Great start to November with an inspiring panel sharing their career journeys with our PhD and postdoc community 😄

Big thanks to Prof. Alan Schulman, Dr. Jana Buzkova, Prof. Anne Spang and Prof. Karla Neugebauer, and to the Institute of Biotechnology (BI) for sponsoring and celebrating 35 years! 🥳

🎓 Career Development Workshop
🗓️ 5 Nov 2025, 12:15–13:45
📍 Studium 1, Fabianinkatu 33, Helsinki

Explore careers in academia & industry with talks, panel discussion, and Q&A. 🍴 Lunch at 11:45.

👉 Register by 27 Oct: elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/13...

📢 UH Cross-Campus Postdoc Symposium
🗓️ 20 Oct 2025, 1–6 PM
📍 Minerva Tori, University of Helsinki (Siltavuorenpenger 5A)

Explore career paths in & beyond academia! Keynote: “Building your personal brand as a scientist”, plus roundtables & networking.

👉 blogs.helsinki.fi/uh-cross-campus-postdoc

About 20 of us (PhDs + postdocs) hit the Viikki Arboretum for a walk: mushrooms, birds, chats, and sun. Ended the day at Coolhead with beers + Oktoberfest food 🍺
Definitely planning more of these to survive the winter! ❄

Great news before the summer break! 🥳
VIPA just received support from the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences @helsinki.fi, led by @fishcongen.bsky.social, supplementing the support of the Institute of Biotechnology.
More high-quality events coming soon for our postdoc community! 😁

☀️ Yesterday’s hike in Sipoonkorpi was the perfect way to close the season!
Great company, sunshine, marshmallows, and forest vibes. Thanks to all the early career researchers who joined. See you after the summer! 🌲

🌲 Early career researcher at Viikki campus @helsinki.fi
Join us for a 6 km family-friendly hike in Sipoonkorpi before summer! Stroller-friendly trail, lunch at Bisajärvi viewpoint for chats & snacks.
All ECRs welcome—PhDs, postdocs, etc.
🔗 Info and registration: elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/13...

Last week Grant Writing Seminar was a success! 🎯

Big thanks to @vlfuller.bsky.social for the clear, practical advice & to all the researchers who brought sharp questions and great energy.

Funding success starts with smart proposals!

Our Early-Career Workshop on Viikki Campus (@helsinki.fi) with @solid-research.bsky.social was a hit! Huge thanks to Aaron Pereira for traveling from the NL to lead an interactive session.
We explored how fossil fuel industries subtly influence academia—and how to spot & avoid their tactics. 🔥

I had a great time listening to @vlfuller.bsky.social talk about grant writing yesterday at the @viikki-postdoc.bsky.social workshop. It can be scary to apply for grants, but chatting about it with peers make it easier, or at least more fun. Thanks Vanessa, you’re inspiring!

Great discussions at our Seminar: Working Outside Academia!
Postdocs at Viikki campus (@helsinki.fi) heard from Heli Salmela (GSK), Pia Kinaret (Synlab), & Edward Kluen (Ramboll) about their journey from academia to industry: challenges, motivations & key advice.
Big thanks to all who joined! 🎉