Students and young researchers of some FEBS Constituent Societies have come together to create the FEBS Junior Section. They develop joint activities and share resources, as well as open doors for young European scientists to opportunities outside their home countries by providing the relevant contacts and fostering communication within the network. A key current focus is organizing academic and career online talks from key researchers, which they take turns to plan and deliver.

Latest News

The next activity from the FEBS Junior Section is an online event from their 2023 talk series:

Speaker: Prof. Loris Rizzello, University of Milan, Italy
Topic: “Towards an evolutionary-driven universal therapy against (intracellular) pathogens”
Time: 15 June, 18:00 (CET)
Visit the event post on the FEBS Network for more information and to register for the talk.

2023 online talks series and other activities

Current and past talks and events, as well as links to some of the recordings, are also listed in a post on the FEBS Network. To stay updated with new information, you can join the FEBS Network to set up alerts to new postings in the FEBS Junior Section Room.

• May
  “Plan your Career & Boost your Vita”
  Mag. Christine Hudetz (Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft Career Center, Austria)
  “Speed-dating event” – a new activity to facilitate the meeting and networking of students and young researchers in the molecular life sciences all over Europe, to share career experiences and advice.
  FEBS Junior Section
• April
  “Viruses, immunity and fertility: Why are we not extinct yet?”
  Dr. Vanda Juranić Lisnić (Faculty of Medicine University of Rijeka, Croatia)
• March
  “The science of sustainability: how a sustainable mindset can enhance your research & life”
  Green Laboratory Work initiative
• February
  “How to land your ideal job in the industry”
  Rodrigo Hernando (Libertad con Ciencia, Spain)
• January
  “Evolutionary medicine for the microbiome, or how to turn the gut microbiome into a novel therapeutic target”
  Jonas Schlüter (New York University, USA)

Background on the FEBS junior section

Both FEBS and the Constituent Societies support their young members with a variety of activities and opportunities. In addition, some of the Societies have a Junior Section, which is a group or subdivision of the Society that is organized by their young members, who plan and deliver activities for students and young researchers. Eight of those Junior Sections have come together to create the FEBS Junior Section. These include the Junior Sections of the ÖGMBT (Austria), HDBMB (Croatia), CSBMB (Czech Republic), GBM (Germany), SIB (Italy), NVBMB (the Netherlands), SEBBM (Spain), and the Biochemical Society (UK).

The FEBS Junior Section encourages students and young scientists in the molecular life sciences to join their initiative (by joining their Constituent Society and then joining the FEBS Junior Section). They also invite FEBS Constituent Societies without a Junior Section to create one. To raise awareness of their initiative, the FEBS Junior Section organizes activities, such as online talks with key researchers, and hosts a room on the FEBS Network, where they have written and given interviews on how to set up a Junior Section.

Objectives

The aims of the individual Junior Sections align with those of their Societies, with an enhanced focus on the needs of younger members. Moreover, by coming together as the FEBS Junior Section, they have broadened their objectives to:

• Collaborate and share resources between national Junior Sections
• Increase mobility between countries, such as for training (e.g., PhDs, placements, courses) and conferences
• Provide a framework to develop soft skills, such as networking, collaboration, communication, and event organizing
• Connect with other students and young researchers in the molecular life sciences (e.g., the IUBMB Trainee Initiative)
• Encourage students and young researchers to join their Constituent Society or become more active if already a member
• Encourage students and young researchers and their Societies to create a Junior Section and join the FEBS Junior Section
• Promote and collaborate with other FEBS activities for young scientists, such as the Young Scientists’ Forum and FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE conferences
• Become involved with and promote other FEBS activities as appropriate (e.g., FEBS journals)