This year's PIER PhD Reception took place on 17 July in the CSSB lecture hall. About 90 doctoral students, their supervisors, friends, relatives, and staff from both DESY and Universität Hamburg attended the event to welcome all new doctoral candidates and to honor the doctoral graduates of the PIER Helmholtz Graduate School (PHGS).

In her welcome address, Prof. Britta Redlich, DESY Director of the Photon Science Division, emphasised the fantastic opportunities offered to young scientists at the Sciene Campus Hamburg Bahrenfeld: "In the last few weeks, two great decisions were made for DESY and the University of Hamburg. Firstly, the two Clusters of Excellence CUI/AIM and Quantum Universe were selected for a further funding period by the DFG, and secondly, in the national prioritisation process for large-scale research infrastructures, both projects submitted by DESY were classified as research infrastructures of national importance by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. This paved the way for the further development of DESY's globally unrivalled research infrastructures PETRA IV and IceCube-Gen2. As the largest graduate school on campus, the PIER Helmholtz Graduate School offers doctoral students the best of both worlds - DESY and Universität Hamburg. I think this makes our campus one of the most exciting places in Europe for doctoral researchers," Prof Redlich concluded her words of welcome. "Enjoy it and make the most of it!"

The best place in Europe to do doctoral research – or even in the whole world?

After the welcoming speech, Prof. Robin Santra, DESY spokesperson of the PHGS, gave a brief overview of the highly international composition of doctoral researchers at the PIER Helmholtz Graduate School: "For a German research center, it is something very special to have over 50% non-German doctoral researchers." In this context, Prof. Santra pointed out how important it is for non-German researchers to acquire German language skills: "Many of them will want to stay in Germany after their doctorate. For this it is very, very helpful to be able to communicate well in German, because without German you won't get very far outside our scientific bubble. So take advantage of the opportunities offered by the PIER Helmholtz Graduate School!” And looking at Prof Redlich, Prof Santra added: "I dare say that our campus is the best place in the world for doctoral researchers!"

Strange Interactions? Physicists in a Policy World

In the evening’s keynote lecture, Moritz Kütt, Professor Hamburg University’s Nuclear Disarmament Laboratory (HaNDL) in the Physics Department, talked about "Strange Interactions? Physicists in a Policy World" and used his personal academic and private life to explain how, as a physicist, he successfully tries to reach the world outside the laboratory in order to make nuclear disarmament possible. Prof Kütt explained: “Technical research can help reduce the risk of nuclear war and eliminate nuclear weapons programmes. This is why we as physicists need to step into the policy world.” Prof Kütt also had a number of take home messages for the doctoral researchers: “Sometimes,success takes decades”, “Luck is sometimes important” or “Sometimes, timing is key.”

Farewell (and a fox)

An elementary component of the PIER PhD Reception was again the farewell to the members who successfully completed their doctorate in the last 12 months. Prof. Daniela Pfannkuche, UHH spokesperson for the PHGS, invited the graduates to the stage and briefly introduced the graduates and their doctoral projects to the audience. For some of the graduates, the oral defense was only a few days ago. The audience, which also included numerous family members of the graduates, honored them with hearty applause. In the middle of the ceremony, a young fox crept past the window and peered curiously into the lecture theatre - a beautiful and telling sign, since in German culture, the fox often symbolizes cleverness, cunning, and sly intelligence.

The PIER PhD Reception was moderated by Stefanie Tepass, Lead Coordinator of the PHGS, who at the end of the event thanked the All Pass Band with musicians from DESY, who played four lively songs according to each stage of a PhD, including “Hot stuff” for the enthusiasm at the beginning of the doctorate and “Happy” for the relief and happiness of the moment of graduation. Congratulations once again to all the PHGS graduates!

The evening ended with a relaxed get-together with food and drink in the foyer of the CSSB.

Photos: DESY/Kevin Winiker