Securing a spot at a Nobel lecture may not be all that difficult, but the opportunity to meet 43 Nobel laureates all at the same time is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Two promising young researchers from Academia Sinica will have this rare opportunity this coming summer.
Dr. Chen-Chun Chen, postdoctoral fellow at the Genomic Research Center, and Feng-Jen Hsieh, doctoral student studying Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics (CBMB) at the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP) have been selected to attend the 2018 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings taking place in Lindau, Germany from June 24-29, 2018. These two young researchers from Academia Sinica are among a select group of young scientists from around the world afforded the chance to converse and learn in person from Nobel laureates.
Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are a series of annual, scientific conferences held every summer to bring together Nobel laureates and young scientists to foster scientific exchange between different generations and cultures. Each year, over 600 outstanding young scholars are invited to attend these meetings. Young researchers can take advantage of the lectures, discussions, master classes, and panel discussions that emphasize dialogue and interaction to exchange knowledge and learn from the academic experiences of the most acclaimed scientists in their fields.
After a rigorous multi-stage international selection process, the 600 young scientists selected for 2018 are outstanding students, doctoral candidates, and post-doc researchers under the age of 35 hailing from more than 130 different academic institutions worldwide. More than ever before, 50 percent of the participating young scientists are women.
One of the two young researchers from Academia Sinica included among this distinct group of young scientists, Feng-Jen Hsieh expressed that it is a great honor to be selected for this year’s meetings. He especially looks forward to meeting Dr. Stefan Hell, pioneer of the super-resolved fluorescence microscope. He said, “If I have the chance to speak to Dr. Stefan Hell, I would like to learn how he transformed ideas into experiments and ultimately commercialized his research.”
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings focus alternately on physiology and medicine, on physics, and on chemistry—the three natural science Nobel Prize disciplines. This year’s meetings are dedicated to physiology and medicine, and an unprecedented total of 43 Nobel Laureates will take part in this event. Besides panels centering on the circadian rhythm and the body’s internal clock, other key topics to be addressed at the 68th Lindau Meetings are the role of science in a ‘post-factual era,’ gene therapy, and scientific publishing practices.
Designed as a forum for exchange, networking and inspiration, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings partner with over 200 prestigious academic institutions in 65 countries around the world; these institutions include academies, universities, and foundations. Partnering institutions hold their own internal application process to select qualifying candidates to attend these meetings each year.
In 2017, Academia Sinica signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Lindau Council and the Lindau Foundation to become an academic partner of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. This partnership enables Academia Sinica to nominate and select aspiring scientists to participate in the Lindau Meetings, offering young scholars the chance to learn first-hand from world-class laureates, ultimately advancing dialogue and activating the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experience between Nobel laureates and young scientists.