A Day of Science, Strategy, and Team Building: 2025 Group Retreat of Aydin Group

December 18, 2025

On December 18, 2024, our research group held a full-day group retreat, bringing together all team members for reflection, discussion, and forward planning.

The day began with an overview presentation by Dr. Erkan Aydin, summarizing the group’s achievements over the past year and outlining strategic plans and research directions toward 2026. This was followed by project overview presentations from our PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, who shared the current status of their work as well as potential future progress paths. These presentations stimulated lively discussions and collective brainstorming on new ideas and future projects.

We started the day with a special Cuppa Tea session, thoughtfully prepared by our British visitors Noah and Brooke, complete with a detailed SOP for proper tea preparation—which added both rigor and fun to the morning. Lunch featured a relaxed pizza break with excellent Italian pizza, providing a welcome pause and opportunity for informal exchanges.

To conclude the retreat, we visited Munich’s famous Christmas Market, where we enjoyed seasonal snacks, hot winter punch, and Glühwein, soaking in the true Christmas atmosphere together.

Overall, the retreat was a highly productive and enjoyable day that strengthened team spirit and helped shape our shared vision for the future. We hope to make this an annual tradition in the coming years, welcoming new team members as our group continues to grow.