The PIER Graduate Week is an interdisciplinary lecture and workshop week for young scientists. This year, it offers two stimulating bloc courses with topics that are of interest for many doctoral candidates in the wide range of the PIER research fields of Particle & Astroparticle Physics, Nanoscience, Photon Science and Infection & Structural Biology.

Each course is a four-day series of eight consecutive mini lectures (6-9 October). The first thematic bloc covers Optical and x-ray techniques in Photon Science . The second thematic bloc is on Scientific Software Development. Complementary soft skill courses take place on 10 and 13 October.

The PIER Graduate Week aims at doctoral researchers, but MSc students, postdoctoral researchers and other interested scientists are also invited to participate. The graduate week's main objective is to give young scientists on Bahrenfeld campus the opportunity to broaden their interdisciplinary understanding and interchange with their colleagues from other research fields.

Soft skills training

Complementary soft skills workshops combine short lectures with practical exercises and homework. Please note: The places for the soft skills workshops are limited. The workshops take place after the scientific lectures on the follwing dates:

•    AI-Powered Time and Self-Management. Explore the Power of AI to Improve Efficiency: 10 + 13 October 2025, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (online)
•     Next Level Scientific Writing using AI Assistants: 10 + 13 October 2025, 2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (online)
•     Career speed counselling. Miniworkshop on 10 October 2025, 9 -10:30 a.m. plus individual 25 min. counselling sessions on 13 - 21 October 2025 (on-site)
•     Mental Health: 10 October 2025 10-11 a.m. (online)

Poster session

In order to promote the interdisciplinary exchange among the PIER Graduate Week’s participants, all doctoral researchers are invited to present their research projects in a poster session. The best poster will be awarded a prize.

Time & venue: Wednesday, 8 October 2025, 5:30-8:00 pm, CFEL, building 99 (atrium). The display panels for the posters are available from 4 pm.

Photograph: Marta Mayer, DESY

Programme PIER Graduate Week 2025

Poster