For the first time, the GYA hosted a Falling Walls Lab during its 2026 Annual General Meeting and International Conference of Young Scientists at Constructor University in Bremen, Germany. The event was an inspiring addition to the programme, bringing together six outstanding young researchers to present their breakthrough ideas in just three minutes each.
The six presenters impressed the audience and jury alike with the innovative potential of their ideas and presentations. Among them, GYA member Rita Esuru Okoroafor (Texas A&M University, United States) won the Lab by “Breaking the Wall of Self-Limiting Hydrogen Generation” and will represent the GYA for Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, in November this year.
We want to sincerely thank the other distinguished presenters who contributed to the success of this debut (in order of presentations): Jean Philippe Zock Zang, (Jade Hochschule Wilhelmshaven, Germany), GYA member Nourhan Hassan (Cairo University, Egypt), Quenso Tambalque (Constructor University, Germany), and GYA members Mohamed Alimohamed (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) and Husam Rajab (One Identity Budapest, Hungary).
Hosting the Falling Walls Lab for the first time was an exciting opportunity for the GYA, aligned in our shared mission to support excellent early-career researchers and foster interdisciplinary scientific exchange across borders. It also complemented the theme of the International Conference of Young Scientists “Machine Intelligence for Society and for All Sciences” by highlighting critical challenges of AI-Governance, for example in Husam’s presentation “Breaking the Wall of Inefficient AI Systems”.
Beyond the competition itself, the Falling Walls Lab offered a valuable platform for networking, inspiration, and international dialogue, setting the tone for a productive and engaging conference week.
The GYA warmly thanks all six presenters, the jury members, organisers, and supporters who helped make this first Falling Walls Lab such a success.
Following this strong debut, we look forward to including the format in future GYA AGM and Conference events!