Speakers (2018)

Tanja Gabriele Baudson

Tanja Gabriele Baudson will speak about „The Responsibility of Science in and for Society“

The role of science in society is something that matters very much to her. This certainly played a role when she and the writer and director Claus Martin decided to initiate and coordinate the more than 20 „Marches for Science“ in Germany 2017 and 2018. For her involvement, she received the 10,000 € „Professor of the Year 2018“ award from the German Scholars Association (Deutscher Hochschulverband).

She is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg and currently serves as an interim professor for developmental psychology. Her award-winning research, teaching, and science communication includes giftedness, intelligence, and identity development.


Emilie Allaert

Emilie Allaert will speak about „Fintech: paving the way to a new era”

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, this is what comes to the mind on many of us when you speak about financial services. Emilie is helping traditional financial services adopt, embrace and learn more about the latest technologies. As she will explain, disruption is associated with Fintech, giving it potential to radically change the financial industry.

She is Head of Operations and Projects at The LHoFT Foundation (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology), a public/private sector initiative that drives innovation in Fintech (Financial Technology) in Luxembourg. Following a career in the financial industry as a consultant in regulatory and IT projects, she wanted to help find innovative solutions that deliver efficiency to the financial industry.


Silvia Vignolini

Silvia Vignolini will speak about “Colours with a twist

Nature’s brightest colours are created without any pigments or colourants, but they are made of transparent materials like  cellulose. Now, scientists can “twist” cellulose to fabricate brilliant colours which can be used as novel sustainable pigments safe for us and the environment.

She is currently a Reader in Chemistry and Bio-inspired materials whose research interest lies at the interface of chemistry, soft-matter physics, optics, and biology. In particular, her research focuses on the study of how natural materials are assembled into complex architectures within living organisms and how these architectures define the organism’s optical appearance.


Susanne Sommer and Helmut Wiland

Susanne Sommer and Helmut Wiland will speak about “Steering projects without long-term plans – Mission Impossible ? 

Classic project management has serious limitations, as we illustrate with an example that anyone understands. A radically different approach, so-called Agile methods, has the potential to overcome these limits. We explain the basics and give a brief taste of opportunities and challenges of Agile project management using examples from daily practice.

Susanne Sommer is a Mathematician, who has over 20 years experience in leading positions in software development and current member of the Executive Board at a German software company.

Helmut Wiland is a Computer scientist and Software architect with over 25 years of experience in research & software development.


Li Bennich Björkman

Li Bennich Björkman will speak about „Why Academic Freedom Matters

Can external incentives such as money, promotion or evaluations drive scientists to be more creative? The answer is no. Internal motivation, to work on puzzles chosen out of curiosity, is the secret. Academic freedom, not command or control, therefore becomes the only way to nurture scientific creativity.

She is a pioneer in many ways. In 2007, she became the first woman professor at the Department of Government at Uppsala University. The following year, she was the first woman appointed Skyttean Professor of Eloquence and Government, with an official residence in the 18th century building called Skytteanum. Ms Bennich Björkman is an untiring defender of academic freedom and long-term research projects.


Johannes Heuschkel

Johannes Heuschkel‘s talk will have the title „What I learned from tracking my mood, sleep and 27 other variables for one year“

Everyone knows that life is not always easy. It goes in waves. In this talk I want to share what I learned from one year of close self-observation. I want to bring awareness to omnipresence of ups and downs in life and how this can help you to create better days.

He is a psychology student in his 5th semester of the bachelor at the University of Luxembourg who also has experience in beatboxing, entrepreneurship and music production.


Paul Wilmes

Paul Wilmes will speak about „The ecology of the unseen

Our collective lifestyles are impacting the microbes in our gut. However, we do not understand their functions as most microbial molecules are currently unknown to Science. We are thereby changing the ecology of the unseen within us without understanding the likely repercussions in relation to human health and disease.

He is Associate Professor of Systems Ecology at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg, where he is Deputy Head of the Systems Biomedicine Department and Head of the Eco-Systems Biology research group. His main primary research focus is on using Systems Biology approaches to identify key functionalities of microbial communities including human associated microbiota.


Sara Rigon

Sara Rigon will speak about „How can you tell if someone is a virgin?“

As a primary care enthusiast, I strongly believe in universal coverage: access to quality essential healthcare services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. In the post-truth and fact-checking era we live in, my TEDx talk aims at shedding some light on the concept of virginity, which in some part of the world is still a matter of life and death.
She is a general practitioner/family doctor from Italy, registered to practice in Italy and New Zealand and a member of a European working group of primary care doctors who tackle health inequalities.

Richard Roberts

Richard Roberts will speak about „Healing by numbers

Strategies used in manufacturing are now being applied to healthcare: assembly line production, protocol-driven care, big data.  These strategies promise improved population health at lower cost.  Yet, linear production models can do great harm in healthcare.  This is especially true in primary care where most care is obtained and where custom solutions must be developed for each patient.

He is a Professor of Family Medicine and past Chair at the University of Wisconsin, where he practiced for 32 years as a family doctor in Belleville. A physician and a lawyer, his scholarship has focused on guidelines, evidence-based practice, patient safety and primary care redesign.


Marion Grace Woolley

Marion Grace Woolley will speak about “Those ‘click’ moments: defying formal education”

They say ‘life is short’, but it can feel extremely long if you’re stuck doing something you don’t enjoy. From my first career in sign language to building pianos in Rwanda, I’ve always been led by a little ‘click’ of fascination. We have never had greater access to life-evolving resources, yet our approach to education, and inspiration, remains stiflingly old-fashioned.


Chris Woolston

Chris Woolston will speak about “The great science experiment: Can young researchers survive the system?”

From galaxies to genes, we live in an age of discovery. But the people behind the breakthroughs are struggling. As a freelance science writer and a reporter for Nature, I’ve heard stories of overwhelming pressure, stress, and despair—the hallmarks of a broken system in need of repair. The future depends on science, but first we have to save the scientists.