We celebrate our 2026 graduates!
On July 3, 2026, 19 doctoral students celebrated earning the title “Doctor of Philosophy” at the Berlin Institute of Systems Biology of the Max Delbrück Center. The day was marked with cheers and joy, but also with reflection and circumspection about the next stage in their lives. Many graduates had not yet secured a job or decided what their next move would be. Fortunately for them, a string of former graduates provided encouragement by sharing their career paths before the ceremony.
Dr. Petya Jordan, who completed her doctoral degree at the Max Delbrück Center in 2018, knew she did not want to remain in academia. After nine months of soul searching and career coaching, she was still undecided about a career. She took a postdoctoral position, “even though I did not really want to,” she added. But it presented her with opportunities to learn about what she most enjoys doing — organizing community events, networking with people and career counseling. She now works in science management. She advised the new graduates to think about their careers like a jungle gym where one not only moves forward, but can also move sideways and backwards.
Dr. Elisa Toscano, who graduated with her doctoral degree from our center in 2025, also decided against an academic career. And like Jordan, had no concrete future plans. She moved to Zurich to live with her partner where, after a few months of joblessness, began “panic applying” to open positions she found on LinkedIn. She sent out 150 job applications, landed three interviews and was offered only two jobs, one of which she took. She now works in sales for a Swiss biotechnology company — a position she feels is a great stepping stone to a career in industry. She told the new PhDs to “define priorities, invest in interests outside of the lab and start job hunting early.”
Keynote speaker and ceremony
Dr. Anthea Wirges, CEO and Co-founder of Cartemis Therapeutics, officially opened the graduation ceremony by also sharing her career path. She struggled through her PhD, she said, which she completed at our center in 2019. “I felt relief and pride after the defense but I also found I was lost. The plan for my life was over. This last phase of my PhD felt like a hangover.” With trepidation, she remained at our center in a postdoctoral position, unsure of what to do next. And then came an opportunity to join Cartemis. She advised the graduates to “be bold, believe in yourself and to be ready to learn and grow every day.”
With those closing words, the ceremony began. As each graduate stepped onto the stage to accept their hard-earned certificate, the audience — which included scientists, lab mates, family members and friends — cheered, hooted and applauded. Individual doctoral advisors handed each graduate their certificates, along with words of praise, funny anecdotes and playful jabs.
“I really appreciated the honesty of the speakers,” said Dr. Athanasios Balomenos, one of the graduates. “So many of people’s stories are curated only to highlight successes.” Many others expressed similar sentiments and felt comforted by hearing that they were not alone in having doubts and fears about their future.
It was soon time to celebrate as a warm reception of delicious food and drinks had been set out on the ground floor. As photographers snapped photos, the cacophony of excited voices grew louder. It seemed everyone had put their worries about the future aside to enjoy the moment and revel in the fact that this group of 19 people had achieved something spectacular.
Text: Gunjan Sinha
