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From 25 June - 30 June 2023, over six hundred young scientists from more than eighty countries and nearly forty Nobel laureates gathered in Lindau, Germany, for knowledge exchange and inspiration. The Academy nominates young scientists to the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, which makes the selection for participation. The Academy makes a contribution towards the costs of its nominees' participation.
From the Netherlands, seven top talents were present, including Netanja Harlianto (Utrecht University & UMCU), Prarthana Mohanraju (Leiden University Medical Center), and Olga Minaeva (University of Groningen). The Academy asked them a couple of questions about their stay.
Please introduce yourselves and tell us about your area(s) of scientific interest
Netanja: I am currently completing my final year of medicine at Utrecht University and hope to begin a PhD program early next year. Over the past few years, I have published scientific articles in the fields of population health, oncology, and various spinal disorders.
Prarthana: I am an innovation-driven molecular biologist with an interest in unraveling mechanisms of complex biological systems. During my PhD, I characterized novel bacterial immune systems known as CRISPR-Cas, which identify and cut invading viral DNA. Currently, in my postdoctoral research, I am engineering these systems to modify DNA for treating genetic diseases.
Olga: I am currently completing my PhD at the University of Groningen. I am fascinated by the way our internal body clock, known as the circadian rhythm, influences our daily patterns of sleep, activity, and other bodily functions. My initial child’s curiosity about my sleep led me to explore how disruptions in our internal clock can affect mental health, specifically in relation to depression. At the Lindau Meetings, I had the incredible opportunity to meet renowned scientists who have made important discoveries in the field of circadian rhythm research. This experience has further motivated me to contribute to our understanding of how our circadian rhythms impact our well-being.
Which Nobel Prize laureate has made the greatest impression on you?
Netanja: Randy Schekman and Harold Varmus impressed me the most. Both of them are co-founders of successful non-profit open-access journals (ELife and Public Library of Science - PLOS), with a focus on making scientific findings understandable and accessible to society.
Prarthana: I greatly admire Frances Arnold, who won a Nobel Prize in 2018 for directed enzyme evolution. She goes beyond her scientific research excellence. Since January 2021, she serves as an external co-chair of President Joe Biden's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Moreover, she is a remarkable role model for women in science and an exceptional science communicator.
Olga: Among many remarkable laureates I encountered, Morten Meldal left a lasting impression. His Nobel Prize-winning work on click chemistry is now widely used in pharmaceuticals, DNA mapping, and material creation. The most inspiring part was hearing his personal journey and relatable life stories at the Lindau Meetings, as he had attended the event himself as a Young Scientist in 1986.
What moment during your stay at the Lindau Meetings most stood out for you?
Netanja: The Lindau Meetings provided me with a unique opportunity to gain new perspectives on science in medicine. The informal conversations with other PhD students, postdocs, research leaders, and Nobel Prize laureates were incredibly valuable and inspiring, leaving a profound impact on me. Being part of such a culturally diverse group helps to put your own research into the right context. I took away a lot from the conference, including self-confidence, enthusiasm, inspiration, new collaborations, career advice, and new friendships.
Prarthana: Meeting and being in the same room with nearly 40 Nobel Prize winners was a truly humbling experience for me. Furthermore, I connected with many like-minded scientists from across the globe who shared my excitement and passion for science. Panel discussions on AI, climate change, and use of GMOs made me feel a greater responsibility as a scientist to address these crucial topics.
I cherished walking around Lindau and having coffee with Joachim Frank (Chemistry 2017), discussing our research and learning from his Nobel-winning scientific career.
Olga: The standout moment at the Lindau Meetings was Shwetak Patel's Heidelberg lecture on mobile phones and wearables for health. As I worked with wearable sensor data for my PhD, his research using mobile devices and wearables to screen and study diseases was both innovative and socially impactful. What particularly impressed me was his focus on ensuring compatibility with technologies in developing countries, addressing existing disparities, and avoiding unintentionally creating new ones.
Attending the Lindau Meetings has opened doors for me to engage with leading scientists, gain new perspectives, and foster collaborations. The invaluable experiences and insights gained will undoubtedly shape my future research endeavors and contribute to the advancement of understanding and addressing mental health through circadian rhythms.
About the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings aim to encourage the exchange of knowledge between different generations of scientists, consolidate international networks, and inspire both young researchers and Nobel laureates. The theme of the Lindau Meetings alternates between the three Nobel Prize scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry or physiology/medicine. A new nomination round for the Meetings will open on Wednesday 16 August (closing on Monday 25 September 2023), with a focus on the field of physics for the upcoming year. More information regarding the nomination process and regulations can be found through the link below.