Dear GROW researchers,

 

We invite you to join our bi-annual PhD retreat to further develop your knowledge and skills! We are excited to announce our final programme, filled with interactive presentations that will help develop your skills in your PhD programme and beyond. Join us for a day of learning tailored to your future career paths, with an alumni meet and greet and workshops on data visualization, scientific storytelling, integrity in research, and more. 

 

Some of our workshops include:

Dominique Meyers, Scientific Storytelling

Unlock the power of storytelling to elevate your scientific communication. This engaging workshop will guide you through the essentials of crafting a compelling narrative—from identifying the goal of your story and understanding different story types to exploring the science behind storytelling. You’ll learn how to structure an impactful storyline, apply key storytelling criteria, and tailor your message to different stakeholders.

The workshop culminates in an exciting contest, where winners will receive exclusive coaching from Dominique to refine their presentations for Science Day. Join us to transform your research into a story that resonates and inspires.

Irene van den Broek, Data Visualization

In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the key elements of effective visualization of research data and concepts. We will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of how the human brain perceives visual information and learn how common design principles can support a better and quicker understanding of your main message. Therefore, we’ll discuss the differences between exploratory and explanatory visualization and how the context (who, what, why and where) defines the type and focus of your visual.

Using plenty of examples and exercises, participants will experience how small changes in design can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of visual communication. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a better understanding of how to effectively communicate complex information to different types of audiences.

GROW Alumni, Alumni Plenary

• Gabriel Paiva (PhD Health/Medical Physics) is a researcher at Maastricht University dedicated to bridging the gap between modelling and validation to advance the clinical implementation of new technologies in radiotherapy.
• Ruben Larue (PhD at Maastro Clinic) is a Senior Clinical Research Specialist at Medtronic, focused on the clinic and medical device industry. 
• Debby Hellebrekers (PhD at the Department of Pathology) is a laboratory specialist in clinical genetics at Maastricht UMC+. She researches genetic variants of mitochondrial diseases. 
• Frits van Osch (PhD Epidemiology) is a clinical epidemiologist at VieCuri Medical Center. He provides advice and guidance for all scientific studies that are conducted at VieCurie Medical Center and collaborates on multiple epidemiology research projects. 

The retreat will take place on Thursday, March 27th, 2025 at Tapijnkazerne 20. Do not miss out and register here! The event is free of charge, because we consider it a valuable investment into your personal development, but registration is mandatory.

 

** Note: There is no car parking available inside the Tapijnkazerne for this event. 

We look forward to meeting all of you in person again and hope to see you March 27th!

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via secretariaat-grow@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

 

Best wishes,

Team GROW!