PhD Booster Programme 2026
The PhD Booster programme is open to PhD students in life sciences at UNIGE who wish to strengthen their science communication and outreach skills — and, for the best among them, win one of the grants at stake. Each edition, participants receive coaching to learn how to present their research clearly and accessibly, an essential asset in any research career.
This year, 18 PhD students received individualised coaching to sharpen the presentation of their project and prepare to speak on camera.
Five prizes are awarded by a jury of scientists, communication specialists, and representatives of partner foundations.
A sixth prize, the People's Choice Award, is open to everyone: scientists, physicians, friends or neighbours of the Faculty, or anyone with a curiosity for science.
Meet the winners of this year’s eighth edition: Constant, Eugénie, Kevin, Konstantin and Laura. Watch the video presentations of their thesis projects and discover the fascinating research our PhD students are conducting in just a few minutes.
Presentation of the PhD Booster 2026
Dora Godinho, Head of Partnerships
Insights from the jury: Why science communication matters
Winners of the 2026 edition
Constant Tellinga | Resetting the body clock to improve cancer therapy
Eugénie Cataldo | When after a stroke half the world disappears
Kevin Mammeri | Can odours reshape the sleeping brain?
Konstantin Frank | Age-old question: why respiratory viruses affect children and adults differently
Laura Rodrigues Peris | Understanding addiction vulnerability in women
Winner of the Public Award
Roqiya Bouguerra | The right time to treat: immunotherapy and surgery to beat liver cancer
All the 2026 projects
Albane Zingg | From leaf to lifeline: a new drug candidate against blood cancer
Athanasios Tsalmpouris | Enabling safe and effective gene therapies for patients
Camilla Trugenberger | When DNA machines collide in cancer
Clara Gleissner | Does the immune system need time to recover after infection?
Georgia Papadopoulou | How virtual reality reveals the dialogue between the brain and the immune system?
Jakub Gubala | Recreating kidney cancer in a dish
Ji Wang | The cat in your DNA: how AI reads evolution's footprints
Loïc Metz | Can fixing our internal clocks help treat type 2 diabetes?
Melvin Riha | No move, no infection: targeting bacterial motility
Oriol Mañé Benach | Living origami: how cells shape life
Yuanyuan Zheng | Artificial intelligence to reveal what protects us from diseases
Wei Liu | Decoding viruses: artificial intelligence's answer to pandemics
Warmest thanks to our donors: Fondation privée des HUG, Fondation Hubert Tuor, Fondation de Reuter et Mme Jean Pastré for their valuable support.