Young Scientist Forum (YSF)
Our webinar series for young scientists
Episode 21 - Monday 4th March 2024 at 15:00 CET
Beyond a PhD: what comes after?
Many of us have either achieved or are currently in pursuit of a PhD, a great milestone that inevitably leads to the question: what's next? The road forks ahead, offering divergent paths - one of the roads leads to academia, while another ventures into private research institutes. Standing at this crossroads, we may found ourselves uncertain about which road to take. What are the distinctions, the similarities, and what might our daily work life entail in choosing one over the other?
Speakers:
João Borges – researcher at CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials at the University of Aveiro
Aman S. Chahal - research scientist at SINTEF Industry, Biotechnology and Nanomedicine
Many of us have either achieved or are currently in pursuit of a PhD, a great milestone that inevitably leads to the question: what's next? The road forks ahead, offering divergent paths - one of the roads leads to academia, while another ventures into private research institutes. Standing at this crossroads, we may found ourselves uncertain about which road to take. What are the distinctions, the similarities, and what might our daily work life entail in choosing one over the other?
Speakers:
João Borges – researcher at CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials at the University of Aveiro
Aman S. Chahal - research scientist at SINTEF Industry, Biotechnology and Nanomedicine
Episode 20 - Monday 5th February 2024 at 15:00 CET
Teaching and learning: tips for making engaging courses and learning challenging subjects
As a young academic you may have to teach courses, despite never being taught how to do so. Teaching does not have to be a one-way street. There are ways to engage with students that make for both a better learning and teaching experience.
Now is your chance to get some tips and tricks on how to develop engaging courses and make difficult subject seem less difficult to the students.
Speaker:
Gaston Courtade –associate professor in biopolymers and biomaterials at NTNU
Teaching and learning: tips for making engaging courses and learning challenging subjects
As a young academic you may have to teach courses, despite never being taught how to do so. Teaching does not have to be a one-way street. There are ways to engage with students that make for both a better learning and teaching experience.
Now is your chance to get some tips and tricks on how to develop engaging courses and make difficult subject seem less difficult to the students.
Speaker:
Gaston Courtade –associate professor in biopolymers and biomaterials at NTNU
Episode 19 - Monday 4th December 2023 at 15:00 CET
Becoming independent: how to establish a new research group?
Starting a research group is a significant milestone in your academic or scientific career, and it requires a unique set of skills and perspectives.
Join us for a dynamic webinar featuring two recently established research group leaders who will share their insights on the importance of creating and leading a new research group. Gain valuable tips on navigating challenges, building a collaborative team, and achieving success in your research endeavors. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the firsthand experiences of our esteemed speakers!
Speakers:
Antons Sizovs – group leader at Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence
Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz – group leader at DTU Health Tech
Becoming independent: how to establish a new research group?
Starting a research group is a significant milestone in your academic or scientific career, and it requires a unique set of skills and perspectives.
Join us for a dynamic webinar featuring two recently established research group leaders who will share their insights on the importance of creating and leading a new research group. Gain valuable tips on navigating challenges, building a collaborative team, and achieving success in your research endeavors. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the firsthand experiences of our esteemed speakers!
Speakers:
Antons Sizovs – group leader at Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence
Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz – group leader at DTU Health Tech
Episode 18 - Monday 6th November 2023 at 15:00 CET
How to stay sane?
Being an early career researcher is not always easy. Pressure to gain publishable results or obtain funding, terrible work-life balance, moving to a new place with different culture and climate, and not knowing what the future holds for you can all be major stress factors in the life of a PhD student or a postdoc researcher. How to cope with all the uncertainty?
We have invited two young scientists at different stages of their career to share their experiences of how it is to be an early career researcher.
Speakers:
Caroline Taylor – postdoctoral researcher at University of Sheffield
Muthusamy Saranya - PhD student at University of Oulu
How to stay sane?
Being an early career researcher is not always easy. Pressure to gain publishable results or obtain funding, terrible work-life balance, moving to a new place with different culture and climate, and not knowing what the future holds for you can all be major stress factors in the life of a PhD student or a postdoc researcher. How to cope with all the uncertainty?
We have invited two young scientists at different stages of their career to share their experiences of how it is to be an early career researcher.
Speakers:
Caroline Taylor – postdoctoral researcher at University of Sheffield
Muthusamy Saranya - PhD student at University of Oulu
Episode 17 - Monday 2nd October 2023 at 15:00 CET
Letters to the Editor
Cover letter is often required as part of the submission process for a scientific article. But what should you write in this letter and who are we writing the cover letter for? How can we convince the journal editors that our work is important and our manuscripts should be passed on to peer review?
We have invited two journal editors to come and tell us how you can best attract the attention of the editor and whether anyone even reads the cover letter you spend so much time writing.
Speakers:
Jonathan Knowles – editor-in-chief for Journal of Tissue Engineering and Journal of Biomaterials Application
Bjørn Christensen - editor for Carbohydrate Polymers
Letters to the Editor
Cover letter is often required as part of the submission process for a scientific article. But what should you write in this letter and who are we writing the cover letter for? How can we convince the journal editors that our work is important and our manuscripts should be passed on to peer review?
We have invited two journal editors to come and tell us how you can best attract the attention of the editor and whether anyone even reads the cover letter you spend so much time writing.
Speakers:
Jonathan Knowles – editor-in-chief for Journal of Tissue Engineering and Journal of Biomaterials Application
Bjørn Christensen - editor for Carbohydrate Polymers
Episode 16 - Monday 22nd May 2023 at 15:00 CET
Imposter syndrome – is it real?
Have you ever felt like an imposter around your colleagues and are just waiting for them to discover you as a fraud? Being a young scientist in an environment where pretty much everyone you work with is a legitimate expert in their particular field of science can sometimes make us doubt our own skills and make us easy victims of imposter syndrome.
We have invited an experienced imposter to discuss how real imposter syndrome is and what are the main symptoms we should be paying attention to so as not to let imposter syndrome take hold of us.
Speaker:
Hugo de Boer – an imposter at Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
Imposter syndrome – is it real?
Have you ever felt like an imposter around your colleagues and are just waiting for them to discover you as a fraud? Being a young scientist in an environment where pretty much everyone you work with is a legitimate expert in their particular field of science can sometimes make us doubt our own skills and make us easy victims of imposter syndrome.
We have invited an experienced imposter to discuss how real imposter syndrome is and what are the main symptoms we should be paying attention to so as not to let imposter syndrome take hold of us.
Speaker:
Hugo de Boer – an imposter at Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
Episode 15 - Monday 3rd April 2023 at 15:00 CET
Joint webinar with YSF - DGBM
Want to know what kind of research young biomaterials scientists are engaged in Germany and the Nordic & Baltic area? Join our joint webinar with the young scientist forum of the German Society for Biomaterials in April to find out more!
Speakers:
Keynote - ScSB
Janne Koivisto, Tampere University
Keynote - DGBM
Katharina Nikutta, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Short talks - ScSB
Mathias Busek, University of Oslo & Martina Jolic, University of Gothenburg
Short talks - DGBM
Florian Klodwig, Leibniz Universität Hannover & Lisa Langner, Westfälische Hochschule
Joint webinar with YSF - DGBM
Want to know what kind of research young biomaterials scientists are engaged in Germany and the Nordic & Baltic area? Join our joint webinar with the young scientist forum of the German Society for Biomaterials in April to find out more!
Speakers:
Keynote - ScSB
Janne Koivisto, Tampere University
Keynote - DGBM
Katharina Nikutta, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Short talks - ScSB
Mathias Busek, University of Oslo & Martina Jolic, University of Gothenburg
Short talks - DGBM
Florian Klodwig, Leibniz Universität Hannover & Lisa Langner, Westfälische Hochschule
Episode 14 - Monday 6th March 2023 at 15:00 CET
How to nail your next presentation?
Did you get your abstract accepted for an oral presentation at a conference or need to present your science to an evaluation committee? Oral presentations can be pretty daunting experiences even for the more seasoned scientists, let alone us young scientist with little experience of talking to an audience full of experts in your field.
That’s why we have invited a young science communicator to come and share his tips and tricks on how to deal will presentation anxiety and how we can all create well-structured and memorable oral presentations.
Speaker:
Martins Zaumanis – science communicator at peerrecognized.com
How to nail your next presentation?
Did you get your abstract accepted for an oral presentation at a conference or need to present your science to an evaluation committee? Oral presentations can be pretty daunting experiences even for the more seasoned scientists, let alone us young scientist with little experience of talking to an audience full of experts in your field.
That’s why we have invited a young science communicator to come and share his tips and tricks on how to deal will presentation anxiety and how we can all create well-structured and memorable oral presentations.
Speaker:
Martins Zaumanis – science communicator at peerrecognized.com
Episode 13 - Monday 6th February 2023 at 15:00 CET
Behind the scene of a conference - part 2
We have already learned what it takes to organise a scientific conference and how we as scientists can benefit from the experience. But how is the scientific programme of a conference designed? How does one decide who to invite as plenary speakers and why do you always end up with a poster even if you ticked the box for an oral presentation?
We have invited two experienced conference organisers to enlighten us how these important decisions are made.
Speakers:
Elżbieta Pamuła – AGH University of Science and Technology
Jari Hyttinen – Tampere University
Behind the scene of a conference - part 2
We have already learned what it takes to organise a scientific conference and how we as scientists can benefit from the experience. But how is the scientific programme of a conference designed? How does one decide who to invite as plenary speakers and why do you always end up with a poster even if you ticked the box for an oral presentation?
We have invited two experienced conference organisers to enlighten us how these important decisions are made.
Speakers:
Elżbieta Pamuła – AGH University of Science and Technology
Jari Hyttinen – Tampere University
Episode 12 - Monday 9th January 2023 at 15:00 CET
How to make your poster stand out?
Did you get your abstract accepted for ScSB 2023 (or any other scientific conference) as a poster presentation? Are you planning to dazzle us all with your excellent science but just don’t quite know how to make your poster do justice to your data? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
We have invited a young scientist with passion for graphical science communication to come and share her tips and tricks on how to design an effective scientific poster.
Speaker:
Melisa Morales – palaeobiologists and science graphic designer
How to make your poster stand out?
Did you get your abstract accepted for ScSB 2023 (or any other scientific conference) as a poster presentation? Are you planning to dazzle us all with your excellent science but just don’t quite know how to make your poster do justice to your data? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
We have invited a young scientist with passion for graphical science communication to come and share her tips and tricks on how to design an effective scientific poster.
Speaker:
Melisa Morales – palaeobiologists and science graphic designer
Episode 11 - Monday 5th December 2022 at 15:00 CET
How to make friends in science?
We all know doing science is a team effort and you can elevate your research to a whole new level with the help of complementary skills of a talented collaborator. But do you find all those collaborators? And more importantly, how do you team up with the right partners for your project?
We have invited two socially apt scientists with a knack for recognising potential for collaboration to come and tell us all how you can turn mere networking into a successful scientific consortium.
Speakers:
Gabriela S. Lorite – University of Oulu
Jānis Ločs – Riga Technical University
How to make friends in science?
We all know doing science is a team effort and you can elevate your research to a whole new level with the help of complementary skills of a talented collaborator. But do you find all those collaborators? And more importantly, how do you team up with the right partners for your project?
We have invited two socially apt scientists with a knack for recognising potential for collaboration to come and tell us all how you can turn mere networking into a successful scientific consortium.
Speakers:
Gabriela S. Lorite – University of Oulu
Jānis Ločs – Riga Technical University
Episode 10 - Monday 7th November 2022 at 15:00 CET
Behind the scene - scientific conferences
After a few years of online conferences, many of us have finally had the opportunity to attend a real face-to-face conference. Scientific conferences are an important venue for networking, but what does it take to organise one? Why do scientists volunteer to spend an enormous amount of time organising a conference? What does one get back in return?
We have invited the organisers of ESB2023 and ScSB2023 to give us a glimpse behind the scene of organising these events.
Speakers:
Matteo D'este –organiser of ESB2023
Berit L Strand – organiser of ScSB2023
Behind the scene - scientific conferences
After a few years of online conferences, many of us have finally had the opportunity to attend a real face-to-face conference. Scientific conferences are an important venue for networking, but what does it take to organise one? Why do scientists volunteer to spend an enormous amount of time organising a conference? What does one get back in return?
We have invited the organisers of ESB2023 and ScSB2023 to give us a glimpse behind the scene of organising these events.
Speakers:
Matteo D'este –organiser of ESB2023
Berit L Strand – organiser of ScSB2023
Episode 9 - Monday 3rd October 2022 at 15:00 CET
Is more always more?
Publication metrics have become an important measure of research excellence in modern academia, whether we like it or not. A young scientist will often be ranked among their peers based on their publication track record when applying for postdoctoral or tenure-track positions.
We have invited two early career PIs to tell their story and explain what kind of strategy (or the lack thereof!) have helped them accumulate a convincing publication track record.
Speakers:
Andris Šutka – materials scientist at Riga Technical University
Oommen P. Oommen – biomaterialist at Tampere University
Is more always more?
Publication metrics have become an important measure of research excellence in modern academia, whether we like it or not. A young scientist will often be ranked among their peers based on their publication track record when applying for postdoctoral or tenure-track positions.
We have invited two early career PIs to tell their story and explain what kind of strategy (or the lack thereof!) have helped them accumulate a convincing publication track record.
Speakers:
Andris Šutka – materials scientist at Riga Technical University
Oommen P. Oommen – biomaterialist at Tampere University
Episode 8 - Monday 12th September 2022 at 15:00 CET
The ten mortal sins of science
We all know how to adhere to responsible research practices in the lab. But how aware are we of all the potential pitfalls we may encounter when translating our research findings to publications? Are there any particular perils we should be keeping an eye on to maintain our scientific integrity in the “publish or perish” world of academia?
Our speaker for this episode will walk us through the deep waters of research and publication ethics to help us learn how to spot the warning signs on route to scientific fraud and misconduct.
Speaker:
Tone Gadmar – senior academic librarian at University of Oslo
The ten mortal sins of science
We all know how to adhere to responsible research practices in the lab. But how aware are we of all the potential pitfalls we may encounter when translating our research findings to publications? Are there any particular perils we should be keeping an eye on to maintain our scientific integrity in the “publish or perish” world of academia?
Our speaker for this episode will walk us through the deep waters of research and publication ethics to help us learn how to spot the warning signs on route to scientific fraud and misconduct.
Speaker:
Tone Gadmar – senior academic librarian at University of Oslo
Episode 7 - Monday 2nd May 2022 at 15:00 CET
How to score a Marie Curie postdoc grant?
Writing a winning research proposal is always hard, especially when you have little experience in writing research proposals. It may even seem almost impossible to succeed in scoring a very lucrative, yet highly competitive, research grant such as a Marie Curie postdoc grant.
But it is NOT impossible as our two invited speakers will confirm you. Join in to get their tips on writing a winning Marie Curie postdoc proposal!
Speakers:
Manuel Gomez-Florit – Former Marie Curie postdoc fellow
Dagnija Loca – Expert evaluator for Marie Curie postdoc proposals
How to score a Marie Curie postdoc grant?
Writing a winning research proposal is always hard, especially when you have little experience in writing research proposals. It may even seem almost impossible to succeed in scoring a very lucrative, yet highly competitive, research grant such as a Marie Curie postdoc grant.
But it is NOT impossible as our two invited speakers will confirm you. Join in to get their tips on writing a winning Marie Curie postdoc proposal!
Speakers:
Manuel Gomez-Florit – Former Marie Curie postdoc fellow
Dagnija Loca – Expert evaluator for Marie Curie postdoc proposals
Episode 6 - Monday 4th April 2022 at 15:00 CET
IP = innovation potential..?
We all have great ideas and sometimes we can even prove they work in the lab! But do we know which ideas are worth protecting with a patent? Why should we bother with IP and when is it too late to protect your ideas?
A biomaterial scientist and a life science patent attorney discuss all matters related to intellectual property rights from their two different points of view. And why is it important for all scientists to know how to secure the rights to their innovative ideas.
Speakers:
Håkan Engqvist – innovative scientist at Uppsala University
Ylva Skoglösa – European patent attorney at aera
IP = innovation potential..?
We all have great ideas and sometimes we can even prove they work in the lab! But do we know which ideas are worth protecting with a patent? Why should we bother with IP and when is it too late to protect your ideas?
A biomaterial scientist and a life science patent attorney discuss all matters related to intellectual property rights from their two different points of view. And why is it important for all scientists to know how to secure the rights to their innovative ideas.
Speakers:
Håkan Engqvist – innovative scientist at Uppsala University
Ylva Skoglösa – European patent attorney at aera
Episode 5 - Monday 7th March 2022 at 15:00 CET
Spark it up!
Do you have a great idea and want to turn it into a real-life solution? But just don’t know how to get started or where to find funding to test our your ideas and push them towards reality? You are not alone!
We have invited a representative of the SPARK Global network to come tell us about early-stage innovation funding and the support available for researchers to bridge the gap between bench and bedside.
Speaker:
Juho Väisänen – SPARK Finland
Spark it up!
Do you have a great idea and want to turn it into a real-life solution? But just don’t know how to get started or where to find funding to test our your ideas and push them towards reality? You are not alone!
We have invited a representative of the SPARK Global network to come tell us about early-stage innovation funding and the support available for researchers to bridge the gap between bench and bedside.
Speaker:
Juho Väisänen – SPARK Finland
Episode 4 - Monday 7th February 2022 at 15:00 CET
Starting up!
Is life of an entrepreneur as glamorous as we think it is? Why should you step out of the comfortable realms of academia to the scary world of business? Is it possible to combine academic research with managing your own start-up company?
Three young entrepreneurs will share their experiences of taking the giant leap into the unknown in their quest of converting their own research results from journal articles to real world applications.
Speakers:
Laura Koivusalo – CEO and cofounder at StemSight
Manuel Schweikle – CSO and cofounder at ClexBio
Tiziano Serra – CSO and cofounder at mimiX Biotherapeutics
Starting up!
Is life of an entrepreneur as glamorous as we think it is? Why should you step out of the comfortable realms of academia to the scary world of business? Is it possible to combine academic research with managing your own start-up company?
Three young entrepreneurs will share their experiences of taking the giant leap into the unknown in their quest of converting their own research results from journal articles to real world applications.
Speakers:
Laura Koivusalo – CEO and cofounder at StemSight
Manuel Schweikle – CSO and cofounder at ClexBio
Tiziano Serra – CSO and cofounder at mimiX Biotherapeutics
Episode 3 - Monday 10th January 2022 at 15:00 CET
Dumbing it down - how to make science more accessible
Have you ever tried explaining how LEDs work to your grandmother? Or had awkward conversations at family gatherings trying to explain what you do at work? Telling other people about your research is never easy when you cannot use your usual vocabulary, is it?
Two science communication enthusiasts will share their experiences of making science more understandable. And maybe even give us some tips on how to let the world know what we do in the lab and why it all matters.
Speakers:
Brianna Bibel – Bumbling Biochemist on social media
Jessica Lönn-Stensrud – Bacteria Lady writing about microbes
Dumbing it down - how to make science more accessible
Have you ever tried explaining how LEDs work to your grandmother? Or had awkward conversations at family gatherings trying to explain what you do at work? Telling other people about your research is never easy when you cannot use your usual vocabulary, is it?
Two science communication enthusiasts will share their experiences of making science more understandable. And maybe even give us some tips on how to let the world know what we do in the lab and why it all matters.
Speakers:
Brianna Bibel – Bumbling Biochemist on social media
Jessica Lönn-Stensrud – Bacteria Lady writing about microbes
Episode 2 - Monday 6th December 2021 at 15:00 CET
Editor's pick
How do I get my articles published in the best journals? What do I need to write in the cover letter to get the editor’s attention? What does an editor of a journal even do, apart from “unfairly” rejecting my manuscripts without review? And what is the surest way to get my article rejected?
Two well-known biomaterials scientists and journal editors will provide us a glimpse to the world of scientific publishing from the editor’s point of view.
Speakers:
Dr Marc Bohner – Editor for Acta Biomaterialia
Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini – Editor-in-Chief for Materials Letters
Editor's pick
How do I get my articles published in the best journals? What do I need to write in the cover letter to get the editor’s attention? What does an editor of a journal even do, apart from “unfairly” rejecting my manuscripts without review? And what is the surest way to get my article rejected?
Two well-known biomaterials scientists and journal editors will provide us a glimpse to the world of scientific publishing from the editor’s point of view.
Speakers:
Dr Marc Bohner – Editor for Acta Biomaterialia
Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini – Editor-in-Chief for Materials Letters
Episode 1 - Monday 1st November 2021 at 15:00 CET
Science or gelato - is that the question?
Should I stay in academia or try the “real world”? Does a career in academia permanently close other doors? Is choosing to work in industry a point of no return for my career path? What options remain unexplored? These questions are more than familiar to every young scientist.
Two scientists with very different career paths will share their story and discuss these questions.
Speakers:
Dr Karlis Agris Gross - Riga Technical University
Dr Elli Käpylä - Aalto University
Science or gelato - is that the question?
Should I stay in academia or try the “real world”? Does a career in academia permanently close other doors? Is choosing to work in industry a point of no return for my career path? What options remain unexplored? These questions are more than familiar to every young scientist.
Two scientists with very different career paths will share their story and discuss these questions.
Speakers:
Dr Karlis Agris Gross - Riga Technical University
Dr Elli Käpylä - Aalto University
What is the United North
The YSF national chapters in Scandinavia, Finland and the Baltics have united their forces to create a webinar series that focuses on topics that are of particular interest to young early career scientists. United North is just what we decided to call ourselves for simplicity. Much snappier than "the region comprising the Nordic countries and the Baltic states". Our online events are all free of charge, and despite the name, also available for everyone outside the Northern corner of Europe.
Are you a young scientist and want to get involved in organising activities for your follow young scientists? Or do you have ideas for new topics we should cover in our webinar series? Please get in touch with one of the national chapter representatives of the United North!
Are you a young scientist and want to get involved in organising activities for your follow young scientists? Or do you have ideas for new topics we should cover in our webinar series? Please get in touch with one of the national chapter representatives of the United North!
