During the month of November, our CRC1644 hosted the Women in Science Day 2025, which was held here on our campus in Golm in Postdam.
We were delighted to welcome four outstanding guest speakers from across Europe, each bringing scientific expertise, personal career insights and rich perspectives on life in academia and industry.
- Dr. Andrea Krähmer, Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection - Julius Kühn-Institute Berlin (Germany), who presented “The Chemistry of Love and Hate: Contributions of Chemical Ecology to Resilient Agriculture.”
- Dr. Paula Duque, Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (Portugal), with her talk “Alternative Splicing and Membrane Transport in Plant Responses to Stress.”
- Professor Rebecca Mosher, Department of Biology, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), who spoke on “RNA-Directed DNA Methylation: A Maternal Influence During Seed Development.”
- Dr. Stefanie Rosa, Plant Biology Department, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), who presented “Illuminating the Role of Chromatin Mobility in Genome Maintenance.”
The day was set up to provide a space for each speaker to tell us about their work and their career, followed by a panel discussion which preceded a Q&A session in small groups.
Scientific talks
In the morning, each speaker talked about their research that is conducted within their labs. In addition to the scientific content, each talk included an overview of their individual journeys, which led them to achieving their position, including any challenges and how they overcame them.
Panel discussion
The afternoon panel discussions, moderated by Dr. Vera Hesen, allowed deeper insight into the speakers’ personal and professional experiences as scientists. This session was structured around three themes, “Managing multiple identities: Life beyond academia”, “Navigating the System: Workplace Culture, Mentors & Networks" and "Leading the Change: What We're Doing Differently". These themed conversations provided space for the speakers to talk more openly about their journeys and how it varied among them. Participants described the discussion as inspiring, relatable and encouraging, both in terms of career insight and how a work-life balance can be struck.
Q&A session in small groups
Following the panel, participants joined small group discussions, where they had the opportunity to personally engage with the speakers and ask them about any specific aspects they mentioned during the day. It was an environment to ask for advice or ideas and the openness of it allowed for plenty of discussion.
The event was immensely successful with resounding positive reviews from both speakers and attendees. The importance of such events cannot be understated as they provide the opportunity to create networks, foster open dialogue and offer encouragement and inspiration for women in science.