celine Saad (University Hospital Heidelberg), Aiste Kudulyte (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Dimitrios Destounis (University Hospital Heidelberg), Javier Llansol Muñoz (University Hospital Mannheim), Zacharias Campbell (COS), Arvid Hanke (COS), Mislav Brajkovic (MCM - HITS), Kim-Loreen Carlstedt (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Pablo Gonzalez Jabalera (IPMB)
 

Impressions

After a pandemic hiatus the HBIGS community finally could get back together on our annual retreat. More than 20 PhD students applied successfully and were looking forward to a weekend full of scientific discussion and networking opportunities in the beautiful area of the northern black forest in Wildberg.
Our arrival on Friday afternoon was met with "Badischer Freundlichkeit" at our retreat location Haus Saron. After a dinner together we all looked forward to first career-focused session by our career service advisor Sandra Martini. She gave us an overview on the HBIGS program and future career paths. Sandra was met with lots of questions since many students took the opportunity to seek advice for application process in and outside of academia.
Saturday and Sundays were filled by 8 min flash talks and an highly active follow up discussion on the PhD project of each participants. All departments were represented and we got to know project in immunology, plant science, infectious diseases, neurology and cell biology among others. The challenge to clearly communicate ones intricate research was well met by our group and the presentation price was taken home by Anja Klemmer for an outstanding performance. Her PhD on malaria research grabbed everyone's attention besides being one of the last speakers that day.
Complementing this theme of effective communication in flash talks, Dr Hörning from the University Stuttgart gave us a presentation on the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary research with stories out of his struggles as physicist in biology in Germany and Japan. We will remember to not be scared of statistics anymore! Furthermore, Dr Heymann from the same department enlightened us with some philosophical concepts what it means to be a scientist in the past, present and future. Many PhD students search for "fundamental truths" to understand life and living organisms and were happy to see these thoughts reflected by Dr Heymanns talk.
Besides the scientific program we had many opportunities to come together and build connections: a pubquiz evening on Friday was followed by an adventurous hike to a wine tasting at the "Weinhaus Blaurock" on Saturday. Many breaks in between the program offered interesting conversations over a cup of coffee about daily PhD life and beyond.
Overall, our HBIGS retreat demonstrated that science and our community thrives from personal contact and exchange of ideas. We're looking forward to hosting another retreat next year!

Report by Bianca Balzasch
 

Participants

Ahmed Ibrahim Akhtar (COS), Ana Yagüe Relimpio (MPI), Anja Klemmer (Dept. Inf. Dis.), Ayat Ahmed (Inst. Hum. Genetics), Celine Saad (University Hospital Heidelberg), Conradin Baumgartl (Bioquant), Gizem Eylem Baslar (University Hospital Mannheim), Jacqueline Wilhelm (ZMBH), Jaime Fernandez Sobaberas (IPMB), Jessica Löffler (University Hospital Heidelberg), Lucas Arendholz (University Hospital Heidelberg), Lucia Svoboda (ZMBH), Marcel Piepers (COS), Paola Granatino (MPI), Parul Gupta (University Hospital Heidelberg), Rashi Agarwal (COS), Sandra Pardo Valencia (University Hospital Mannheim), Sankeert Satheesan (COS), Stephanie Küppers (IZN), Tanmaya Behera (BZH), Valerie Griesche (DKFZ), Verena Kaul (COS), Bianca Balzasch (University Hospital Mannheim), Amel Zulji (University Hospital Mannheim), Violeta Pancakova (Dept. Inf. Dis.)