International Sponsored Places: 48th FEBS Congress and 23rd YSF 2024

I am extremely grateful to the Biochemical Society for the opportunity to attend the 48th FEBS Congress in Milan and the preceding Young Scientists Forum (YSF) in Pavia. The historic University of Pavia provided a wonderful setting for the YSF, where I connected with around 100 PhD students and postdocs from across Europe and beyond. The two-day event featured keynote lectures on diverse topics and selected 15-minute talks. I was able to share my own work through a 1-minute flash presentation and an interactive poster session. The YSF workshops were particularly valuable, offering tips on CV preparation, research integrity, education and lab book management. These sessions provided actionable advice for my academic career. Additionally, organized social activities, including a city tour and dinners, helped us get to know each other better. A highlight was visiting the Innovation Center Giulio Natta and learning about sustainable biofuel technologies supporting a circular economy in the local area.

Transitioning to the main Congress, I was impressed by the organization and the breadth of topics covered. Being selected for a 15-minute talk during one of the symposia sessions was a significant opportunity. This experience boosted my confidence in public speaking and allowed me to showcase my research to a broader audience. As someone interested in structural biology, throughout the week, I particularly enjoyed talks by David Jeruzalmi, Patrick Cramer, Venki Ramakrishnan and John Walker. Hearing these esteemed scientists discuss their contributions to our understanding of key molecular machines was incredibly inspiring. Susan Gasser’s talk on the role of the chromatin environment in genome stability, related to my own research interests, was another highlight. My favourite talk of the event was Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz’s IUBMB lecture, which expanded my understanding beyond my current field, showcasing innovative applications of advanced imaging technologies.

An additional aspect of the FEBS Congress I enjoyed was the ‘Women in Science Lunch’, providing a platform for early-career female researchers to interact with senior scientists. I found this an interesting opportunity to hear about individual career paths and receive advice on pursuing personal goals and ambitions. Travel was consistently mentioned as helpful for developing research skills and refining ideas for starting their own research labs. A session on preparing graphical abstracts was also incredibly useful, offering tips to enhance the visual communication of my research. Additionally, social activities, such as learning about the biochemistry of pasta, added a unique and enjoyable dimension to the FEBS meeting.

Attending the FEBS Congress came at a perfect time for me, as I am early in my first postdoc and looking for ideas to progress my current project and consider the next stages of my career. Staying aware of the breadth of biochemistry helps me ask the right questions and inspires new ideas to advance my research. This experience provided an enhanced overview of broad areas of biochemistry and emerging techniques in the field. This knowledge will be valuable whether I continue in academia or consider a non-academic scientific career.

I am thankful to the Biochemical Society for this incredible experience, which I will carry forward with great appreciation.

I am very grateful to the Biochemical Society for the International Sponsored Place award that allowed me to attend the 23rd FEBS Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF) and 48th FEBS Congress in June/July 2024.

FEBS YSF brought together 103 early-career researchers, at various stages of their PhD or postdoc careers, within the city of Pavia, Italy. The University of Pavia, founded in 1361, is one of Italy’s oldest universities and served as a historical, vibrant and cultural backdrop for the 4-day forum. The YSF programme contained a mixture of lectures (from keynote speakers and chosen early-career scientists), career skill workshops, poster sessions and social activities (including a city tour, theatre workshop and lots of Italian cuisine!). All young scientists had the chance to present their work via a 1-minute ‘speed talk’ and poster, a very beneficial opportunity to practice our oral communication skills to a scientific audience. This also facilitated idea exchange and helpful feedback between peers, leading to increased networking opportunities and suggestions for future work. YSF also provided us with 1:1 CV advice, tips for publishing integrity, sustainable working in laboratories and accurate lab bookkeeping: essential skills which will undoubtedly be of benefit in my future research career.

A real highlight of the YSF for me was the opportunity to build a network of peers from across Europe, integrating with like-minded individuals during meals, social activities and discussions. This invaluable opportunity could lead to fruitful international communications and collaborations in years to come. I also found it inspiring to hear stories from the FEBS Excellence Awardees at the YSF. Each young scientist could opt in to receive a mentor, and it was extremely useful having the ability to ask questions, gain insight and receive personal career advice from someone who is well established and successful in their field.

At the FEBS Congress in Milan, I heard an impressive range of plenary lectures and talks which highlighted the full breadth and depth of biochemistry. The congress theme of ‘Mining biochemistry for human health and well-being’ was well suited to my own PhD research topic (which studies the mechanism of a key-cancer target enzyme) and I was honoured to present my work in a poster session to the esteemed academics in attendance. The congress enabled me to further my knowledge at an international level surrounding the latest developments in ‘Targeting metabolism in cancer’ and ‘Enzymes and cell therapies’. I particularly enjoyed hearing from Professor Nicola Brunetti-Pierri about liver-directed gene therapy and the fascinating molecular oncology lecture given by Dr Susan Gasser which had so much relevance to my own research. Furthermore, the opportunity to attend a ‘Women in Science’ lunch facilitated a chance to speak in a small group with numerous successful female scientists. I felt inspired after hearing their stories and appreciated all the invaluable face-to-face advice, especially from Professor Dame Caroline Dean, that I will genuinely carry with me for the rest of my career.

I would like to thank the FEBS organizing committees for the extremely successful and well-organized events that formed both YSF and Congress. My sincere gratitude is with the Biochemical Society for giving me the opportunity to attend and learn from world-leading scientists. The key skills I have learned and connections I have made will prove invaluable in my current PhD research and beyond.

International Sponsored Places are available to support Biochemical Society members attend conferences with our international partner societies. Find out more about upcoming opportunities onour website.