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The STMM Summer Symposium provides a forum for debate and scientific exchange among doctoral students of all research areas within the Medical Faculty Mannheim, as well as from partnering institutions. Invited speakers will offer interesting insights into translational research.
Our next STMM Summer Symposium will take place on Thursday, July 16th, 2026.
Abstract submission is now closed, but registrations remain open for attendance only until July 10th, 2026: https://pretix.eu/uni-heidelberg/summersymposium-2026/.
We are looking forward to an exciting line-up that will showcase engaging science from early career researchers in neurosciences, oncology, bioinformatics, psychology, and many more.
Download Abstract Book
For full details of what to expect, please download the ABSTRACT BOOK. The booklet will be updated regularly in case of changes.
Full Program:
08:30 Registration opens
09:00 Welcome
09:05 Impulse talk: Understanding and Shaping Complex Systems: What can we learn from an emerging paradigm
Hosts: Lisa Wolf & Raenhha Dhami, CPD
Speaker: Dr Matti Heino (University of Helsinki and Centre for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health, UMM)
Matti T. J. Heino is a social psychologist working on behavioral science applications to crisis resilience and collective action. He holds a doctorate in social sciences from the University of Helsinki, with his dissertation "Complex systems and behaviour change science: Bridging far away lands" establishing foundational connections between these disciplines. His work examines facilitating distributed intelligence, preparedness strategies, and community responses to emerging threats.
09:50 Short talks selected from student abstracts.
Chair: Àlvar Farré-Colomés, ZI
Speakers: Abhinay Vellala, Omar Laham, Valentin Jost, Ihor Pachkiv
10:50 Coffee break
11:15 Poster session 1 with poster walks
12:15 Group photo
12:30 Lunch break
13:00 Poster session 2
First half-hour: odd numbers, Second half-hour: even numbers
14:00 Short talks selected from abstracts
Chair: Sebastian Keil, ZI
Speakers: Milad Amini Masouleh, Shadab Javanmard, Lotte Riehl, Adeoye Ewedemi, Ketrin Dimco
15:15 Coffee break
15:45 Poster awards
16:00 Keynote lecture: Developmental Origins of Medulloblastoma
Host: Dr. Amritha Sathyanarayanan, MEDMA & DKFZ
Speaker: Dr Lena Kutscher (Emmy Noether Junior Group Leader, Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ))
Dr Lena Kutscher’s group is investigating the developmental origins of pediatric brain cancer, using a combination of murine and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models. Research in her lab aims to gain a deeper molecular understanding of how progenitor cells typically develop and how pediatric tumors take advantage of these neurodevelopmental programs to drive tumorigenesis.
17:00 Closing remarks
Guidelines for speakers:
As the Summer Symposium is open to all early career researchers at the faculty and beyond, presenters should include at least one slide geared towards a broad audience. Please keep it accessible and simple, include more background than you usually would for a conference in your field, and explain your methodology for a lay audience.
Short talks will last 10-12 minutes plus 3-5 minutes for questions.
Please upload your slides until 12:00 (midday) July 15th into the following heiBox Folder: https://heibox.uni-heidelberg.de/u/d/1e34ff5380aa461abaae/
Guidelines for posters:
Our poster boards will fit posters in portrait orientation up to size A0. Pins are provided to mount posters to the boards. Mounting posters is possible from 08:30 onwards. Posters must be up by 11:00 am and need to be removed after the event, on the same day. Please note that the STMM cannot cover printing costs or print posters.
Inform yourself whether your institute or department has specific design guidelines (logo, font, …) that you should follow.
If you wish, you may also use the corporate design for posters provided by the FGV Zentrum: https://www.umm.uni-heidelberg.de/fakultaet/fgv-medienzentrum/download/
Whether this is your first poster or you just want a refresher, you can find a free online tutorial on the University of Heidelberg Graduate Academy's website - Nature Masterclasses: https://www.graduateacademy.uni-heidelberg.de/karriere/naturemasterclasses.html (Look for the course ‘Creating successful research posters’)
Poster award:
All posters will be evaluated for a poster award:
- Best scientific poster: evaluated by a jury of principal investigators, this award is given for scientific merit. Jury members will be assessing all posters during a poster walk, where authors will have the opportunity to explain their research. One award will be given for each poster session.
- Best poster design: evaluated by the audience, this award is given for visual appeal, clarity, and design. All registered participants will receive a unique token to vote online for their top three posters.