2025 Graduation Ceremony: Congratulations to our Graduates!
648 graduates, eight disciplines, one community united by science and a shared future. On December 5, 2025, the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva celebrated the 2024–2025 graduating class with warmth and solemnity during its graduation ceremony, held this year in the auditorium of the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG).
In the presence of Dean Prof. Costanza Bonadonna, State Councillor Anne Hiltpold, and Vice-Rector Stéphane Berthet, the evening brought together a large audience: families, friends, professors, staff, and institutional partners. A long-awaited moment, it marked not only a major milestone for the graduates but also a gathering point for the entire community.
Collective Recognition Beyond Academic Achievement
In a speech full of empathy and high standards, the Dean praised the graduates for their perseverance, discipline, and commitment, reminding them that every academic path is filled with doubts, failures, and experiments that don’t work the first time — and that this is precisely where resilience is learned.
“Tonight, we’re not celebrating perfection, but passion and resilience”
She also paid tribute to the families, loved ones, professors, and colleagues, emphasizing that academic success is a collective effort:
“Behind each of you, there were people who supported, listened, and encouraged you”.
When Science Engages with Art
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the joint presentation by Dr. Éloïse Dupuychaffray, a graduate in pharmaceutical sciences, and Sophie Hache and Chiara Pugliese, students at the Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève). Together, they introduced a unique approach to science communication: an artistic interpretation of scientific research, created as part of a collaboration between the two institutions.
Far more than a mere exercise in outreach, this project emerged as a deeply sensitive dialogue between two languages, two epistemologies, two ways of knowing. The illustrations inspired by Dr. Dupuychaffray’s research offered a poetic and visual reading of complex pharmaceutical processes—opening science to a wider audience while also reinterpreting its content through a new narrative lens.
In the absence of the HEAD director, Prof. Christoph Renner, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science, took the floor to highlight this collaboration. Reflecting on its origins, he noted that the project began with a simple idea:
“When art and science meet, something truly unique happens”.
He warmly thanked the HEAD students for their insight, creativity, and sensitivity, and addressed the graduates with a message:
“Dare to step outside your frame - this is where the ideas that truly change the world are born”.
Through this event, the Faculty of Science reaffirmed its commitment to interdisciplinarity, firmly believing that the boundaries between fields must be crossed to address today’s challenges. This collaboration also embodies a renewed vision of education, where creativity sits alongside academic rigor.
Celebrating Excellence and the Diversity of Academic Journeys
As every year, the ceremony was an opportunity to recognize several outstanding achievements through prestigious awards, including the Arditi, Piaget, and Laemmli Prizes, along with numerous distinctions presented by various sections and departments. These awards highlight not only academic excellence but also the originality, dedication, and impact of the graduates’ work across all disciplines.
By honoring both bachelor's and doctoral graduates, the Faculty underscores the diversity of academic paths and trajectories—each a unique journey driven by a shared ambition: to understand the world and contribute to its transformation.
A Community That Supports, Connects, and Inspires
Beyond the awarding of diplomas, the ceremony was also a chance to remind graduates that they are now part of a broad Alumni community—a living, intergenerational network that fosters connection and supports transitions. In a constantly evolving scientific landscape, these bonds are invaluable—for collaboration, mutual support, and lifelong learning.
At the close of the evening, the Dean reiterated the core values of her leadership: responsibility, creativity, inclusivity, collaboration, and engagement-solid guiding principles for those moving forward into careers in research, industry, education, or public service.
She concluded by quoting Jane Goodall, a leading figure in committed scientific research:
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
A Generation of Scientists Ready to Open New Possibilities
The Class of 2025 moves forward with not only a wealth of knowledge and skills, but also with human connections and deeply held convictions. The Faculty of Science warmly congratulates all its graduates for their exceptional journeys—and wishes them to carry forward a spirit of curiosity, a sharp critical mind, and the freedom to imagine a different world.
Bravo to all!
SHARE THIS STORY: