Skip to main content

F*ck Up Night - When Failure Makes You a Better Scientist

Event Start date
24 Sep, 2026 18:00
CEST
Event End Date
24 Sep, 2026 21:00
CEST
Event Location
International Club of the University of Bonn
What do failed experiments, rejected papers, unfunded grants, and unexpected career turns have in common? They’re all part of science but rarely part of the story we tell.

On Thursday, 24 September 2026, researchers from different career stages and scientific backgrounds will come together at the International Club of the University of Bonn to share the setbacks, wrong turns, and surprises that usually stay behind the scenes.

Now in its fourth edition, F*ck Up Night - When Failure Makes You a Better Scientist has become a highlight of Postdoc Appreciation Week. In a relaxed and supportive setting, speakers will talk openly about moments when things didn’t go as planned. More importantly, what those experiences taught them about research, resilience, and their careers.

This years speaker

  • Prof. Michael RoĂźbach, scientist, entrepreneur, and investor
  • Prof. Daphne Soares from NJIT, currently on sabbatical at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior
  • Paula Schrage, PhD researcher at the University of Bonn

More speakers will be announced soon.

Target Group

Everyone who is simply curious about what really happens behind scientific success, is invited to come along for an evening of honest stories, unexpected lessons, and a reminder that failure isn’t the opposite of success.

The event is organized by NeurotechEU and the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar. The Max-Plack-Institute is an associated partner of NeurotechEU.

Registration

Please register on this link