In 2024, seven SNI doctoral students successfully complet- ed their dissertations, having carried out the corresponding experi- mental work at the Biozentrum, at the Departments of Chem- istry and Physics of the University of Basel, at the FHNW School of Life Scienc- es, or at the Paul Scherrer Institute. SNI doctoral students noscience in the Snow” Winter School. In 2024, this Interdisciplinary networking event featured extended talks by the invited experts on nanomagnetism, surface chemistry, molecular Successfully defending their doctoral dissertation is biological methods, and the advantages of a doctor- the crowning glory for all doctoral students. By this ate on the startup scene. Likewise, broad-based train- point, they have been fully integrated into research ing for doctoral students is supported by initiatives groups at various departments of the University of such as the startup workshop that was recently in- Basel (Biozentrum, Chemistry, Physics), the Paul corporated into the program or the course on com- Scherrer Institute PSI and the University of Applied munication or rhetoric. SNI events that are held on Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), as well a yearly basis, such as the Annual Event and the as having overcome numerous hurdles during their NanoTec Apéro, also play a key role in ensuring that dissertations and proving that they can deal with the young early career researchers are ideally complex challenges independently. Over the past equipped to continue their professional careers at few years, they have gained a wealth of technical the interfaces between different disciplines. knowledge in their specialist field and successfully presented their results to relevant expert audiences through talks and publications. At the same time, doctoral students at the SNI “I found the SNI PhD School to be an ex- PhD School have not only built up a network within tremely valuable experience, involving a their field of research, but have also become part of lively exchange of ideas and interdisciplin- the interdisciplinary SNI network. They have grap- ary opportunities not only for further devel- pled with subjects well beyond their field, immersed opment but also to look beyond one’s own themselves in other research topics, and discussed horizons and for networking.” ideas with researchers from other disciplines. They Annika Huber, have also learned to explain their research to a dis- former doctoral student at the SNI PhD School cerning non-specialist audience through numerous events organized by the SNI team, such as the “Na- 20 SNI Annual Report 2024