Access: alumni, press

An exclusive exhibition tour followed by an informal get-together for returning alumni and members of the press.

17:00 - 18:00 – Exhibition tour

18:00 - 20:00 – Get-together

Welcome to the 12th Heidelberg Laureate Forum!

Please take your seats by 14:45.

Pêdra Andrade & Michael Bonfert
Masters of Ceremonies

WELCOME ADDRESSES

• Rafael Lang
  Chairperson of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation
  Co-President of the Klaus Tschira Stiftung
• Dorothee Bär
  Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space
• Petra Olschowski
  Minister of Science, Research and Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg
• Frauke Melchior
  Rector of Heidelberg University
• Anna Wienhard
  Scientific Chairperson of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation
• Agnes Szmolenszky
  Executive Director and Member of the Board of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation

MEET THE YOUNG RESEARCHERS

THE AWARD-GRANTING INSTITUTIONS

• Yannis Ioannidis
  President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Hiraku Nakajima
  President of the International Mathematical Union (IMU)
• Annelin Eriksen
  President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (DNVA)

INTRODUCING THE ALUMNI

Music by the saxophone quartet Balanced Action

Access: all participants

Spark sessions are blocks that include several short plenary "Spark Talks" (10-15 minutes) by laureates. Here they give insights into their current research projects, discuss their work and spark inspiration for new ideas and problem-solving approaches.

Moderator: Tom Crawford
Dr Tom Crawford is a Mathematician at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge with ’30 million views on YouTube. He holds the position of Public Engagement Lead at the Department for Continuing Education, as well as teaching undergraduates at St Edmund Hall and Robinson College. You may also recognise him from Numberphile - the largest maths channel on YouTube - as well as through his own work with Tom Rocks Maths. To learn more about Tom’s outreach work head to tomrocksmaths.com.

• Sanjeev Arora: Will There Be a Superhuman AI Mathematician?
• Manjul Bhargava: Hilbert's 10th Problem (or: Is There an Algorithm to Solve Equations in Integers?)
• David Silver: Era of Experience
• Madhu Sudan: Quality Control in Sublinear Time
• Richard S. Sutton: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

(Speakers are listed in alphabetical order.)

Digital twins are poised to reshape the future of healthcare by providing detailed, virtual replicas of individual human physiological systems. In this talk, I will focus on my work developing vascular digital twins – personalized computational models of the circulatory system that allow us to study blood flow and vascular health in unprecedented detail. These models enable noninvasive assessments of diseases such as stenosis and open the door to proactive care by predicting how a patient’s condition may evolve and how different interventions might help – or harm – before decisions are made in the clinic.

Creating and applying digital twins at scale requires solving some of the most demanding problems at the interface of mathematics, computer science and medicine. I will discuss the challenges of handling petabyte-scale data streams, the need for algorithms that can operate over millions of heartbeats, and the computational burden of real-time simulations. I will show how advances in high performance computing, machine learning, and data compression make it possible to move from reactive diagnostics to continuous, remote monitoring. Finally, I will explore how wearable sensors and immersive technologies like virtual reality can enhance the utility and accessibility of digital twins, bridging the gap between complex simulations and practical clinical decision-making.  By bringing together rigorous modeling, massive computation and real-world medical impact, vascular digital twins illustrate how mathematical and computational innovations can directly transform patient care.

Each year, the HLFF showcases exhibitions centered on mathematics or computer science as part of the HLF program. Here, we present the various exhibitions featured during this year's HLF:

MAINS on Tour
Running parallel to the 12th HLF, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation presents a selection of interactive exhibits that are on display at the Mathematics Informatics Station (MAINS) as part of the exhibition “Secret!”, created by the Mathematikum Giessen. The success story of modern, mathematically based cryptography began soon after the Second World War. Without these new methods and asymmetric cryptography, today's internet applications, electronic payment systems, mobile communications, digital tax returns and general data protection would not be feasible, and in some cases even unimaginable. But secrets are also very important in everyday life: They range from simple hiding places, such as a key under the doormat, to private diaries and agreements, contracts or wills that need to be protected from unauthorized persons. The interactive exhibition invites visitors to explore these topics.

The exhibition is open Sunday, September 14 through Thursday, September 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is located in the Senate Hall of the Old University, Grabengasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg (entrance via the University Square).

Wild Dynamics
Additionally, we are presenting the exhibition “Wild Dynamics” by Pierre Berger, a mathematician from the IMJ-PRG research institute in Paris. Using interactive computer simulations and metal sculptures, he explores the fascinating behavior of “wild” dynamical systems, which are difficult to describe using traditional statistical methods.

“Wild Dynamics” is located at the MAINS on Tour exhibition.

Intercultural Science Art Project
This exhibition hosts artworks created by young researchers attending the HLF. The works are inspired by the artists’ research or scientific interests and are brought to life through the prism of the artists’ own culture. The Intercultural Science Art Project is an initiative created and managed by mathematician, science communicator and HLF alumnus Demian Nahuel Goos, who created it as a meeting point for arts and science. Co-managing the project is Clara Kümpel, an HLF alumna, computer scientist and Master’s student from ETH Zürich.

The exhibition is located on the second floor of the New University building.

Join our HLF alumni and experts during the lunch break for an informal exchange dedicated to a specific topic.

• Work-Life Balance & Mental Health: Akhil Arora, Nwamaka Okafor
• How to HLF: Michael Bonfert, Jie Li
• Diversity in STEM: David Nkansah, Clara Kümpel

What is the fastest way to get to know as many people as possible? Meet fellow participants and wire the network that could lead to connections that not only last throughout the 12th HLF but have the potential to extend beyond.

30 pre-selected young researchers have the opportunity to present their research in a condensed poster format. While the posters are continuously displayed throughout the week, the poster flash will feature young researchers presenting their work in rapid-fire two-minute presentations. During the subsequent poster session, participants can browse the various posters and directly engage with the young researchers in order to discuss their work.

30 pre-selected young researchers have the opportunity to present their research in a condensed poster format. While the posters are continuously displayed throughout the week, the poster flash will feature young researchers presenting their work in rapid-fire two-minute presentations. During the subsequent poster session, participants can browse the various posters and directly engage with the young researchers in order to discuss their work.

Access: laureates, young researchers, alumni, press, guests by invitation only

Closing out the first full day of the HLF, attendees meet for dinner at the Schwetzingen Castle. 

Spark sessions are blocks that include several short plenary "Spark Talks" (10-15 minutes) by laureates. Here they give insights into their current research projects, discuss their work and spark inspiration for new ideas and problem-solving approaches.

Moderator: Tom Crawford
Dr Tom Crawford is a Mathematician at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge with ’30 million views on YouTube. He holds the position of Public Engagement Lead at the Department for Continuing Education, as well as teaching undergraduates at St Edmund Hall and Robinson College. You may also recognise him from Numberphile - the largest maths channel on YouTube - as well as through his own work with Tom Rocks Maths. To learn more about Tom’s outreach work head to tomrocksmaths.com.

• Jeffrey A. Dean and David A. Patterson: Shaping AI’s Impact to Help Billions
• Leslie G. Valiant: Education and Educability

(Speakers are listed in alphabetical order.)

Mathematics and computer science are multi-faceted. There are many different exciting research topics, and also many different paths to a successful and fulfilling research career in mathematics and computer science. In this Kaleidoscope, our moderator, Ulrike Tilmann, Vice President of the International Mathematical Union and Director of the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge, will show us several facets, by interviewing our three special guests, Alicia Dickenstein, Corinna Ulcigrai and Rachid Guerraoui and letting them give us a glimpse into their research.

Moderator: Ulrike Tillmann
Ulrike Tillmann is a mathematician who has worked in topology, K-theory, and non-commutative geometry. Her work on moduli spaces has been motivated by problems in quantum physics and string theory, while some of her recent work addresses challenges in data science. She was awarded the LMS Whitehead Prize, the Bessel–Humboldt Forschungs Preis, and elected an inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and the Alan Turing Institute, a fellow of the Royal Society and a Member of the Leopoldina. Born in Germany, Tillmann attended her local grammar school. With the help of a Wien Scholarship she studied at Brandeis University and later received her PhD from Stanford University.  Following a post-doctoral position in Cambridge, she spent most of her career in Oxford and Merton College. Currently she is the Rothschild & Sons Professor and Director of the Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge. 

A former member of the Council of the Royal Society (2017-2020), during which time she also served as interim Vice President. She has chaired the Royal Society's Education Committee since 2020.

Alicia Dickenstein
Alicia Dickenstein is Professor Emerita at the University of Buenos Aires and Senior Research Fellow at CONICET. She is the recipient of the 2015 TWAS Prize in Mathematics, the 2021 L'Oréal-UNESCO International Prize "For Women in Science", the 2023 Platinum Konex Prize in Mathematics, and the Solomon Lefschetz Medal 2025 awarded by the Mathematical Council of the Americas. She is President of the National Academy of Exact and Natural Sciences of Argentina and served as Vice President of the International Mathematical Union.

Corinna Ulcigrai
Corinna Ulcigrai’s research focuses on the mathematical investigation of chaos, in particular in 'slowly chaotic' systems. She received, among other awards, the European Mathematical Society Prize, the Whitehead Prize, and the Brin Prize for Dynamical Systems and was a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians. Born in Italy, she studied at Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa) and at Princeton University (USA). She is currently a Mathematics professor at Universität Zürich, Switzerland.

Master Classes
Closed smaller lectures for young researchers only, running parallel to one another.

• Manjul Bhargava: Cyclic Numbers
• Jeffrey A. Dean: Important Developments in Modern AI and How They Led to Today's Models and Capabilities
• Madhu Sudan: Sublinear Algorithms
• Richard S. Sutton: SuperIntelligence from Experience
• Robert Endre Tarjan: Data Structures
• Leslie G. Valiant: Educability

Workshops
Closed Workshops: Alumni and other experts provide practical tools and guidance for young researchers only. There are a variety of workshops to choose from, all of which run parallel to one another.

• Lonni Besançon: Is Science Self-Correcting?
• Anwesha Das: What if Data-Driven Insights are no More Helpful? What Other Interesting Factors Could help in Efficient Sustainable Computing?
• Arran Fernandez: Internationalism & Quality in Mathematical Research
• Tom Geller: "Lights, Camera, Panic" – Facing the camera and getting your message across
• Christian Muise: Research Imagination
• David Nkansah: Mathematical Myths and Monologues – Storytelling with a Mathematical Twist

Join our HLF alumni and experts during the lunch break for an informal exchange dedicated to a specific topic.

• AI Ethics, Governance and Safety: Siddharth Mehrotra, Chevarra Hansraj
• Mentorship: Thomas Espitau, Calistus Ngonghala
• Real-World Impact of Research: Tenindra Abeywickrama, Arran Fernandez
• DAAD Lunch: Carsten Walbiner

It’s hard to keep up with all the tools that machine learning offers mathematics and theoretical science. It’s also hard to avoid the hype that tends to swirl around ML. Two panels of mathematicians and scientists who have pioneered the use of ML in their disciplines will discuss how they navigate these challenges. 

The first panel will focus on mathematics research, in which proof assistants are enabling collaborations of a scale never before seen, while experimental mathematics and pattern-discovery algorithms are revealing new links between seemingly unrelated areas. 

The second panel will focus on physical science, where ML provides fresh methods of simulation, of data analysis, and of effective descriptions of phenomena. 

But some worry that these advances are not unequivocally good. ML may exacerbate biases in the data, shift how the research community assigns value to problems, give tech companies undue influence over pure research, and steer science away from its traditional goal of low-dimensional explanation. Will humans continue to be the protagonists of discovery, or will we one day be reduced to training and querying models like modern-day oracles?

Moderator: George Musser
George Musser is a science journalist based in New York. He is a contributing editor to Scientific American and Nautilus magazines and a contributing writer to Quanta magazine. As a senior editor at Scientific American, he shared in two National Magazine Awards, and his writing has also won awards from the American Institute of Physics and American Astronomical Society. He has written four books on fundamental physics and its intersection with philosophy, neuroscience, and A.I., most recently Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation. He did his undergraduate degrees in mathematics and in electrical engineering at Brown University and his graduate work in planetary science at Corne

Maia Fraser
Maia Fraser is a professor of mathematics at the University of Ottawa and member of the university’s Brain Mind Research Institute. She works in both pure mathematics and machine-learning theory. She also develops artificial-intelligence tools for research mathematics and was an editor of the Bulletin of the AMS special issue, “Will machines change mathematics?” She directs a program across four Canadian universities to support graduate students at the intersection of mathematics and A.I. In the early 2000s, she worked in high-performance computing at Supercomputing Systems in Zurich.

Javier Gómez-Serrano
Javier Gómez-Serrano is a professor of mathematics at Brown University. He studies partial differential equations, computer-assisted proofs, and the interaction between machine learning and mathematics. He has contributed to long-standing problems in fluid dynamics and is now working with Terence Tao and Google DeepMind to develop AlphaEvolve, a coding agent for discovering advanced algorithms. His work has been recognized by the MCA Prize, an Aisenstadt Chair and the Antonio Ambrosetti Medal.

Yang-Hui He
Yang-Hui He is a fellow at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences. He also holds honorary positions at Merton College of the University of Oxford, at the University of London and at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. He works at the interface between geometry, number theory and string theory. In 2017 he applied deep learning to topological invariants of Calabi-Yau manifolds and, in 2022, introduced the murmuration conjectures – arguably the first nontrivial A.I.-assisted discovery in mathematics.

It’s hard to keep up with all the tools that machine learning offers mathematics and theoretical science. It’s also hard to avoid the hype that tends to swirl around ML. Two panels of mathematicians and scientists who have pioneered the use of ML in their disciplines will discuss how they navigate these challenges. 

The first panel will focus on mathematics research, in which proof assistants are enabling collaborations of a scale never before seen, while experimental mathematics and pattern-discovery algorithms are revealing new links between seemingly unrelated areas. 

The second panel will focus on physical science, where ML provides fresh methods of simulation, of data analysis, and of effective descriptions of phenomena. 

But some worry that these advances are not unequivocally good. ML may exacerbate biases in the data, shift how the research community assigns value to problems, give tech companies undue influence over pure research, and steer science away from its traditional goal of low-dimensional explanation. Will humans continue to be the protagonists of discovery, or will we one day be reduced to training and querying models like modern-day oracles?

Moderator: George Musser
George Musser is a science journalist based in New York. He is a contributing editor to Scientific American and Nautilus magazines and a contributing writer to Quanta magazine. As a senior editor at Scientific American, he shared in two National Magazine Awards, and his writing has also won awards from the American Institute of Physics and American Astronomical Society. He has written four books on fundamental physics and its intersection with philosophy, neuroscience, and A.I., most recently Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation. He did his undergraduate degrees in mathematics and in electrical engineering at Brown University and his graduate work in planetary science at Cornell University.

Thea Klæaboe Åarrestad
Thea Klæaboe Åarrestad is a fellow at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics at ETH Zürich. She applies machine learning to particle physics, especially to discover new physics phenomena in real time. She works on programmable hardware to perform low-power, nanosecond inference for analyzing proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Her work has been recognized with the European Physical Society Young Experimental Physicist Prize and an SNSF Ambizione Grant.

Kyle Cranmer
Kyle Cranmer is the director of the Data Science Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a professor of physics. His framework for collaborative statistical modeling contributed to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. His current interests are at the intersection of physics, statistics and machine learning. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and has also been recognized by the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, the National Science Foundation’s Career Award and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

Maia Fraser
Maia Fraser is a professor of mathematics at the University of Ottawa and member of the university’s Brain Mind Research Institute. She works in both pure mathematics and machine-learning theory. She also develops artificial-intelligence tools for research mathematics and was an editor of the Bulletin of the AMS special issue, “Will machines change mathematics?” She directs a program across four Canadian universities to support graduate students at the intersection of mathematics and A.I. In the early 2000s, she worked in high-performance computing at Supercomputing Systems in Zurich.

David Silver
David Silver leads the reinforcement-learning team at Google DeepMind. He is also a professor at University College London. He led or co-led projects that played Atari games directly from pixels, defeated a world champion in the game of Go and defeated professional StarCraft players. He also contributed to AlphaFold, the program that solved the protein-folding problem, and AlphaProof, which achieved a medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad. His work has been recognized by the ACM Prize in Computing, Marvin Minsky Award, Mensa Foundation Prize, Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal, ACM Fellowship and Royal Society Fellowship.

After an inspiring day capped by our Hot Topic panel on Machine Learning, we invite you to close the evening on a different wavelength – one measured in beats, not bytes. Join fellow attendees for currywurst & karaoke, where algorithms give way to anthems, the sausages (vegan or not) are as spicy as the discussions and the only thing being optimized is good company. Whether you’re here to sing, snack, or carry on discussing the day’s topics, we look forward to ending the day on a high note with you!

Laureates: Visits to local schools

Young Researchers: Science Hub Showcase
Young researchers are given the opportunity to learn about some of the renowned scientific institutes and companies in Heidelberg and the surrounding region. This helps young researchers expand their professional network and discover the wide range of employment opportunities for mathematicians and computer scientists as well as broaden their international perspective and get authentic insights into local solutions.

• Aleph Alpha GmbH
• Ameria AG
• BioQuant
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
• German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
• Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS)
• NEC Laboratories Europe
• Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics
• Paretos GmbH
• SAP SE
• Schloss Dagstuhl
• Springer Nature
• The Research Station Geometry + Dynamics and the Heidelberg Experimental Geometry Lab HEGL

Dock at Heidelberg Convention Center

Boarding: 13:30-14:00
Boat Trip: 14:00-18:00

Party on the boat with music by Grenzenlos Musik.

Spark sessions are blocks that include several short plenary "Spark Talks" (10-15 minutes) by laureates. Here they give insights into their current research projects, discuss their work and spark inspiration for new ideas and problem-solving approaches.

Moderator: Tom Crawford
Dr Tom Crawford is a Mathematician at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge with ’30 million views on YouTube. He holds the position of Public Engagement Lead at the Department for Continuing Education, as well as teaching undergraduates at St Edmund Hall and Robinson College. You may also recognise him from Numberphile - the largest maths channel on YouTube - as well as through his own work with Tom Rocks Maths. To learn more about Tom’s outreach work head to tomrocksmaths.com.

• Vinton Gray Cerf: Digital Preservation
• Patrick M. Hanrahan: The Languages of Mathematics and Computing
• Martin Hellman: Graphs in Cryptography
• Torsten Hoefler: The Computational Path Towards Artificial Human-like Intelligence
• Subhash Khot: Approximating Constraint Satisfaction Problems
• Leslie Lamport: Why Programs Should Have Bugs

(Speakers are listed in alphabetical order.)

I will describe some recent ideas and results about a natural random structure made of random independent loops in space. I will use this example to try to illustrate how basic experiences, dreams and unanswered questions from childhood (in this case about how gravity could actually "work") can sometimes stimulate and shape the work of researchers much later in life. 

Master Classes
Closed smaller lectures for young researchers only, running parallel to one another.

• Jack J. Dongarra: An Overview of High-Performance Computing
• Torsten Hoefler: Next-Generation High-Performance Networking for AI & HPC
• Subhash Khot: Probabilistic Checking of Proofs and Hardness of Approximation
• Bảo Châu Ngô: Langlands Program
• Jeffrey David Ullman: Big-Data Algorithms That Are Not Machine Learning
• Avi Wigderson: Randomness – the Utility of Unpredictability

Workshops
Closed Workshops: Alumni and other experts provide practical tools and guidance for young researchers only. There are a variety of workshops to choose from, all of which run parallel to one another.

• Michel Bonfert: Improvisational Theater – Collaborate to Create Something Big
• Thomas Espitau: An Introduction to Lattice Cryptography
• Shifani Dilrukshi Gamage: Crafting Strong Research Papers: Writing Compelling Methods, Analyses, and Results with Clear Contributions
• Chevarra Hansraj: The Mathematical Structure of Black Holes
• Jie Li: Career in Academia or Industry? Managing Time, Passion, and Money
• Janelle Mason: The Current State of Surveillance: How Will Society be Affected by Future Advancements in
  Tech and Biometrics?

Journalist Workshop

• Anna Maria Hartkopf: How Does Science Journalism Succeed in Mathematics and Computer Science? – Research and Practice at MIP.labor

Join our HLF alumni and experts during the lunch break for an informal exchange dedicated to a specific topic.

• Culture Exchange / International Connections: Bootan Rahman, Ashish Rauniyar
• Career Development: Christian Muise, Lonni Besançon
• LLMs and Their Effects: Anwesha Das, Håkon Fredheim
• Science & Journalism: Demian Goos, Manon Bischoff

To signify the close bond between the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and the Heidelberg Laureate Forum, each year a laureate is selected to give a guest lecture at the respective meeting.

This lecture will discuss the application of visible light photocatalysis to the discovery or invention of transformations that will be conceptually or synthetically valuable (and sometimes, hopefully, both).  We will describe why a healthy balance of reaction discovery and mechanistic understanding has been important to the development of a field of research that is now being widely adopted in medicinal chemistry settings.  In particular, we will discuss the application of photocatalysis to the development of new metallaphotoredox coupling reactions involving S_H2 mechanisms, a development that we hope will have an impact on the discovery of new biologically relevant molecules. Finally, we will examine an exciting recent application of photoredox catalysis in my group; namely, the high-resolution µ-map technology, which provides a powerful means to probe biological pathways at the subcellular level.

Young researchers have the opportunity to engage directly with laureates in a small group setting. These sessions are exclusive to young researchers and provide a more personal atmosphere for effective discussion.

Please make your way to the Kulturbrauerei (address: Leyergasse 6). It is within walking distance of Heidelberg University (5-10 minutes).

Access: laureates, young researchers, alumni, press, guests by invitation only

A Bavarian Evening with folklore, dancing, as well as the tapping of the keg with the traditional cry of "O’zapft is". Featuring the Bayern- und Gebirgstrachten Verein e.V. Heidelberg.

In 2020, a group of theoretical computer scientists posted a paper on the Arxiv with the strange-looking title "MIP* = RE", impacting and surprising not only computational complexity theory but also some areas of math and physics. Specifically, it resolved, in the negative, the "Connes' embedding conjecture" in the area of von-Neumann algebras, and the "Tsirelson problem" in quantum information theory. You can find the paper here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.04383. 

As it happens, both acronyms MIP* and RE represent proof systems, of a very different nature. To explain them, we'll take a meandering journey through the classical and modern definitions of proof. I hope to explain how the methodology of computational complexity theory, especially modeling and classification (of both problems and proofs) by algorithmic efficiency, naturally leads to the generation of new such notions and results (and more acronyms, like NP). A special focus will be on notions of proof which allow interaction, randomness, and errors, and their surprising power and magical properties. 

The talk will be non-technical, and requires no special background.

This panel invites its panelists and the audience to reflect on challenges faced – in particular, by young researchers – related to scientific integrity, publishing, transparency in research and quality research practices. 

These can be especially acute when considering elements such as career pressure and expectations for early-career researchers.

The panel will examine some efforts that have previously been undertaken to ensure science integrity and promote principles of Open Science, as well as how these might alleviate some of the larger difficulties. The panel will further explore possible avenues by which the scientific community can realistically begin to collectively address some of those challenges, in particular how young researchers can actively contribute to such efforts.

Moderator: Benjamin Skuse
Benjamin Skuse is a freelance science & technology journalist and bid writer, with 15 years’ experience in the scientific publishing industry. Since a BSc and PhD in Mathematics, and MSc in Science Communication, he has worked as an editor for IOP Publishing and science & technology magazines, written ~600 features for major popular science outlets, and secured funding for dozens of innovative tech SMEs. 

Lonni Besançon
Lonni Besançon is an Assistant Professor of Visualization at Linköping University, Sweden, a 2023 fellow and local lead for ASAPBio, a Scientific Node Coordinator for the Swedish National Visualization Infrastrure InfraVis, and the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Visualization and Interaction (JoVI). He obtained his PhD from Université Paris Saclay under the supervision of Tobias Isenberg from Inria and Mehdi Ammi from LIMSI/CNRS. He specializes in two primary research areas: developing and studying new interaction techniques for volumetric data visualization and employing innovative visualizations to enhance statistical data interpretation. He is also dedicated to methodological improvements in research particularly in detecting and mitigating questionable research practices and enhancing the transparency, robustness, and reusability of research results and materials. Notably, his sleuthing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic have garnered international recognition with scientific outlets such as Science and Nature acknowledging his contributions and portraying him as a "dogged critic" (Science), or a "research-integrity sleuth” (Nature).

Yukari Ito
Yukari Ito is a Professor and Deputy Director of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) at the University of Tokyo. Her research is in algebraic geometry, especially singularity theory. Ito received her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Tokyo and she held a postdoctoral position at Kyoto University. She has taught at Tokyo Metropolitan University and Nagoya University. She received a Takebe Special Prize in 2001. She is now a member of the Science Council of Japan and President of Asian-Oceanian Women in Mathematics (AOWM). She is also a mentor in the HLFF Inspiring Minds project.

Eunsang Lee
Eunsang Lee, PhD, is a data analyst with a background in computational chemistry and academic publishing. Throughout his academic career as a computational chemist, he actively contributed to the scientific community as an author and reviewer. In 2023, he joined Springer Nature’s Research Integrity group, where he analyses large-scale publishing data to identify patterns and detect potential fraud in manuscript submissions. Eunsang also contributes to developing screening tools that uphold scientific quality and integrity. His work bridges data analysis and research integrity, supporting the reliability of scholarly communication. 

Young researchers have the opportunity to engage directly with laureates in a small group setting. These sessions are exclusive to young researchers and provide a more personal atmosphere for effective discussion.

Join an interactive, fast-paced networking and idea-sharing format designed to tackle the big questions facing science, technology and your career. In themed rooms, you’ll rotate through three creative rounds at each table: Challenge Circle (define the problem), Solution Circle (brainstorm practical steps), and Wild Ideas Circle (rethink the rules). Topics include moving from academia to industry, entrepreneurship, the future of research, science in society and belonging in the global research community. Each round’s top ideas will be shared in a closing panel discussion. Let’s shape the future – one Post-it note at a time.

Join our HLF alumni and experts during the lunch break for an informal exchange dedicated to a specific topic.

• Women in Science: Shifani Dilrukshi Gamage, Pêdra Andrade, Janelle Mason

Access: laureates, young researchers, alumni, press, guests by invitation only

The last evening at the Heidelberg Castle serves as a grand finale after a week full of compelling exchange, networking and interaction between laureates and young researchers. The evening will feature a blend of highlights from the week as well as a look towards the future.