Conference Events
Highlights of the events organized by the ECR Committee at the 2026 SFRR-E Annual Meeting in Mainz
The SFRR-E Annual Meeting took place in Mainz from 3–5 June 2026, bringing together researchers from across the world for several days of outstanding science, networking, mentoring, and collaboration. The ECR Committee organised a variety of activities dedicated to early-career researchers (and not only), and we would like to thank everyone who joined us and helped create such a welcoming and energetic atmosphere throughout the meeting.
EXPOHEALTH Symposium
The conference week began with the EXPOHEALTH Symposium, which focused on the health impacts of environmental and lifestyle risk factors. The symposium brought together researchers from diverse disciplines, showcased leading research initiatives based in Mainz, and supported the participation of young scientists through 10 dedicated Travel Awards.
It was a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, establish new collaborations, and set the stage for exciting days of redox science.
ECR Fellowship Presentations
A particular highlight was the opportunity to hear from our ECR Fellowship awardees, Vanesa Cepas López (University of Turin) and Tim Baldensperger (University of Vienna). Both presenters shared exciting results from their ECR fellowship projects and demonstrated the creativity, dedication, and scientific excellence that characterise the next generation of redox researchers. Congratulations to both fellows on this well-deserved recognition and on their inspiring talks!
ECR Mentoring Lunch
Our annual mentoring lunch once again provided a valuable opportunity for mentors and mentees to connect in person during an informal and relaxed setting.
Over lunch, participants discussed career paths, scientific challenges, funding opportunities, and life inside and outside the laboratory. It was wonderful to see conversations flowing so naturally between researchers at different career stages, with many attendees leaving the session with new contacts, fresh perspectives, and practical advice for the next steps in their careers.
ECR Networking Event
The ECR Networking Event was once again a crowd favourite!
As tradition dictates, participants first collected our famous redox stickers before forming teams for the evening's challenge. This year, teams were tasked with creating imaginative grant proposals inspired by sticker keywords, leading to an impressive collection of creative, ambitious, and occasionally delightfully absurd research ideas.
It was inspiring to see how quickly complete strangers became teammates, collaborators, and friends. The room was filled with laughter, scientific brainstorming, and plenty of friendly competition. Most importantly, the event provided an opportunity for researchers from across the world to connect and strengthen the growing international ECR community.
ECR Symposium: Principles of Compartmentalized Redox Signaling across Kingdoms
This year's ECR Symposium showcased the remarkable breadth of compartmentalized redox signaling research across different biological systems.
The symposium featured outstanding presentations from José Manuel Ugalde (University of Bonn), Ilaria Sorrentino (Carlos III University of Madrid), and Laura de Cubas Landaluce (DKFZ), covering plant, mammalian, and yeast biology, respectively.
The interdisciplinary nature of the session generated lively discussions and demonstrated how similar redox principles can be explored across very different kingdoms of life.
Meet the Professors session
Immediately following the networking activities, ECRs and senior researchers gathered for our annual Meet the Professors session.
This year, participants were challenged to use information displayed on specially designed name tags to discover surprising facts about fellow attendees. The activity quickly broke the ice and sparked conversations across career stages.
From unexpected hobbies to unusual life experiences, participants uncovered fascinating stories about one another while building new professional connections. The atmosphere was relaxed, friendly, and full of laughter, and the session seemed to end far too soon. Judging by the number of conversations that continued long afterwards, it was a great success.
Young Investigator Awardees and SFRR-E ECR PhD Symposium Awardees Presentations
The meeting concluded with outstanding presentations from the recipients of the Young Investigator and ECR PhD Symposium Awards, highlighting some of the most exciting emerging talent within the redox community.
Young Investigator Awardees
Ana Mata (Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa), Anna Migni (University of Perugia), Aseel Saadi (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Lara Rodríguez Outeiriño (University of Galway), Lisa R. Knoke (Ruhr University), Marie Jakešová (Brno University of Technology), and Radosveta Gencheva (Karolinska Institutet).
ECR PhD Symposium Awardees
Lucas Carvalho (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Shani Doron (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and Valentin J. Kapferer (Friedrich-Alexander University).
Congratulations to all awardees on their excellent presentations and achievements!
Celebrating Excellence at Mainz 2026
The Gala Dinner provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of researchers across our international redox community. We were delighted to see so many talented scientists recognised for their outstanding contributions.
SFRR-E Young Investigator Award Winners: Rayen De Fazio (Argentina), Charlie Boutin (Canada), Meiling Wu (Hong Kong), Eugenio Barone (Italy), and Jose Casas-Martinez (Ireland).
Elsevier Award Winners: Laura Gemmo (Italy) and Beatriz Paiva (Portugal).
OCC Award Winners: Manuela Hidalgo (Spain) and Carine Kader (Germany).
WIN YIA Award Winners: Irene Canovas-Cervera (Spain) and Lea Strohm (Germany).
Congratulations to all award recipients. We are excited to follow your future contributions to the field of redox biology and medicine.
The ECR Committee would like to thank everybody who joined us in Mainz, took part in our activities, and contributed to the friendly and collaborative spirit that defines our community. We loved seeing so many new and familiar faces connecting, exchanging ideas, and supporting one another. We look forward to seeing you all again at the next SFRR-E meeting in Porto!
