PhD Retreat 2025
Two days of research collaboration, workshops and community building
On 8–9 September 2025, the PhD students from our Department of Finance gathered at Kloster Fischingen for their PhD retreat. The program is designed to foster meaningful connections, support scientific growth, and strengthen the department’s research community.
The two-day retreat offered a mix of academic research collaboration, personal development, and networking opportunities. A particular highlight was the impulse talk by Prof. Neeltje van Horen on resilience and mental health in academia and a finance seminar on mortgage borrowing & inequality. Another mentionable highlights include a science communication training with Cornelia Kegele to provide participants with practical tools to share their research effectively with different audiences and insights on financial databases with Remko Smid & Eckart Jäger. Over the two days, PhD students took part in poster sessions and group workshops to share ideas and explore future research opportunities together.
Besides the academic program, the retreat also offered time for informal exchange and community building. The PhD students took part in outdoor activites, including a hike in the surrounding area with chances to talk with peers and faculty members.
Big thanks to Sarah Wikus for organizing this PhD retreat, and to our professors for their time and valuable contributions: Francisco Amaral, Thorsten Hens, Felix Kübler, Steven Ongena, Per Östberg, Zacharias Sautner, Alexander Wagner, Yucheng Yang
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