Building Bridges in Research: Young Researchers Driving International Collaboration  

The Marseille-TReND team Rita Sleimen-Malkoun, Julia Jakubowska, Victoria Trifonova, and Jean-Jacques Temprado recently welcomed Dr. Marie-Léa Rousseau (Office for Science and Technology, French Embassy in Germany) and Pierre-Jérome Adjedj (Sur Mesure Berlin) to the Institut des Sciences du Mouvement (Aix-Marseille University & CNRS) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the PHC/PPP program. 

This visit sparked engaging discussions on the central role of young researchers in international collaborations, from the PHC/PPP project “Dynamics of Neurobehavioral Aging” (2017–2018, co-led by Prof. Claudia Voelcker-Rehage and Dr. Rita Sleimen-Malkoun) to the ongoing MSCA Doctoral Network TReND (2024–2028). The exchange was complemented by demonstrations of the experimental setups in Marseille dedicated to studying and training cognitive-motor interactions. A short video of the visit will be shared soon! 

A great opportunity to reflect on past achievements and future perspectives in collaborative research! 

🧠👩🏽‍🔬Girls’ Day event at the Institute of Sports and Exercise Science in Münster

As part of the Girls’ Day event at the Institute of Sports and Exercise Science in Münster, two of our TReND PhDs, Dilşah Gençaslan and Sofía Avila Pérez, opened the doors of the Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise Lab to a group of 16 schoolgirls (aged 13 – 16), giving them a hands‑on glimpse of scientific research in sports science. The Girls’ Day is a nationwide initiative in Germany that introduces young women to careers and study fields where women still represent less than 40 % of the workforce, such as IT, natural sciences and engineering.

During the visit, the girls explored sports science research and were introduced to experiments currently conducted by Sofia and Dilsah, which are used to study motor and neuronal variability. The exchange with the girls was a refreshing change of pace for both PhDs and underscored the importance of communicating science to diverse audiences. A big thank you to Sofía and Dilşah and for sharing their work and answering the girls’ questions.