Ahead of the 2026 Global Young Academy (GYA) Annual General Meeting and International Conference in Bremen, Germany, the GYA’s new member cohort came together for the annual Science Leadership Workshop on 28–29 June. The two-day workshop focused on developing practical skills in collective leadership, inclusive collaboration, and creative problem-solving. It also helped participants build connections before the AGM.
Through a series of hands-on activities, participants explored approaches to generating ideas together, listening across disciplines and cultures, reframing challenges, and giving constructive feedback. The emphasis throughout was on trying out methods together rather than relying only on theoretical input, allowing participants to experience first-hand how these approaches can support collaboration and leadership within the GYA and beyond.
Impressions from participants
Branislav Pantović (Latin America & the Caribbean Science, Argentina): “The sessions were well organized while remaining interactive, creating space for creative thinking, meaningful exchanges, and genuine connections among participants.”
Rita Esuru Okoroafor, (Texas A&M University, USA): “Very structured, safe space, our ideas were welcome.”
Ogochukwu Udenigwe, (La Trobe University, Australia): “The leadership workshop and the amazing work of the facilitators helped me see more clearly how I fit within the Academy.”
The workshop was facilitated by Connie Nshemereirwe ((GYA alumna, Actualise Africa, Uganda), Vincent Virat, Karina Loera-Barcenas, and Johannes Boucsein from Inclusive Innovation, with support from GYA members Emelda Chukwu (Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Nigeria), Santosh Sridhar Mysore (CSIR – Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, India), and Luz Cumba Garcia (SciPolicy Global Strategies LLC, United States) acting as mentors.
Before the AGM officially began, participants had already been able to establish relationships across disciplines, countries, and research cultures. The shared experiences and collaborative approaches developed during the workshop are intended to support GYA members as they work together in projects and initiatives over the coming years, while also informing their leadership and collaboration in their own institutions and professional communities.
The workshop was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the IAP | InterAcademy Partnership.
About Science Leadership and the GYA
The GYA helps young scientists and scholars develop competency in how they conduct discourse across disciplines, lead diverse teams, develop networks and engage the public with science. These soft skills, however, aren’t necessarily part of training for a research career.
To address this gap, GYA members started the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP) in 2015. The Africa SLP has since inspired other regional programmes, including the ASEAN SLP, a new LAC-SLP, and many spin-off workshops for a global audience of early-career researchers.
Read more about the GYA and the science leadership concept, find tools, recordings and illustrations here: Science Leadership Programme – Global Young Academy.