This past May, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the FEBS Workshop 'Time-resolved spectroscopy meets time-resolved crystallography: the future of dynamic photobiology', in Pécs, Hungary, a beautiful, sun-soaked city that became a hub of scientific excitement for a few unforgettable days. Thanks to an IUBMB Transcontinental Youth Travel Fund grant, I was a part of this diverse and inspiring community of researchers working at the cutting-edge of dynamic photobiology. For me, this wasn’t just another conference; it was a chance to expand my thoughts about science and, in many ways, my future as a researcher.
Why I wanted to be there
I’m pursuing a joint PhD between IIT Kharagpur in India and the University of Melbourne in Australia, working on the DNA repair system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. My research sits at the intersection of structural biology and biophysics. I use tools like Cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and spectroscopy to understand how DNA double-strand breaks are repaired in bacteria. While these techniques have allowed me to uncover high-resolution snapshots of molecular machinery, I’ve often wondered: What about everything in between? What are we missing in the static images? What if we could actually watch these repair events unfold, step by step? That’s precisely what drew me to this workshop. It promised a deeper dive into time-resolved approaches, techniques that let us capture not just structure, but motion. I knew this was the direction I wanted to grow in.
Sharing my work
One of the most exciting moments of the workshop was getting to present my work during a Cryo-EM mini-session. My talk, “Bringing the ends together: Cryo-EM structures of prokaryotic Ku in complex with DNA define its unique role in NHEJ synapsis”, focused on the Cryo-EM structure we recently solved, revealing how the bacterial Ku protein bridges broken DNA ends during non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). I was a little nervous beforehand, but the audience’s energy was so warm and curious that I was quickly at ease. It was incredibly fulfilling to receive thoughtful questions and ideas from people working in adjacent fields, many of whom were seeing this kind of bacterial DNA repair machinery for the first time. That talk sparked several great hallway conversations. I came away with new insights into how time-resolved techniques might eventually help us capture the dynamic act of DNA end synapsis and repair in real time. (If you're curious, the talk is online: YouTube Link)
The talks that left a mark
The entire workshop was packed with incredible science, but two talks, in particular, really changed the way I think:
- Ulrich Lorenz introduced us to microsecond time-resolved Cryo-EM—a jaw-dropping method to visualize molecular transitions almost as they happen. I had read about it in papers, but hearing it explained with such clarity made it feel tangible and, for the first time, applicable to problems like mine.
- Thomas Lane took us through his work on time-resolved crystallography of light-driven DNA repair, showing real-time structural transitions triggered by light. It felt like watching a molecular movie. That talk made me wonder: could we one day use light-triggered substrates or clever caging strategies to time-lock the stages of NHEJ for dynamic imaging?
Both talks planted seeds I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
Beyond the lecture hall
Pécs was a dream. Nestled in southern Hungary, with cobblestone streets, cafes buzzing with students, and gentle hills in the backdrop, it was the kind of place where conversations flowed long after the day’s final talk. One of the highlights for me was how easy it felt to talk to everyone, from eminent professors to fellow PhD students. Break sessions with people across the globe, all working on different biological systems but sharing a similar sense of wonder about how proteins move and function. These informal exchanges were as enriching as the sessions, reminding me that science doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It grows in community.
What I took away
This workshop didn’t just introduce me to new techniques; it reshaped how I think about molecules and mechanisms. It made me realize that understanding biology isn’t just about the structures we solve, it’s also about capturing what happens in between. I returned with a notebook full of ideas: new experimental strategies, collaborations to explore and, most importantly, a motivation to stretch myself scientifically. I'm now serious about incorporating time-resolved approaches into my post-PhD research, perhaps even developing systems to monitor DNA repair events as they happen.
A note to fellow young scientists
If you’re a PhD student or early-career researcher considering whether to attend a FEBS course like this—go for it. You don’t have to be an expert in the field to benefit. These workshops are designed to open doors, introduce new ideas, and connect people across disciplines and borders.
I’m incredibly grateful to the IUBMB Transcontinental Youth Travel Fund grant for making this experience possible. It reminded me that science is both rigorous and joyful and that there’s always more to discover when we stay curious, collaborative, and open.
For more information about the FEBS Advanced Courses programme visit the FEBS website.
Top image provided by Joydeep Baral.