Five NDP‑VIP Members Attend Career Workshop and National Virology Meeting in Heidelberg

Photo of the participating NDP-VIP members, from left: Preeti Moar (UMU), Kiran Vilas Dhobale (UMU), Hao Wang (GU), Magdalena Neijd (LiU), and Colores Uwamariya (GU).

Through NDP‑VIP’s collaboration with the Junge Gesellschaft für Virologie (jGfV), five of our members travelled to Heidelberg to participate in the ACHIEVE career‑development workshop and the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Virology (GfV) in March 2026. The initiative aimed to support early‑career virologists in strengthening both their scientific and professional development.

The ACHIEVE workshop provided focused training on career planning, CV preparation, and grant writing, while also offering insights into diverse career paths across academia and industry. Participants described the event as both inspiring and timely:

“I really appreciated the diversity of career paths presented during the workshop… The CV session was particularly valuable,” said Colores Uwamariya (University of Gothenburg).
Hao Wang (University of Gothenburg) added: “Attending this workshop came at the perfect time for me… and really helped clear the options for my future career path.”
Kiran Vilas Dhobale (Umeå University) highlighted the practical benefits: “The workshop was particularly beneficial in strengthening my skills in CV preparation, grant writing, and identifying funding opportunities for virologists.”

Following the workshop, the group joined the GfV’s annual meeting which is one of Europe’s larger virology conferences. The programme featured keynote lectures, short talks, poster sessions, and opportunities for both structured and informal networking.

Several participants presented their research during the conference, gaining valuable exposure and feedback. Magdalena Neijd (Linköping University) shared:

“I was very nervous about presenting one of my PhD projects as an oral presentation, but it was a memorable experience… A highlight was listening to Nobel Prize laureate Charles Rice share the story of his life’s work on hepatitis.”

The scientific breadth of the meeting left a strong impression on the group. Preeti Moar (Umeå University) noted:

“The breadth and scope of the scientific program were truly impressive… Overall, it was a valuable and inspiring experience!”

Together, the workshop and conference offered a unique combination of skill‑building, scientific exchange, and international networking. The collaboration with jGfV continues to strengthen NDP‑VIP’s mission to support early‑career virologists and expand access to high‑quality training environments across Europe.