Crossing boundaries in physics of life – NWO Biophysics 2022
The conference presents an exciting programme covering a broad range of scientific topics varying from microscopy and cell biology to biomedical engineering. It forms the very heart of Dutch research in Biophysics, creating a place to explore, push boundaries and celebrate interdisciplinary science together. The upcoming edition of NWO Biophysics will take place on Monday 10 & Tuesday 11 October 2022 at NH Conference Centre Koningshof - Veldhoven.
The first time I went to this meeting was when I was a PhD student in 2005. This meeting was a real eye opener for me, and it made me aware of the very broad range of scientific topics that scientists in the Netherlands study.
Scientific programme
This year’s programme committee, chaired by Jeffrey van Haren, aims at a diverse scientific programme covering a wide-range of topics in biophysics. The two keynote speakers this year are Hans Clevers (Roche Pharma Research and Early Development) & Manu Prakash (Stanford University). Hans Clevers will go in depth about ‘stem cell-based organoids in human disease’. Manu Prakash will talk about gravity and its role in how life navigates the oceans.’ In addition we proudly announce a new speaker to our previously communicated list: Eleonora Secchi (ETH Zürich).
Submit your abstract for a poster presentation before 6 September. Make sure to register for the conference as well.
NWO Biophysics is a conference attracting many stakeholders, mainly academics, but now also teaming up with industry gets more emphasis. And, it is very important to communicate together to break current barriers and go to the next level of science.
Teaming up with industry
As Ben Giepmans puts it very well, “teaming up with industry gets more emphasis”. We think that NWO Biophysics is the perfect opportunity to explore things outside your comfort zone, including connecting with industry! By offering a place for companies to connect with scientists, we want to lower the threshold and stimulate new collaborations and more (financially) sustainable research. That leaves us with two questions:
Are you a company representative and do you want to explore and get acquainted with all available knowledge and meet the diverse group of participants? Become a sponsor!
Are you a staff member and curious about the possibilities for collaborations with companies and/or fellow academics? Register for NWO Biophysics and meet them!
I think that the way we defined disciplines, [such] as physics or chemistry or biology, is very old fashioned. All the interesting work happens across these disciplines, on these edges. So, I think that something like the DutchBiophysics conference does a great job at crossing those boundaries and finding interdisciplinary science. I think that is the future.
Learning across the disciplines
Working, learning, researching, networking across the disciplines is of paramount importance to researchers. With this in mind we scheduled a networking session for group on Monday afternoon: discuss with your peers science policy important for the biophysics field and connect with your fellow group leaders. We have also programmed a multitude of different interactive sessions on different subjects specifically aimed at junior researchers. You can meet the plenary speakers in small groups and discuss the details of their work. Follow a workshop on data management, scientific storytelling or a workshop given by the NWO Science Impact awardee. Get inspired when hearing biophysicists tell about their career paths outside of academia. Sign up for an interactive session during your registration. Limited spots available!
