As summer settles into Jena, one thing that inevitably returns at FLI is Grill & Chill. This time, our group had the pleasure of co-hosting the event with Katarzyna Winek’s group, and the timing could not have been better. The barbecue took place on the same day as the Leibniz Graduate School on Aging (LGSA) interviews, giving the candidates a chance to unwind after a full day of presentations and discussions.
Once the interviews were over, everyone gathered on the lawn where the atmosphere quickly shifted from formal to relaxed. The menu had all the barbecue staples, including bratwurst, grilled cheese and vegetables, and cold beers, but the highlight of the afternoon was Jing’s homemade Chinese-style BBQ, which quickly became a crowd favourite and had people coming back for seconds.
The afternoon was about much more than the food. It gave researchers from across the institute and the visiting candidates an opportunity to connect in a casual setting, sharing stories about their research, collaborations, and everyday life at FLI. These informal conversations gave candidates a glimpse of what working at the institute is really like, beyond presentations and interview rooms.