The Young Scientist Committee Takes on Bologna

This year’s Young Scientist Committee, a group of thirty early career researchers, organized a whirlwind of activities at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Bologna. The team, chaired by postdoctoral researcher Cláudia Martins (Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Portugal), has a long history of providing career development training to junior scientists through programming at the Annual Meeting as well as ongoing initiatives over the year.

Leading up to the Annual Meeting, in June the YSC hosted its first-ever Intersociety Webinar, bridging CRS with the European Society for Biomaterials and the European Society for Molecular Imaging. Professors Molly Stevens (University of Oxford/Imperial College London), Roy van der Meel (Eindhoven University of Technology), and Assaf Zinger (Technion- Israel Institute of Technology) gave invited talks along with several young scientists. The event was a large success with over 150 participants from 30 different countries. “We want to keep growing this event and enlarging our partnership network,” says Martins, “so keep an eye out on our social media for the 2025 edition!”

Another new initiative this year was the CRS Exceptional Leadership Award, which was created to recognize and honor CRS members who have made outstanding contributions to the YSC and shown commitment to young scientists in the field. “This was a big moment for the committee to create an award for someone who has demonstrated commitment to us and inspires the next generation of young scientists,” Martins commented. This year’s recipient was Dr. Sara Cordeiro (De Montfort University), who previously served as chair of the YSC and is currently involved in the CRS Women in Science and Newsletter groups. Dr. Cordeiro spoke at the YSC Meet & Greet with a Luminary event during the conference program.

Many of the other YSC events at the conference were variations of tried-and-true programs from past Annual Meetings. Two professional development workshops focused on scientific storytelling through publication writing and grant writing; Chats with Luminaries offered opportunities for face-to-face networking with CRS leaders; two industry-related workshops highlighted opportunities in industry and career development tips; a Scientific Workshop enabled junior scientists to present their work; and a highly popular Networking Event organized jointly with CRS Focus Groups. “All of the events were so different from each other and enjoyable for different reasons,” Martins reflected, concluding that it is “impossible to choose a favorite!”

However, she was particularly interested in the outcome of a new event, Expanding Horizons, where three Nature Portfolio editors were invited to a roundtable moderated by early career scientists. The informal setting allowed for close interactions between the editors and audience members, who gave positive feedback on this first-time program.

Perhaps the most successful among this year’s new initiatives was the Early Career Scientists Meet-up Station (pictured below). “We had a brilliant team behind the meet-up station who organized the booth and made sure there was always a young scientist representative around,” Martins explained. “With this environment, connections were natural, more and more people would gather here every day.” The YSC plans to continue this booth in future years.

For junior scientists looking to get more involved in CRS, Martins strongly recommends joining the YSC: “It’s a wonderful opportunity that opens new doors, helps you understand how CRS works, helps you become close to luminaries, and will have an impact on your career and life!” As Martins wraps up her year as chair, the YSC welcomes incoming chair Professor Hagar Labouta (University of Toronto) and will soon open applications for new members. Stay tuned on the website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Andrea Joseph is an incoming Assistant Professor at Syracuse University. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrea_j0seph