The Distinguished Lecture Series isn’t unique to CISPA, it is also a common practice of scientific exchange at other universities and institutions. Can you briefly explain what the idea behind it is?
Krikamol: The idea is that researchers who are already established in their field come to CISPA to give us insights into their work and career path, sharing a part of the experience and wisdom they have gained. This is a great opportunity, especially for PhD students and postdocs, to connect with top researchers in their field.
Wouter: It’s also fantastic for us as Faculty to have such experienced colleagues share their vision – and perhaps even the passion for what they do – with us. Often, the conversations that follow turn out to be even more exciting than the lectures. Our guests are in high demand on those days because many young and experienced researchers want to meet them. It’s simply a great opportunity to receive valuable and important advice.
What are the lectures about, and are they only intended for researchers in the same field?
Wouter: They usually focus on the bigger picture. These are more akin to keynote talks than traditional lectures – they can be retrospective as well as future-oriented. Often, they explore how research fields have developed or what the researcher thinks where they are headed. The broader focus is what makes these talks so valuable and inspiring.
Krikamol: Yes, that’s true. The idea isn’t to discuss the latest scientific findings. Rather, as an audience member, I should come away understanding why the speaker has done what they have over the past 20 or 30 years. I’m particularly interested in how people entered their field, what idea they started with, and how things have evolved since then.
How do you know whom to invite from research fields in which you personally are not experts?
Krikamol: We ask our colleagues to nominate interesting guests. Then we take a closer look at the profiles of the suggested individuals and discuss whom we would like to invite.
Wouter: Honestly, it’s not that hard to know who is important in their field. Often, it’s already a good indicator if a name sounds familiar or not. We – Krikamol, me and Cris Staicu who is also on the committee – have now a pretty good overview of most research areas at CISPA. Additionally, you quickly learn who the leading figures in their field are through conferences and conversations.
Has there ever been a guest who truly impressed you?
Wouter: It’s hard for me to single out specific individuals who stand out, I’d rather say that the overall experience of attending these talks is incredibly valuable. I’ve had many great conversations, for example, recently with Amir Herzberg from the University of Connecticut, who was a guest with us. Not only was his talk super exciting, but he is also an incredibly kind person. Such interactions reinforce what I do and also make me wonder if I could contribute in other ways.
Krikamol: I couldn’t pick just one speaker either. I find most of the talks very inspiring because they demonstrate that there isn’t just one path in research, there isn’t one way to do things. There are many different paths, and all of them can lead to success.
If you could choose one guest, whether a historical or present figure, whom would you like to invite?
Krikamol: I would like to have a conversation with Geoffrey Hinton. He is a computer scientist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 for his contribution to enabling machine learning with neural networks. I never imagined that a Nobel Prize would ever be awarded in this field. A conversation with him would undoubtedly be very exciting.
Wouter: Even though he is not a computer scientist, I’ll have to go with Richard Feynman, another Nobel Prize winner, this time in the field of physics. Unfortunately, he has already passed away. I’m very inspired by his ability to make great scientific contributions, while at the same time caring greatly about communicating and teaching these ideas.
