Inspiring Connections at the 2024 Branco Weiss Fellowship Symposium

This November 2–5, the Branco Weiss Fellowship Symposium brought together nearly all current fellows for an engaging annual gathering. Branco Weiss himself envisioned these gatherings as a cornerstone of the fellowship, fostering meaningful exchange and collaboration. This year’s event continued that legacy, bringing together fellows and key staff, including members of the directorate, administrative team, and communications specialists. Distinguished guests included former fellowship leaders Olaf Kübler, Peter Chen, and Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach, as well as alumni network leader George Slavich, who flew in from Los Angeles. Emeritus professors on the interview panel added further depth to the event.

A significant change in leadership marked this year’s symposium. Detlef Günther, long associated with the fellowship through his role as ETH Vice President for Research, took over as a new member of the directorate, succeeding Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach, who retired. In the administrative team, Veronika Jakobi stepped into Sonja Isliker’s role and oversaw an immaculately organized event that included a more relaxed agenda, complete with a hike up Zurich’s iconic Uetliberg.

The symposium looked to the future with presentations from seven newly inducted fellows, whose projects underscored the diversity and depth of the fellowship. In addition, three outgoing fellows – Renana Gershoni-Poranne, Marie Kolkenbrock, and Anna-Sophia Wahl – offered their final presentations as active participants.

Interactive sessions, such as poster presentations by fellows from the call of 2022, provided an opportunity for discussion and knowledge sharing. This year’s symposium was also accompanied by the filming of a new corporate video about the fellowship. It is expected to debut on the website later this year.

The annual Branco Weiss Lecture, titled “Making Memory,” explored the multifaceted concept of memory across disciplines. Featuring Branco Weiss Fellows Julia Merkenschlager, Sito Torres-Garcia, and Robert Baines, and alumna Anna-Sophia Wahl, the lecture explored the formation, storage, retrieval, and loss of memory. It demonstrated the interplay of physiological, cellular, genetic, and artificial intelligence perspectives. An outstanding moment came when a robot developed in Robert Baines’ lab captivated the audience, including ETH Rector Günther Dissertori and other dignitaries, with a dynamic stage performance.

Watch this year’s Branco Weiss Lecture

Read more about the annual Symposium