Students heard from an inspiring lineup of speakers at an online event hosted by Imperial College London and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The ImpeTUM conference was supported by the Imperial-TUM Education Seed Fund, which aims to facilitate the co-development of innovative, inclusive and impactful online experiential learning opportunities in collaboration with students. 

The fund builds on Imperial and TUM’s strategic partnership in education, research and innovation, formed in 2018.  

The road not taken

The initiative was led by Dr Stefano Sandrone, Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, and Professor Azzurra Ruggeri, Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and TUM. 

The conference featured a diverse international lineup of speakers drawn from academia, industry, publishing and the third sector, who presented their often unconventional career journeys and paths to success. Dr Christina Konen (Neuron) Dr Ramya Subrahmanian (UNICEF-Innocenti), Professor Charlene Gamaldo (Johns Hopkins University) and Professor Moritz Daum (University of Zurich) were among those to share insights and stories with attendees. 

The interactive event also featured a series of Q&A sessions, which allowed undergraduate and postgraduate students to ask questions and get advice from the day’s speakers. The broad-ranging discussion between students and speakers explored the value of unplanned career diversions, the “best” time to apply for a PhD and post-COVID shifts in the educational landscape.  

Interactive exchange

“Students shared ambitions and concerns and explored potential career pathways in a truly stimulating context" Dr Stefano Sandrone Senior Teaching Fellow

Reflecting on the event, Dr Stefano Sandrone commented: “I genuinely enjoyed organising the ImpeTUM conference. It was an engaging and interactive event with a diverse and global line-up of speakers, who reflected on their working trajectories, gave tips to the audience and discussed ambitions, skills and expectations across career stages.” 

“Students shared ambitions and concerns and explored potential career pathways in a truly stimulating context. Many thanks to the Imperial College London-TUM Education Seed Fund – I hope to continue designing and delivering similar events in the future!” 

TUM’s Professor Azzurra Ruggeri added: “I was impressed by the students’ active engagement and curiosity throughout the conference – evident in their many questions to all the speakers – which was beyond my most optimistic predictions!” 

Learn more about the Imperial-TUM Education Seed Fund