- Retreat 2004
The 4th postdoc retreat was held in Blooming Hotel in Bergen this year. The postdoc committee is proud to mention that the retreat is developing from an institutional (NKI-AVL) issue through a regional event (Amsterdam/Utrecht) and maybe, in the future, to an even wider spread meeting. We have tried to compose a balanced program of science career perspective, training, information, networking and discussion in an informal setting. Both the program and all the abstracts can be found in the book. If you have answered the question "how can I direct my career?" a key component of the retreat has been accomplished. | Photo Gallery >>
- Keynote
Science: a profession or hobby?!
Yvette van Kooyk works in the department of Molecular Cellbiology and Immunology at the VUmc in Amsterdam. After doing her PhD and a postdoc in Immunology at the NKI, she moved to the group of Carl Figdor in Nijmegen where a number of ground breaking discoveries on dendritic cells made her career really take off. Today she is a professor at the Free University where her group studies the cellsurface molecules on dendritic cells, which regulate their immuno-modulatory capacity. In this keynote lecture, Yvette tells about her career, what it takes to become succesful, and the role of women in science. | Keynote Presentation >>- Science
- In the science session, Els Goumy, Jasprien Noordermeer, Frank Grosveld, Donna Albertson, and John Quackenbush presented both their scientific work as well as the story behind their careers. Learn about their success, the decisions they made in their careers, the nice and not so nice sides of working in science, and what the role and prospects of postdocs from their own experiences.
- Click the icon to download the powerpoint presentation.
- Grants
- In the grant session, Wim Vooijs from the Dutch Cancer Society, Margreet Brandsma from NWO. and Guido Leerdam from the VUmc liaison office presented how to obtain grants for both your research. They discussed the possibilities for funding postdocs and beginning group leaders, the requirements one have to fulfill, how to apply, the different rules and selection criteria.
- Click the icon to download the powerpoint presentation.
- Workshops
In conjunction with Blooming training, the retreat participants had the opportunity to take a workshop during the thursday morning session. One could choose from two tracks, communication or management. In groups of about twenty people, the first focused on communication techniques, the role of the different persons within a conversation, how to prepare for presentations, etc.
The management track dealt with the different aspects of leadership and running your own group. Both sessions left the participants with many tips and helpful techniques.- Poster Pub
Both on wednesday and thursday evening the participants of the retreat had the opportunity to present their own work in the poster sessions. While enjoying a nice cold beer, people had the opportunity to informally discuss not only the science, but also all other things that keeps a postdoc busy. All abstracts of the posters can be found in the abstract book- Info-Market
In the friday morning mini-workshops / info-market, people from all kinds of disciplines presented their work, and kindly answered the questions that were raised. Representatives from different fields, including the educational and private sector, the journalism and publisher world, and policy makers, demonstrated the numerous job possibilities a postdoc has besides fundamental or academic research.- Politics
The retreat was concluded by a political forum discussion about the current situation for Postdocs in The Netherlands. The panel consisted of Cornelis van Bochove from the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, Robert Kaptein, Secretary General of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Gerard van Beynum, chairman of the BioPartner Network, Frank Grosveld, independent group leader at the Erasmus University, and Kees de Lange, chairman of the National Organisation for Academic Personnel in the Netherlands, while the discussion was led by Paul Wouters, journalist and editor of "Onderzoek Nederland". Many questions were raised, important issues like the problems with the "flexwet" brought to the attention of the Dutch policy makers, and numerous suggestions made to improve the future prospects for postdocs.
Photo Gallery
Enjoy the photos taken at the 2004 retreat in Hotel Blooming in Bergen of the poster sessions, the different speakers, the workshops, info-market, discussions, and much more...
Carl Figdor give some great tips on how to give presentations. He shows discusses how to prepare, what to do and what not to do, plus many helpful suggestions.
René Bernards discusses why biomedical researchers scientists should interact with Biotech companies, and why there is both more need and opportunity for translational research.
Anton Berns talks about the difference between commercial and academic research, and if the two should be combined or not. He also explains how the NKI facilitates the spin-off of new biotech companies from an academic environment.
