"Last time I was standing here I was defending my PhD thesis", Zerrin Üzüm started her presentation at the second Alumni Meeting of the graduate schools Jena School for Microbial Communication and International Leibniz Research School. Currently, Zerrin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and was happy to share her experiences after obtaining her PhD degree in Jena with the audience of former and current doctoral researchers.

Zerrin was not the only one feeling nostalgic about being back at Jena. Thirteen graduates talked about their job experiences inside and outside of academia and gave valuable advice to the PhD students. During the World Café and after the talks, many questions about job search, applications and requirements were answered. The day ended in a relaxed atmosphere with a Thuringian barbecue.