SNI PhD School Specialization with an insight into various fields A key part of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute’s mission is to train excel- lent young nanoscientists who are capable of working at the interfaces between various disciplines in order to tackle the challenges of the fu- ture. Founded in 2012, the SNI PhD School ensures that, every year, it turns out early career researchers who are not only specialists in their subject area but also have a broad understanding of topics outside their own discipline. This is achieved through a combination of the interdisciplinary events of the SNI network and courses developed specially for the SNI PhD School. In 2024, the revised “From Lab to Startup” workshop also featured in the program for the first time, giving doctoral students the chance to experience the first steps in founding a startup based on spe- cific concepts that they developed themselves. A total of 40 doctoral students were enrolled in the SNI PhD School in 2024, almost 25% of whom were women. Seven doctoral students successfully completed their doctoral dissertations in 2024. Six new dissertation projects were approved in 2024 and will begin in 2025. Of the 60 SNI doctoral students who have completed their dissertations so far, around 70% were employed in industry at the end of 2024. In addition, almost 30% of former SNI doctoral students are employed at research institutions or federal offices. 16 SNI Annual Report 2024