EUTOPIA Impact School 2023

In November 2023, the first EUTOPIA Impact School took place, organized by the Graduate Academy of TU Dresden. Under the motto „Science Communication und Science Slam“, 10 doctoral students and postdocs from all EUTOPIA partner universities received an exclusive training program on the topic of science communication.

During the three-day online workshop, participants had the opportunity to work individually on their scientific texts, give each other feedback and discuss ideas. In addition, they were introduced to the format of the science slam and finally created own video pitches to give all interested people an insight into their diverse research projects.

We clear the stage for the extremely creative and informative contributions of our EUTOPIA early career researchers!

WhatsApp wonders: Superhero women's digital adventures in Nigeria (Emilomo Joy Alawode, UPF)

WhatsApp wonders: Superhero women's digital adventures in Nigeria © Emilomo Joy Alawode

E. J. Alawode is a doctoral researcher in Communication at the University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. Her research aims to identify factors influencing women's choice of WhatsApp for economic activities in South-Western Nigeria, elucidate the relationship between social media literacy and WhatsApp usage in an emerging economy, and generate insights to maximise the benefits of the digital platform. The research aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), exploring the interplay between these goals and the significance of WhatsApp-mediated economic activities in bridging the digital divide while empowering women.

Aesthetics and politics of decolonial practices in contemporary dance (Lara Barzon, UoW)

Aesthetics and politics of decolonial practices in contemporary dance © Lara Barzon

Lara Barzon is a PhD researcher awarded by the EUTOPIA PhD Co-tutelle programme with an international doctorate in theatre and performance studies from the University of Warwick and in cultural studies from the University of Ljubljana. She is also an independent dancer and curator who collaborates with artists and institutions around the world.

A new therapy against ovarian cancer- treating ourselves with our cells (Aarushi Audhut Caro, VUB)

A new therapy against ovarian cancer - treating ourselves with our cells © Aarushi Audhut Caro

Aarushi Caro is a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Her research focuses on understanding the role of dendritic cells - the “security guard” cells of the immune system - in ovarian cancer. Her ultimate goal is to investigate the potential of using dendritic cells as a vaccine against this deadly disease.

Vibrations in museums: What a crash! (Loïc Forma, CYU)

Vibrations in museums: What a crash! © Loïc Forma

Loïc Forma defended his doctoral thesis at the University CY Cergy Paris in October. His thesis work is on the development of systems to protect cultural objects, usually displayed in museums. The focus here is particularly on protection against vibrations.

Collecting shrapnel for memories (Iris Ivaniš, UL)

Collecting shrapnel for memories © Iris Ivaniš

Iris Ivaniš is a fourth-year doctoral student at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Her field of research is Security Studies with a special focus in ontological security within memory spaces in post-conflict societies. Her doctoral thesis aims to answer how individuals in memory spaces (in this case, the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo) establish ontological security, or the sense of self-identity.

Greener future with green microalgae (Fatemeh Khosravitabar, GU)

Greener future with green microalgae © Fatemeh Khosravitabar

Fatemeh Khosravitabar is a plant physiologist at the University of Gothenburg, deeply devoted to interdisciplinary applied research. Her primary focus is on the generation of hydrogen energy (H₂) using green microalgae. Since initiating her work in this field during her PhD project in 2017, she has pursued her passion for green H₂ production with the ultimate goal of progressing step by step towards commercialization.

Redefining skin cancer treatment: Exploring innovative approaches beyond traditional chemotherapy (Giorgiana Negrea, UBB)

Redefining skin cancer treatment: Exploring innovative approaches beyond traditional chemotherapy © Giorgiana Negrea

Giorgiana Gabriela Negrea is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Integrative Biology, Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Her fields of research are oncology and immunology, in the Nanomedicine group of her supervisor, Prof. Dr. Manuela Banciu, Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Geology, Cluj-Napoca. Her thesis aims to better understand the complex metabolism of cancer cells.

Stem cells for preterm babies (Luis Rodríguez, TUD)

Luis Rodríguez is a (wrapping-up) PhD student at the TU Dresden. At the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, he works with stem cells from the umbilical cord of newborn babies. Luis, together with his colleagues of the Neonatology lab are working on a revolutionary stem cell-based therapy for the underdeveloped lungs of preterm babies. With the help of (their own) stem cells, their lungs might be able to reduce inflammation and scarring and continue growing outside of their mothers’ wombs.

Food from waste (Giancarmelo Stamilla, UNIVE)

Giancarmelo Stamilla is a PhD student at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. His research aims to develop a process for converting cellulose and cellulosic waste into sorbitol, a dietary sweetener, using carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a low cost and sustainable process.

How do bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics (Alicia Sentieiro Tostão, NOVA)

Alicia Tostão is a PhD student at NOVA University Lisbon. Her research delves into the mechanisms ensuring the robustness of penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Initially, it was believed that resistance depended not only on Penicillin-Binding Proteins (PBPs) but also on the production of non-ribosomal MurMN peptidyltransferases, responsible for peptidoglycan (PGN) ramification. However, preliminary data from her lab showed that mutants unable to ramify their PGN can regain penicillin resistance. Consequently, her research aims to elucidate the role of PGN ramification in pneumococcal resistance to penicillin and clarify its intrinsic mechanisms.