Berlin PostDoc Day

The Berlin PostDoc Day 2025 (#PDD25) is an annual event organized by an enthusiastic team of Berlin-based PostDocs from diverse institutions, including MDC, FMP, FHI, Charité, and BAM. Join us in person at the beautiful Humboldt Graduate School!

Register now for PDD25 here!

We are excited to announce that this year's Berlin PostDoc Day (#PDD25) will take place on November 6–7, 2025, as part of the Berlin Science Week. The event is open to all PostDocs and final-year PhD students from every discipline across Berlin.

Stay connected and informed—subscribe for updates via email,  LinkedIn, or Bluesky, and share your enthusiasm on social media!

Take a look at this video from one of our previous PostDoc Day events to see what's in store:

Share Your Research—Explore New Horizons

Check out our PDD25 preliminary program.

Over the years, PostDoc Day has successfully gathered researchers from diverse fields, offering fantastic networking opportunities and a platform to showcase your work. Submit your abstract and compete for the “Best Poster” Award!

This year’s agenda includes selected scientific presentations in the morning, followed by engaging sessions focused on various career pathways and skill-building workshops. Enhance your career prospects, make informed decisions about your future, and expand your professional network. You might just find new friends and collaborators along the way!

Come join, get inspired, and make lasting connections!

Our Sponsors

Scitaris | Bayer | Max Delbrück Center | BUA | TU | FU | HU | Fritz-Haber Institut | Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) 

Venue

The Berlin Postdoc Day 2025 will be held at:

Humboldt Graduate School 

Luisenstraße 56, 10117 Berlin

Enjoy the inspiring atmosphere of the historic Humboldt Graduate School building!

We look forward to welcoming you at #PDD25!

PDD 2023

Day 1: 2^nd November

8:00 - 9:00: Registration

9:00 - 9:30: Welcoming Remarks by MDC Director Prof. Dr. Maike Sander and BUA Project Leader Elisabeth Nickler

Scientific Session

9:30-9:40: Gianmarco Ducci - From Data to Model Discovery: A New Approach for Complex Kinetic Reactions

9:40-9:50: Anne Kathrine Runge - Ancient diseases: how DNA from archaeological remains can enhance our understanding of the evolution of infectious pathogens

9:50-10:00: Amit Singh – Green steel

10:00-10:10: Sampurna Chakrabarti - Lightsaber Neuroproteomics: A new hope for chronic pain.

10:10-10:20: Tomislav Stolar - Grinding Away Plastic Waste: Enabling the Circular Economy of Plastics

10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break

11:00-11:10: Anna Alessandra Monaco - The prickly question of hedgehog spine evolution

11:10-11:20: Johannes Heinrich Weber - Hard probes of hot nuclear matter

11:20-11:30: Lotte Stagsted - Regulatory roles of 3D chromatin folding and alternative splicing in neurons

11:30-11:40: Markus Schleuning - Mitigation of free energy losses for efficient solar energy conversion

11:40-11:50: Bernadette Lessel - Historical origins of quantum gravity

12.00 - 12.15: Voting for “Best Pitch Talk”

12.15 - 13.30: Lunch Break

Career Inspiration Session: "From Postdoc to…"

Strategy Consultant - Damir Omerbasic, Manager at Catenion

Group Leader - Claudia Crocini, DZHK junior research group leader at the Max Rubner Center for Cardiovascular Metabolic Renal Research at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Entrepreneur - Jorge Ferreira, Inventor, co-Founder and Managing Director at LIQUIDLOOP 

Editor - Christian Kuttner, Associate Editor at Nature Communications  

Junior Scientist - Konrad Gronke, Junior Scientist at  Immuno-Oncology Research, Bayer Pharmaceuticals

Scientific Communicator - Sabrina Patsch, Journalism trainee at the Tagesspiegel

15.00 - 17.00: Poster Session + CV check session offered by Catenion COO Arno Heuermann

17:00 - 17.30: 1 min pitch talk from the best 6 posters and final voting session for “Best Poster Presentation”

17.30 - 18.00: Award ceremony & closing remarks

18.00 to ...: Pizza & socialize!! (Refreshments and pizza provided)

Day 2: 3^rd November

9:00 - 12:00: Workshops on Resilience, Conflict resolution, Podcasting for Researchers, Privilege and Ethics in data, Innovation skills, Science Communication

Prizes

Talk prizes

The top 3 talks voted by PDD23 attendees will receive 300€ cash prize.

Poster prizes

The top 3 posters voted by PDD23 attendees will receive 150€ cash prize.

PDD 2022

 

Program

8:00 - 9:00: Registration

9:00 - 9:30: Welcoming Remarks from Prof. Dr. Christopher Schneider, Vice-President of Research at the Humboldt University; Prof. Dr. Sabine Hunke, director of the Humboldt Graduate School; Dr. Jean-Yves Tano Scientific Coordinator - ASPIRE at Max Delbrück Center (MDC)

Scientific Session

9:30: Alexander Friedrich, Postdoc - "The AIFRI Project - Artificial Intelligence For Rail Inspection", Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)

9:40: Arunima Murgai, Postdoc - "Hijacking the Cancer Cell - Are We One Step Closer to the Cure?", Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

09:50: Clara Patricia Marshall, Postdoc - "Synthesis of catalysts for the challenges of renewable energy storage", Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (FHI)

10:00: Alessandro Santuz, Postdoc - "Proprioceptive information must reach the brain to ensure robust locomotion", Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)

10:10: Nils Köbis, Postdoc, "How Artificial Intelligence influences human ethical behavior", Max Planck Institute for Human Development

10:20: Delwen Franzen & Maia Salholz-Hillel, Postdoc & Final-year PhD student - "Improving clinical trial transparency with tailored report cards: a pilot intervention at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin", QUEST Center for Responsible Research

10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break

11:00: Charlie Vanaret, Postdoc - "Unifying nonlinear optimization - a cake metaphor", Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum für Informationstechnik Berlin (ZIB)

11:10: Vince Arafiles, Postdoc - "Crossing borders: direct cytosolic delivery of proteins using cell-penetrating peptide additives ", Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)

11:20: Kornelia Johann, Postdoc - "Taking a shot at obesity - Development of a novel CRISPR-based gene therapy to combat metabolic disease", German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany

11:30: Chris Liedl, Final-year PhD Student - "From flashing fireflies to quantum choirs: Spontaneous synchronization in superradiance", Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU)

11:40: David Wegner, Postdoc - "Luminescent Quantum dots – the next-generation nano light bulbs", Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)

11:50: Sofia Elizarova, Postdoc - "A fluorescent nanosensor paint detects dopamine release at axonal varicosities", Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)

12.00 - 12.15: Voting for “Best Pitch Talk”

12.15 - 14.15: Poster session + Lunch Break with voting session for “Best Poster Presentation” (Lunch provided)

14.15 - 14.30: Voting session for “Best Poster Presentation”

Career Inspiration Session: "From Postdoc to…"

14.30 - 15.30: (12+3min Q&A)

Editor - Margherita Citroni, Senior Editor and Team Manager at Nature Publishing group

Group Leader - Sofia Kirke Forslund, Junior Group Leader at ECRC (MDC/Charité, Berlin)

Strategy Consultant - Can Sonmezer & Lukas Pluska, Consultants at Scitaris

Project Manager -  Anna Maria Elert, QI Digital Manager at BAM

15.30-16.00: coffee break

16.00 - 17:00: (12+3min Q&A)

Management in High Tech Company - Jürgen Stuhler, Vice President of the Business Unit Quantum Technology at TOPTICA

Scientific Communicator - Gabriel León, La Ciencia Pop

Policy Analyst - Fabrizio Larcher, Analyst at the Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission

Entrepreneur - Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades, co-founder of Theramir Ltd, Promed Bioscience, and RSL Revolutionary Labs Ltd

17.00 - 17.30: 1 min pitch from the best 6 posters and final voting session for “Best Poster Presentation”

17.30 - 18.00: Award ceremony & closing remarks

18.00 to ...: Pizza & socialize!! (Refreshments and pizza provided)

Prizes

Talk prizes

The top 3 talks voted by PDD22 attendees will receive 300€.

Poster prizes

The top 3 posters voted by PDD22 attendees will receive 150€.

PDD 2021

 

Schedule

08:00 – 09:00    Registration

09:00 – 09:15    Opening

09:15 – 10:15    Scientific communication workshop – Elodie Chabrol

10:15 – 10:25    Coffee break

10:25 – 10:30   Introduction of Young Entrepreneurs in Science – Sebastian Al-halabi from Falling Walls

10:30 – 12:00    Postdoc Talks – Chair: Pablo Suárez-Cortés, MPIIB.

Talk #1 Technology and Innovative Business Modes for or against sustainability? Holistic Analyses in Crisis-Affected Contexts. 
Lubna Rashid. Technische Universität Berlin (TU); Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft.

Talk #2 The role of online ratings and reviews in digital discrimination.
Judith Kas. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB). 

Talk #3 Obesity suppresses anti-tumour immunity.
Lydia Dyck. Trinity College Dublin; Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine.

Talk #4 The sixth sense: Intraspinal sensory neurons control quadrupedal movement
Katrin Gerstmann. Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine. 

CANCELLED Talk #5: Optogenetic perturbations of RNA expression in tissue space.
Ivano Legnini. MDC Mitte (BIMSB).  

Talk #6 Modeling and Forecasting the Dynamics of the Natural Gas Transmission Network in Germany with the Demand and Supply Balance Constraint.
Nazgul Zakiyeva. Zuse Institute Berlin.

12:00 – 13:00    Lunch Break

13:00 – 14:00    Poster Session

14:00 – 15:00    Postdoc Talks – Chair: Giovanna D. Ielacqua, MDC

Talk #7 Physical mechanisms of chromosome spatial organization.
Simona Bianco. Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC)

Talk #8 Applications of Video Game Development in Biomedical Research.
Adam Streck. MDC Mitte (BIMSB)

Talk #9 Association Plots: in the search of cluster-specific genes in single-cell transcriptome data.
Elzbieta Gralinska. Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.

Talk #10 Single-photon turnstile.
Martin Cordier. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU).

15:00 – 15:15    Sponsor talk – Alexander Wallroth from Catenion

15:15 – 15:30    Coffee break

15:30 – 16:30    Keynote speaker – Uri Alon

16:30 – 17:00    Poster Pitches

17:00 – 18:00    Prizes & Conclusion & Socialize

18:00 – ...          Socialize & Pizza!

 

Prizes

Talk prizes

The top 3 talks voted by PDD21 attendees will receive 300, 200 & 100€, respectively.

Winners

1. Single-photon turnstile. Martin Cordier. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU).

2.  Obesity suppresses anti-tumour immunity. Lydia Dyck. Trinity College Dublin; Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine.

3. The role of online ratings and reviews in digital discrimination. Judith Kas. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB). 

 

Poster prizes

The top 3 posters voted by PDD21 attendees will receive 150, 100 & 50€, respectively.

Winners

1. A role for the hearing gene Cib2 in somatosensory system. Dimitra Mazaraki. Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC)

2. A Single-photon turnstile – or how to interfere photon statistics. Maximilian Schemmer. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

3. Molecular mechanisms of presynaptic biogenesis in human neurons. Filiz Sila Rizalar.
Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)

 

PDD 2020

 

Schedule

Check the Hopin event page for latest updates and changes to the program

Friday, November 13th on Hopin

09:00 – 09:15 Introduction

09:15 – 10:15 Keynote speaker – Prof. Emanuelle Charpentier, MPUSP Berlin

10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 12:00 Postdoc Talks

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break

13:00 – 14:00 Poster Session

14:00 – 15:00 Chalk Talk Workshop with Matteo Cassese

15:00 – 15:15 Coffee break

15:15 – 15:30 Sponsor speaker from Bayer

15:30 – 16:30 Postdoc Talks

16:30 – 17:00 Poster Session

17:00 – 18:00 Prizes & Conclusion & Socialize

 

Prizes

The best talks and posters will be chosen by participants’ vote on the day.

PDD 2019

 

Schedule

Date: Thursday 6th of June 2019

08:30 Registration and poster set up

09:00 Opening and welcome – Marie Walde, MDC

09:15 Keynote lecture: “Visualising the invisible”, Prof. Nenad Ban, ETH Zürich

10:15 Session 1 – Chair: Miguel Arbesu, FMP   

10:15–10:35 “Differential dynamic behavior of histone tails with in-vitro reconstituted nucleosomal arrays”, Stamatios Liokatis, Principal investigator, FMP

10:35 – 10:55 “Structural studies of mutants of the NaK channel”, Sonja Minniberger, PhD student, FMP

11:00 Parallel sessions:

• “Success through communication: how to communicate and network impactfully through social media”, Amani Said, Beyond the labs
• “Visual communications principles for scientific posters and presentations”, Philip Jordan
• Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, TBA
• CV check – Sandra Krull, Uwe Lohmeier, Stefanie Scharf, MDC Postdoc Office

12:00 Session 2 – Chair: Ying Chow, FMP

12:00 – 12:20 “Deep neural networks for interpreting RNA binding protein target preferences”, Mahsa Ghanbari, Postdoc, MDC/HU

12:20 -12:40 “A landscape of circadian and ultradian alternative splicing events in mammalian tissues”, Rukeia El-Athman, PhD sudent, Charité/FU/HU

12:40 – 14:00 Lunch & Poster Session

14:00    Session 3 – Chair: Guus Heynen, MDC

14:00 – 14:20 “Gene expression cartography”, Nikos Karaiskos, Postdoc, MDC

14:20 – 14:40 “Compartmentalisation insulates gene expression during embryogenesis”, Michael Robson, Postdoc, MPImg

14:40 – 15:00 “The translational landscape of the human heart”, Sebastiaan van Heesch, Postdoc, MDC

15:00    Coffee Break

15:30    Session 4 – Chair: Jean-Yves Tano , MDC

15:30 – 15:50 “Quantifying the Immunopeptidome with PLAtEAU”, Eliot Morrison, Postdoc, FU

15:50 – 16:10 “Image global, detect local”, Marie Walde, Postdoc, MDC

16:10 – 16:30 “Aquatic ecosystem effects of replacing large herbivorous wildlife with livestock in savanna landscapes”, Frank Masese, Postdoc, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)

16:30 Closing summary – Jean-Yves Tano, MDC

17:00 Evening reception & Awards
 

Prizes

The best talks and posters will be chosen by participants’ vote on the day.
Monetary prizes for best talks (750€, 500€, 250€).
4x travel grants (500€) for best posters.

Deadlines

Early bird registration: 01 April 2019.
Deadline for registration (abstract submission): 20 April 2019

PDD 2018

 

Schedule

Date: Friday 1 June 2018

08:30 Registration and poster setup

09:00 Opening and welcome by Lisa Wagner

09:15 Keynote by Michela Matteoli introduced by Tania López Hernández
    “A long journey with the synapse: from the SNARE function to the immune-synaptopathies concept”

10:15 Structure Biology/Development/Physiology session chaired by Antoine Wallabregue

10:15 Daniel Stöppler (FMP, FU)
    “Insight into small molecule binding to the neonatal Fc receptor by X-ray crystallography and 100kHz magic-angle-spinning NMR”

10:30 Jesse Veenvliet (MPIMG)
  “tGastruloids: a 3D culture system to model mid-gestational development in a dish”

10:45 Ian Orozco (MDC, FMP)
    “A gain of function mutation in the ClC-2 chloride channel causes hyperaldosteronism”

11:00 Career Development parallel sessions and Networking (coffee provided)
– CV check by Sandra Krull, Konstantina Diamantara, Hanna Singer, Stefanie Scharf
– Scientific visualisation by Philipp Jordan
– Grant writing workshop by Ioannis Legouras
– Meet the keynote speaker
12:00 Imaging session chaired by Lisa Wagner

12:00 Min-Chi Ku (MDC)
    “A heart/hard condition: Imaging the progression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy”

12:15 Baptiste Coxam (MDC, BIH)
    “Interplay of Notch signaling and haemodynamics controls arteriovenous remodeling in the zebrafish trunk”

12:30 Lunch

13:00 Posters

14:30 Systems Biology session chaired by Sebastiaan van Heesch

14:30 Katharina Baum (MDC and LIH (Luxembourg Institute of Health))
    “Gene expression at the interface of single cell and population dynamics – a quantitative approach to infer mRNA and protein dynamics from omics data”

14:45 Emanuel Wyler (BIMSB; MDC)
     “Dissecting the expression dynamics of signaling genes in HSV-1 infection using single-cell RNA-sequencing”

15:00 Katrina Meyer (MDC)
     “Mutations in disordered regions cause disease by creating dileucine motifs”

15:15 Frederick Rehfeld (Charité)
    “The novel RNA-binding protein ARPP21 controls dendritic branching by functionally opposing the miRNA it hosts”

15:30 Coffee with (optional) fitness session sponsored by Campus Vital

16:00 Neurobiology session chaired by Sarah Ashley

16:00 Zohreh Farsi (MDC)
    “Functional mapping of spontaneous and evoked neurotransmission reveals intersynaptic heterogeneity”

16:15 Maria Jäpel (FMP)
    “Clearance of SNARE Complexes by the scaffold protein intersectin”

16:30 Marion Rivalan (Charité, HU)
“Spontaneous differences in serotonin levels and associated behavioural symptoms in healthy rat individuals”

16:45 Tolga Soykan (FMP)
    “Towards a mechanistic model of formin-dependent synaptic vesicle endocytosis”

17:00 Closing summary, Beer hour starts

17:15 Awards

Prizes

The best talks and poster will be chosen by participants’ vote on the day.

The postdoc/final year PhD student giving the overall best talk will be awarded a full travel grant to a conference/training course of their choice. The maximum cost covered will be 2000 EUR.

The postdocs/final year PhD students giving the runner-up talks (3) will be awarded a half travel grant to a conference/training course of their choice. The maximum cost covered will be 1000 EUR.
The best poster will be awarded a Nikon camera.

Deadlines

Deadline for submitting abstracts for talks and posters is 1 May 2018.

Abstracts selected for a talk will be notified by 10 May 2018, at the latest.

Registration, for attendance only, is possible up till 25 May 2018.

PDD 2017

 

Schedule

08:30  Registration

09:00 Opening and welcome by Prof. Dr. Dorothea Fiedler (Director FMP Berlin)

09:30-10:30 Keynote speaker 1 Prof. Dr. Andreas Mayer (UNIL, Lausanne, CH)
Acidocalcisomes – active players in metabolism rather than simple storage organelles?
Introduction by Dr. Martin Lehmann (FMP)

10:30-11:00 Session 1: Mammalian Metabolism chaired by Dr. Elena Cano-Rincón (MDC)

Talk 1: Dr. Bharath Ananthasubramaniam (Charité, HU) – Synchrony and entrainment: The yin and yang of the mammalian circadian clock
Talk 2: Dr. Jane Reznick (MDC) – Fructose driven glycolysis supports anoxia resistance in the naked mole rat

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30-12:30 Session 2: Neurobiology chaired by Dr. Tolga Soykan (FMP)

Talk 3: Dr. Marta Maglione (FMP, Charité) – Spermidine protects from age-dependent structural and functional changes at hippocampal synapses
Talk 4: Dr. Mathias Böhme (FMP) – A modular active zone design supports presynaptic plasticity
Talk 5: Dr. Luis R. Hernandez-Miranda (MDC) – Identification of an essential brain centre for vocalisation
Talk 6: Dr. Tania López-Hernández (FMP) – Homeostatic control of brain function: Role of astroglia in neuroprotection

12:30-14:00 Lunch and Poster session

12:30-13:15 Posters odd numbers
13:15-14:00 Posters even numbers

14:00-15:00 Keynote speaker 2 Prof. Dr. Peter Seeberger (MPI Colloids & Surfaces, Potsdam, DE)
Preventing and Fighting Infectious Diseases: Carbohydrate Vaccines and Flow Chemistry
Introduction by Dr. Javier Moreno (FMP)

15:00-15:30 Session 3: Systems Biology & Genetics chaired by Dr. Sebastiaan van Heesch (MDC)

Talk 7: Sascha Willuweit (Charité) – For the greater good – Combining Y-chromosome, NGS and bioinformatics in forensics
Talk 8: Dr. Jordi Solana (MDC) – Cell type atlas and lineage tree reconstruction of whole adult planarians by single cell sequencing

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00-16:30 Session 4: Cardiovascular and cancer chaired by Dr. Claudia Matthäus (MDC)

Talk 9: Dr. Andre Rosa (MDC) – Blood vessels on the move: Deciphering and targeting actin dynamics driving cell migration in vascular formation
Talk 10: Samantha Exner (Charité) – Identification and validation of the angiotensin II receptor type 1 as a possible anti-cancer target in neuroendocrine tumours

16:30-17:30 Keynote speaker 3 Prof. Dr. Adolfo Saiardi (UCL London, UK)
Inositol phosphates: metabolism, signalling and evolution
Introduction by Dr. Wing Ying Chow (FMP)

17:30-end Award ceremony and get together at the Beer Hour 

Prizes

We had some pretty great prizes for you in 2017:

1x iPhone 6S with ExoLens® PRO with Optics by ZEISS Wide-Angle Lens (kindly provided by Zeiss); 3x Travel grants for a conference or meeting of choice (kindly provided by the MDC, FMP and BIH) and 1x Nikon 3D camera (kindly provided by Nikon). Also, we’ll give away 3×60 euro vouchers for Campus Vital to keep all of you (or, at least three of you) fit and happy!

If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate and contact us