IMPRS Retreat 2026: Science, Exchange, and Team Spirit

This year’s retreat of the IMPRS Mathematics in the Sciences took participants to Torgau. A total of 35 PhD researchers attended, joined by group leaders Nikolay Barashkov and Bian Wu, as well as research coordinator Jörg Lehnert. In addition to scientific exchange, the retreat focused in particular on team building and key aspects of good scientific practice.

As in previous years, the doctoral students presented their work in 30-minute talks, offering insights into their current research which made up a large part of the program. A special highlight on the first evening was the “IMPRS Unplugged” session, during which new members who joined the program in August 2025 were introduced by their peers.

The second evening featured an interactive “Pub Quiz" focusing on aspects of good scientific practice. Questions covered topics such as the structure, processes, and responsibilities within the IMPRS program, as well as broader issues including data protection guidelines, FAIR data principles, and scientific publishing, for example on arXiv.

Alongside the academic exchange, participants also had the opportunity to explore the beautiful surroundings. A guided visit of Torgau was organized by Sebastian Bürger, who, as a local, provided lively insights into his hometown—many thanks for that!

The retreat concluded with a joint visit to the Felix Klein Colloquium at Leipzig University with colloquium talk and presentation of the Teubner Science Prize to Professor Luigi Ambrosio of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.

See you next year!