A community graduates
No two PhD stories are the same. Yet what we share in common is that we’ve all wrestled with frustrations, breakthroughs, and experiments that never quite went according to plan. Together we earned not just the right to add “Dr.” to our email signatures, but also shared an understanding that only fellow graduates can fully appreciate. Unlike the solo spotlight of a thesis defense, the PhD graduation ceremony celebrated our achievements as a group – a chance to reconnect, reflect, and celebrate together.
Familiar faces
As I mingled with old friends in the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology foyer, which was adorned with black and gold balloons, memories of the last years came back to me. I recognized the other graduates from various points in my own PhD journey – a former bus buddy, my classmate from our mutual A1 German language lesson struggles, the yoga teacher (whose free classes I really should’ve attended more often), a friend I made during the graduate school interview process, and a fellow former PhD representative turned close friend and housemate. It was a reminder that although our projects may be niche and our labs spread across different buildings, the PhD experience at the Max Delbrück Center is deeply interwoven.
Doctoral training as a shared experience: graduates at the Max Delbrück Center in 2025.
Professor Michael Gotthardt, Group Leader of the Translational Cardiology and Functional Genomics lab, opened the ceremony, setting the tone for a warm, relaxed event with words of wisdom interspersed with jokes. In her keynote speech, former Max Delbrück Center Group Leader, Francesca Spagnoli likened scientific discovery to a Berlin wall of graffiti – each “tag” is a layer of new knowledge built on what came before. She encouraged us to see our PhDs as part of that creative journey and ourselves as contributors to science.
Tributes to individual journeys
Then came the two-minute tributes and awarding of the Graduate School Certificates, when supervisors or colleagues shared highlights and photos of each graduate’s journey. From marathon runners to the graduate who dressed like a “walking sleeping bag” during the winter months, from scientific achievements to sangria-making and voodoo lab rituals, we got heartfelt, funny, and personal glimpses into each other’s lives.
Anita Waltho während der Abschlussfeier.
Among the standout moments were tributes to Sayaka Dantsuji and Keziban Merve Alp, who became mothers during their PhDs. When it was my turn, I braced myself for a healthy dose of embarrassment – fellow graduate Mirjam van Bentum, who had prepared my tribute along with my supervisor Professor Thomas Sommer, whispered beforehand, “it’s not very scientific...” But I was touched by their kind words about my science communication and comedy ventures, balanced out with a photo of my post-wasp-sting balloon lip from a community beer hour.
As is tradition, guests voted for their favourite doctoral hat – these mortarboard creations of card decorated with photos, colorful Eppendorf tubes, and even large structures are another tribute to the graduates made by the members of their lab. Popular PhD representative Somesh Sai won first prize, which was well-deserved.
Farewells
Before the buffet of Levantine dishes, we gave a heartfelt thank you and goodbye to Michaela Herzig, who is stepping down as head of the Graduate Office. Her support, often quiet but always steady, meant the world to us PhD students.
Michaela Herzig is bid farewell with flowers.
After more mingling and a few celebratory glasses of prosecco, we cut the three-tiered cake, provided by the Friends of the Max Delbrück Center, which turned into a wobbly 5-person endeavor. “How many PhD graduates does it take to cut a cake?” we joked.
Like any good celebration, the event closed with an invitation to take leftovers. Still a PhD student at heart, I accepted – walking off into the Berlin evening with a Tupperware full of food, a bunch of balloons for a friend’s birthday, and a deep feeling of pride, gratitude, and connection.
Text: Anita Waltho