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21. Sept. 2023
"Peer to peer" has never been more important when it comes to science. Sharing knowledge and exchanging information between different research disciplines is a driving force for science. However, scientists have many obstacles to overcome on the road to new solutions and discoveries and need a supportive environment and interaction with other colleagues to do research of high quality. Postdoctoral fellows, in particular, recognise the added value of collaboration across disciplines and are able to capitalise on this asset – often tested by themselves at institutions abroad – in their work. CEITEC is no exception.
Every year, in the third week of September, Postdoctoral Appreciation Week is held around the world to recognise the contribution of postdocs to the scientific community. At CEITEC, the end of September belongs to our postdocs as well. At CEITEC MUNI, a special edition of the “Tea Time” event has been celebrated in an intimate way on 21st September, and at the end of October, the CEITEC postdoc community and PhD students will meet for two days outside of the Brno region at Postdoc and PhD Retreat. This is a traditional opportunity to talk, share experiences and learn something new. And it is these interactions that help build the cohesive community that has been forming at CEITEC for several years.
Pavel, Khadija, Mateo and Oleksii. Members of the CEITEC Postdoc Peer Committee, who dedicate their free time to supporting their colleagues in networking, personal development and handling official matters by organizing events, soft skills workshops or navigating the administrative waters. They know best how important it is for postdocs to have outstanding conditions for their research at CEITEC and for new ones to feel at home early on. And it is far from just the well-equipped laboratories and attractive research topics that are the biggest attraction for postdocs. Often it is also the quality of the background co-created by administrative colleagues for "their" scientists that plays a role in postdoc satisfaction at CEITEC. That’s why, for example, the HR department of CEITEC MUNI, has been mapping the current situation of postdocs through a questionnaire in order to improve it and get the attention of other postdocs.
Scientific discovery is usually a team effort and a “eureka moment” can come over a cup of coffee with a lab colleague, from inspiration from another discipline or sharing experiences with other scientists. This can be exemplified by the project on enrichment of nanofibers with bacteriophages, which would not have come about if it were not for the fact that postdoctoral students from CEITEC MUNI and CEITEC BUT met.
Moreover, synergy and mutual support is typical of our #brnoregion innovation ecosystem, where innovation, research, development and science thrive. Its players understand that the region, and themselves, will grow faster if they join forces. Our Postdoc Peer Committee is riding the same wave. As Mateo says: "In my previous research centre back in Madrid, we had a very good community. We had plenty of informal events and people also helped each other at any level by sharing reagents, giving ideas for research, planning experiments or helping to find the best equipment for the experiments." The same philosophy guides our Postdoc Peer Committee at CEITEC.
If you are a postdoc at CEITEC, get in touch with Pavel, Khadija, Mateo and Oleksii, you will not only contribute to strengthening the excellent research you are part of at CEITEC, but you will also find new friends to explore our vibrant city of Brno with. Contact details can be found here.
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