On May 13, the Northern Lights Summit 2022 took place at the Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. As the name of the event suggests, several "northern lights" (i.e., those hailing from Northern Germany) such as Professor Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock from the University of Hamburg and Professor Claudia Buengeler from the University of Kiel attended with their teams.
Even if our team from the WHU campus in Düsseldorf does not belong to the "northern lights" geographically, we were also invited due to our long-standing scientific cooperation.
After a brief introduction by Professor Niels van Quakebeke, eight PhD students had the opportunity to present their research projects throughout the day. Together, we discussed theoretical approaches, statistical methods, and study designs – always aiming at further developing the scientific papers.
Aside from the academic exchange, we were also happy to engage with each other in a more informal setting. For instance, during Lunch & Learn, we combined lunch with a Q&A session on scientific careers. In this setting, Professor Niels van Quakebeke, Professor Prisca Brosi, Professor Christian Tröster, Professor Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, Professor Claudia Buengeler, and Professor Fabiola H. Gerpott shared their paths and detours that led them to their successful academic careers.
Over the past two years, collaborating with other scientists was often limited to the virtual space – and it worked well. However, when it comes to informal interactions, it can be helpful to meet in person. We were very happy to spend this day in Hamburg and are already looking forward to the next Northern Lights Summit!