When was the Biobio Junior Section established?

We have had a national junior representative in the FEBS Junior Section since September 2023. Our Biobio Junior Section was officially established in 2024. We welcome all bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students as well as PostDocs, irrespective of their research focus.

How many members do you have?

Since we are newly established, we currently do not know.

Do you have a specific structure?

Currently not. We will run some experiments to see which structure will work best for us in the future :)

What activities do you do?

Our first event will be a career panel, supported within the 60th anniversary activities of FEBS. We are planning to organize company visits and workshops, along with other career-related events and gather feedback on which formats and topics are seen as most helpful and interesting. We also aim to promote activities and funding opportunities offered by FEBS, FEBS Junior Section and other umbrella organizations of the Biobio Society (IUBMB, FEMS, IUMS, IUPAB and EBSA).

How do you fit into the Biobio Society?

All members of the Biobio Junior Section are members of the Biobio Society. The Biobio Junior Section can independently choose which activities to organize. The Junior Section activities are valued as extremely important within the Biobio Society, so our amazingly supportive Society board is always there to guide and help us.

Additionally, I – Anja Hartewig, as the current Chair of the Junior Section –  am also a board member of the Society. This means the interests of junior scientists are always heard within Biobio. It also ensures that the Society board is informed about our future plans and can assist us in the best possible way.

Do you have a budget?

Biobio Junior Section has a small annual budget. Especially in the beginning a part of the budget will be invested in our carefully designed promotional materials.

How do you recruit more members?

Since our Junior Section is started from a more 'top-down' approach, we aim to raise awareness of the Junior Section within our Society and find a suitable structure for members wanting to be involved in organizing our events. Additionally, we hope that our initial events will inspire people to join and suggest and plan more activities. We are also active on LinkedIn to promote ours and FEBS Junior Section's events.

What do you think motivates students and young researchers to volunteer for the Biobio Junior Section?

From a personal perspective, I was part of the junior-GBM in Germany (the Junior Section of the German Society) and I always enjoyed the welcoming research community and how easy it was to learn about fascinating research topics and discuss them with other scientists. I am also a firm believer that events for junior scientists have the most value when they are designed by junior scientists.

What are Biobio Junior Section aims for the FEBS Junior Section?

The exchange of knowledge is very valuable to us, especially regarding the establishment of national Junior Sections. It is also a great source of inspiration, e.g., about event formats. In addition, it is an exciting opportunity to meet and bring together junior researchers from various countries.

Photo by Ethan Hu on Unsplash