The second Fellows Forum, The Berlin University Alliance Fellows Club Meets... the Einstein Center Population Diversity (ECPD), took place on Wednesday, June 11th in the Festsaal of Humboldt Graduate School. In addition to hosting the Fellows Club and researchers from ECPD, the Forum welcomed Einstein Foundation Fellows and Fellows of Stiftung Charité. The event included a welcome by BUA Spokeperson and President of Freie Universität Prof. Dr. Günter M. Ziegler, who underlined the Alliance's strategic commitment to welcoming and supporting international and visiting researchers to its institutions, as well as an introduction to the mission and work of ECPD by Co-Director Prof. Dr. Michaela Kreyenfeld.

Also featuring a panel discussion titled Methods of Inclusion: Designing Research for a Plural World and moderated by Dr. Sarah Bellows-Blakely of FU Berlin's Margherita von Brentano Zentrum, the Fellows Forum brought together international and Berlin-based researchers to exchange about the challenges and opportunities for inclusive research design across scientific disciplines. BUA Fellows Dr. Fariha Azad of TU Berlin and Dr. Matthias König of HU Berlin showcased their research on quantum physics and computational approaches to healthcare, respectively, in dialogue with ECPD sociologists and demographers Dr. Lara Bister and Prof. Dr. Michaela Kreyenfeld. The panel discussion shed light on the demand for reflection on how developments in the physical and life sciences can contribute to and magnify existing social inequalities and the pressing need to promote integrated, transdisciplinary collaboration to uncover inclusive and responsible methodologies.

The Fellows Forum event series aims to provide a welcoming atmosphere for new and established Fellows within the Berlin University Alliance and its Clusters of Excellence and to foster collaboration. A catered networking reception followed the panel, in which participants exchanged about both their ongoing work and their favorite spots for newcommers to Berlin using a city map and pinboard. 

With a focus on research as well as professional and personal experiences of Berlin as a science location, the Fellows Forum combines insightful contributions with discussion and networking opportunities. In this way, the event series helps to create a forum to support exchange and networking within the unique and international BUA community of the Fellows Club.

The Fellows Forum takes place at least twice a year. The next meeting will take place in autumn/winter 2025. Further information will be published as soon as it is available.