In celebration of International Women’s Day, we reflect on the inspiring discussions and opportunities at the recent Bright Future Meeting! Several of our talented female PhD students participated in the SpeakUp workshop led by Katarina Kovalcikova, where they engaged in confidence-building and communication training. The event also featured a panel discussion, showcasing diverse and exciting career paths in both academia and industry:

• JISKA VAN DER REEST Business Development Manager at VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie), Ghent, Belgium
• MIRYAM MÜLLER Manager Scientific/ Medical Writing at BioNTech, Mainz, Germany
• KATHARINA PAPSDORF Principal Investigator at IMB (Institute of Molecular Biology), Mainz, Germany
• BEATE SCHEURER Senior Project Manager at ICON, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

We are grateful to the event’s co-organizers, SFB1361, 4R-RTG and GenEvo for fostering such an empowering and insightful experience!