The local committee in Trondheim organized a career day, shedding light on the transition from academia to industry. The event was open to IBA members and researchers from NTNU who were interested in exploring new career avenues. We were privileged to host five speakers who shared their personal experiences and insights regarding their own journeys into industry. They discussed their motivations and strategies for transitioning and provided comparisons between working in industry and academia. The speakers represented diverse backgrounds, including start-ups, big Pharma industries, development of medical devices, and animal health. At the end of the career day, a podium discussion was held, allowing participants to seek advice and clarify any remaining questions. During the subsequent lunch break, networking opportunities emerged, facilitating connections among the speakers, IBA members, and attendees. The event was a remarkable success, providing valuable guidance and fostering meaningful connections for attendees as they navigate their career paths.

This year`s Principles of Infection Biology course was arranged at Granavolden Gjæstgiveri  in Gran from June 5th to June 9th, 2023. 24 students from IBA and the Swedish National Doctoral Programme in Infection and Antibiotics research school (NDPIA)) traveled from all over to Granavolden, with their poster, to participate in the PIBs course and present their work.

The course provided lectures on basic concepts of infection biology spanning the disciplines of host-parasite interaction and infections caused by bacteria, eukaryotic microbes and viruses. 

Lecturers included international and national researchers of renown from different universities, such as the University of Tel Aviv, the University of Basel, Imperial College London, the University of Helsinki and many more. 

During the 5-day course, the students could learn basic concepts of infection biology but also build a network with each other and get to know their lecturers, who also stayed at Granavolden for a couple of days. The days were filled with lectures, great food, games, beautiful scenery, and cow petting.

We are delighted with this year and IBA´s last PIBs course. And we want to thank everyone who participated and made it a great week!

The IBA PhD committee organized a digital lecture by Henrik Herrebrøden on Tuesday the 13^th of December 2022. Henrik Herrebrøden is a psychologist with many years of experience helping athletes cope with pressure. Henrik gave many helpful tips on how to deal with failing and the pressure to always do well in academia. PhDs gathered locally to watch the lecture together and afterwards made holiday themed ornaments. The event was a great opportunity to mingle with other PhDs from the same university and get into the holiday spirit!

This year, IBA-Phd organized a short seminar for all IBA-Phd members focusing on mental well-being the day before IBA annual meeting (arranged by UiO in Oslo). The seminar covered a lecture about “mindfulness and imposter syndrome” and a YOGA session followed by team-building activity and dinner plan, where IBA-PhD’s interact and get to know each other more. The central theme of the seminar was to learn how to cope with situations where we struggle within academia and battle with imposter syndrome, anxiety, and stress. The speakers were reflecting upon their stories of failure and struggles and a strategy that they used to overcome these issues

We had Helga Eggebø, a researcher at Nordlandsforskning, talk openly about the issues that are recognizable for many of us but are still difficult to articulate. Also another speaker was Stian Grastveit, a professional cross-country skier until this year. He gave lectures on mental health and used his own experiences to show the public how we can create more inclusive and understanding environments that invite better performance. We also had a YOGA workshop and mindfulness session by Glød Yoga. The yoga session taught us how to relax and focus during working time, and all of the sessions were very engaging and inspiring.

During the PhD journey, sooner or later, the stressful phase comes where it’s easy to get a breakdown. Thus, this seminar aims to benefit PhD students concerning their mental health and peacefulness so that they learn how to handle struggling situations and create a friendly working environment. We had 21 physical participants of IBA-PhD members from UiB, UiT, NMBU, UiO, OsloMet and NTNU at the Nationaltheatret Conference centre in Oslo.