Participation in the Seeon Angioscience and Young Investigator conference, Germany

Applicant: Sanjay Sunil Kumar
FB 13 - Biology, PhD Student

The Seeon Angioscience and Young Investigator conference took place from September 20th to September 24th 2024 in the Kloster Seeon Monastery in Seeon-Seebruck Bavaria. The main goal of the conference since its inception in 2002 was to facilitate the interaction of established scientists and early-stage researchers in the context of vascular biology in a scenic setting. The meeting boasts various sessions cutting across different dimensions of Angioscience – the research of blood and lymphatic vessel networks in development and disease.
One of the highlights of the conference was the platform given to the young investigators, such as myself and the opportunity to present my work to my peers. I was selected for my work on the discovery of a novel regulator of lymphatic development and disease. I received a lot of interest for my talks and was appreciated for my imaging as well as the novelty of my work. The young investigator meeting also meant that I had the opportunity to see what my peers were working on. There was some fantastic science on display and I have no doubt that the future of vascular biology and Angioscience is in safe hands. The addition of career sessions for early-stage researchers provided valuable information for people intending to pursue a career in science.
The main conference itself was a spectacular display of novel and inspiring scientific talks. There were talks ranging from vascular anomalies in humans to fundamental questions about vessel development given by established scientists from all around the world working with multiple different model organisms. I was able to gain a lot of insight into the field while simultaneously actively contributing to the discussion and the progress of the community. During the main conference I also presented a poster about my work on Lymphatic development and disease. The poster was well appreciated and I gained positive feedback that will actively shape my research story. Ultimately, my poster was recognized by the organizers and the Angioscience community and I received an award for my poster. I am extremely grateful to the Santander-Mobility Fund for providing me this opportunity and I would recommend this program to other young scientists as well.