How to organise a conference

Immersed in your own chemistry, whether that’s a PhD or a new industrial project, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. Going to a conference is therefore a valuable opportunity to take a step back, explore your field and network with other researchers. These benefits are magnified when you take on the role of organising, says Marianela Gimenez-Asis, a scientist at the contract research organisation Pharmaron and member of the Society of Chemical Industry’s (SCI) conference committee. ‘For people like me that have been hired straight out of a master’s, it’s not just exposure to chemistry. It’s another way of getting skills I otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to develop,’ she says.