Training at the roots of evo-devo: 1st ZooCELL graduate school report

By Vishnupriya Ardlanandan

Jena has long been a place where science, curiosity, and creativity meet. At the venerable Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU Jena), the institution where the 19th century biologist Ernst Haeckel studied and later taught, twelve enthusiastic graduate students gathered from 15th to 17th September 2025 for the first ZooCELL Graduate School.

The programme opened with a warm welcome by the host Andreas Hejnol, Director of the Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. And the day kickstarted with a set of engaging sessions on science outreach led by Carsten Lüter, Siri Kellner (Head of education/outreach at the Naturmuseum St Gallen- Switzerland), Heloise Dufour (Director of Le Cercle FSER), and Uwe Moldrzyk (Head of Exhibition Development at the MFN, Berlin-Germany). These discussions encouraged us to think creatively about how to communicate science beyond the laboratory.

Speakers of the ZooCELL outreach workshop, Carsten Lueter (left) and Siri Kellner (right)

In the afternoon, Graham Budd delivered an insightful talk on presentation skills, offering practical strategies for structuring and delivering scientific talks. This was followed by a hands-on bash training session with Sanja Jasek, where we were introduced to essential command-line tools.

The second day, we welcomed the ZooCELL EC project officer for our mid-term evaluation. She introduced us to key elements of EC rules, regulations, and expectations, helping us better understand the broader framework of our network. Each doctoral candidate gave a short presentation of their research, offering an exciting glimpse into the diverse scientific questions, organisms, and methods that shape the ZooCELL network.

Picture: The ZooCELL crew at the Jena Philetisches Museum.

The final day focused on reflection and personal development. We began with a session on critical thinking. Each doctoral candidate selected a logical fallacy and presented a short, creative chalk-talk explaining it, turning abstract concepts into lively, memorable discussions. It was followed by a seminar on scientific misconduct delivered by the EMBL Scientific Ombuds Team. The last training session was a resilience workshop led by Sonja Noss, who guided us through strategies for navigating stress, setbacks, and the pressures of academic life. To conclude the graduate school, Andreas Hejnol led us on a tour of Haeckel House, the historic home of Ernst Haeckel.

Picture: Students and PIs enjoying the “Electrum Mundi – Amber Worlds” exhibition at the Jena Philetisches Museums

Shots from the Haeckel house in Jena. Left: Collage of cealing paitings and wall papers. Right: paintings featuring the “fathers” of evolutionary biology (from left to right: Lamarck, Goethe, Darwin, Haeckel.

Ernst Haeckel, one of the founders of evolutionary and developmental biology (evo-devo), as well as a pioneering zoologist and illustrator, worked in Jena for most of his life, and his historic home now forms part of a museum preserving his scientific drawings, specimens, and collections. For a network like ZooCELL, which studies cellular diversity and evolution across organisms, visiting this museum offered a meaningful connection to the roots of comparative zoology and evo-devo research in Jena.