Symposium

A Joy of Mutual Intellectual Stimulation

Branco Weiss realized how important knowhow transfer is – across different disciplines and across different levels of seniority. He therefore made it a prerequisite for all fellows to meet once every year to enable them to profit from the peer mentoring the fellowship offers. This is why Branco Weiss Fellows meet every year in November for a three-day symposium.

The Branco Weiss Fellowship Symposium 2016 at Hotel Zürichberg in Zurich, Switzerland

Many Branco Weiss Fellows will agree that the annual symposium ranks as the highlight of their academic year. It is unique, because the fellows get to discuss their research in front of a highly diverse audience. Ideas and projects are presented in a way that is lucid – and fascinating – for peers from across many disciplines, who are likely to ask questions that have never been raised before.

The symposium is also unique because of its atmosphere of camaraderie and exchange. There are no cliques, and new fellows are immediately embraced by their peers. Questions raised after talks are challenging and stimulating, but never assertive or offensive. What comes across throughout the whole symposium is the sheer joy of mutual intellectual stimulation.