Joint Lab Meetings

To stimulate discussions and interactions with other researchers, the Predictive Brain Lab sometimes (e.g. annually) decides to hold a ‘joint meeting’ with another group. This can be done virtually, but it seems more fruitful if held in-person. This day can then be thought of as nice mixture of scientific and social activities to get to know each other. Thus, the best labs to consider for a joint event are the more ‘local’ ones – either within Nijmegen or in The Netherlands more broadly. Previously, the lab has gone to Amsterdam for a joint day with the group of Jan Theeuwes, and their group has also come to Nijmegen. We have also held a joint meeting event with the group of Marius Peelen.

You can find some pictures of these meetings as well as a short description on the Social & News section of our website!

Tips & Tricks

How do these days usually work?

To get an overview of both labs, it is good to organize a mixture of activities, where stimulation is fostered.
Flash talks can be nice and useful as people can present in 3-5 minutes what they are working on, and in a short amount of time both groups can get an overview of what the topics of interest and expertise are in the other group.
For some variety, it may be nice to have a couple of longer talks (20-30 minutes), from 1-2 people from both groups.
As an extra activity, you may want to consider some ‘discussion’ topics (what labs have in common, where approaches / topics differ).
Alternatively, we have previously also done group work with people split into groups working on a project pitch (combining the expertises of both labs) and later presenting the pitch. This can be phrased also as competition (competing for the ‘best’ project idea). It may be worth constraining this activity in some way – e.g. the project should be feasible and achievable in 2 years, the topic should evolve around perception/learning, etc.
If this events involves groups from different centres / cities, it may be nice to include a ‘tour’ of the facilities for the visiting group.

What to consider when planning a joint meeting?

Start planning early. Consult with the group what labs the group may be more interested in getting to know more. Start conversations with the other lab early. You want to make sure that a date for a joint event is set ~3 months beforehands. Similarly, you would want to also set in place where the event is happening.
Perhaps this can be thought of as a half-day activity rather than full day (start with / after lunch, spend the afternoon together, later socialize over drinks / dinner). This has worked well in the past.
When planning a timetable, make sure you include enough breaks (for coffee, just extra discussions amongst each other, buffer time for delays).
Discuss budget with Floris and the other PI to know how to plan the food options (lunch, dinner, drinks) accordingly.

The lab member(s) responsible for this year’s joint lab meeting can be found here