XFEL: Science Days 2025: The next researcher generation presents itself

Between poster sessions and fusion energy - European XFEL offers young researchers direct access to the international scientific community and unique opportunities to help shape cutting-edge research. The most recent proof of this is the annual "Students' and Science Days". At the three-day conference in Fintel in the Lüneburg Plains, 33 scientific presentations by PHD-students and researchers from European XFEL took centre stage.

Overview lectures by established researchers complemented the students' presentations.  Prof Dr Thomas Feurer, Chairman of the European XFEL Management Board, gave an outlook on how the world's largest X-ray research laser can significantly support research in the field of fusion energy. Among the speakers was Professor Dominik Kraus, researcher at the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, whose findings on the structure of liquid carbon obtained at the European XFEL had attracted worldwide attention. Students and established researchers alike benefited from the exchange of current research results and experiences from daily practice. The great mutual trust and openness of the participants is not least due to the joint work of both generations on the instruments and machines.

Another elementary component of the "Students' and Science Days" were the evening poster sessions, in which the students presented their results on display boards. The "EuXFEL 2025 Students' Day Poster Prize", which was presented by Thomas Feurer, was shared by Carolina Camarda and Zhangatay Nurekeyev. The jury was particularly impressed by the presentation of their results. Camarda's poster was entitled "Ferropericlase under extreme conditions: Experiments carried out at HED Scientific Instrument", while Nurekeyev dealt with "A role of dihalides in solvation dynamics of nascent halides".

The European XFEL programme for doctoral students and the promotion of young researchers plays an important role for European XFEL. This is also reflected in the figures: In 2024, a total of 39 PHD students were enrolled in the European XFEL PHD programme. Of these, 21 were fully funded by European XFEL, 11 others were active in programmes jointly funded with other institutions. Seven further positions were financed by third-party funds.

Numerous universities are associated with the programme. The University of Hamburg and other German universities account for the largest share, but there is an increasing number of collaborations with other universities, in line with our strategic goal of e actively engaging with the academic institutes in all of the shareholder countries.

Further information on the international European XFEL programme for doctoral students (PhD programme) can be found under this link.