The fifth e-conversion conference took place from 15 September to 18, 2025, at Evangelische Akademie Tutzing. (Photo: V. Hiendl/e-conversion)

The fifth e-conversion conference, held from September 15 to 18, 2025, at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, took place under an exceptionally positive star. Since the end of May, it has been confirmed that the German Research Foundation will extend the Excellence Cluster and enter a second funding period starting in 2026. With this momentum, participants and organizers alike looked to the future with confidence—creating four days of intense scientific exchange and new ideas, complemented by sessions on diversity, communication, and design.

Researchers from around the world came together at Lake Starnberg for the conference. The pleasant atmosphere of the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing provided the perfect setting: located directly by the water, offering wide views and short distances—ideal for conversations between talks or during poster sessions, over coffee on the terrace, or in the cozy salons in the evening.

The annual conference aims not only to strengthen connections within the e-conversion community and deepen international exchange, but also to give early-career researchers comprehensive insights into current research topics and methods. A large number of e-conversion Principal Investigators were present, offering participants a wide range of perspectives and points of contact. During the two poster sessions and poster flash talks, early-career researchers presented their latest results and took advantage of the opportunity for scientific exchange. They also benefited from two workshops: Science Communication and From Visual Idea to Design Concept.

A heartfelt thank-you goes to everyone who made this conference possible: to all speakers, the program committee (Achim Hartschuh (LMU), Ulrich Heiz (TUM), Frédéric Laquai (LMU), Bettina Lotsch (MPI for Solid State Research), Jennifer Rupp (TUM), Ian Sharp (TUM)), the organizing team, and, of course, to all participants who brought the days in Tutzing to life with their contributions and discussions.

With fresh energy, many new ideas, and the momentum of the successfully extended funding period, we are already looking forward to the next e-conversion conference, scheduled for autumn 2026 in Venice.

 

Speakers:

Quinten Akkerman (LMU)
Andrea Verónica Bragas (University of Buenos Aires)
George E. Cutsail (LMU)
Hamidreza Esmaielpour (TUM)
David Fenning (University of California San Diego)
Pablo Fernández (University of Campinas)
Stephen Goodnick (Arizona State University)
Frederik Haase (MLU Halle-Wittenberg)
Max Hülsey (TUM)
Pablo Jiménez-Calvo (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Lorenz Kampschulte (Deutsches Museum)
Simon Kloß (LMU)
Leeor Kronik (Weizmann Institute)
Marc Ledendecker (TUM)
Johannes Lischner (Imperial College, London)
Iain McCulloch (Princeton University)
Jenny Nelson (Imperial College, London)
Bert Nickel (LMU)
Markus Raschke (University of Colorado, Boulder)
Baran Şahin (Siemens Energy)
Christoph Scheurer (Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin)
Peter Vesborg (DTU Denmark)
Thomas Weitz (Universität Göttingen)
Ursula Wurstbauer (Universität Münster)
Harry L. Tuller (MIT)
Yan Yao (University of Houston)

Impressions of the event: