Through five weeks of convenings around the globe, Fellows are introduced to new research ideas, techniques, and questions; they are exposed to a wide range of cutting-edge science, leading thinkers, and institutions; and they receive tailored training in science communication, leadership, and the facilitation of interdisciplinary research.
Our Global Meetings are held in some of the world’s most vibrant and inspirational centers of science and innovation. The different venues enable our Fellows to experience a variety of scientific cultures, gain insight into different ways of organizing and leading institutions, and to visit internationally renowned scientific facilities. The meetings are also an important opportunity for Fellows to meet, develop a sense of cohort community, and explore opportunities for collaboration.
The 2018 cohort has attended Global Meetings hosted by the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College, London, Harvard University, MIT, the Broad Institute, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Schmidt Science Fellows have also worked with other organizations to deliver meeting experiences for our Fellows, including the Blavatnik School of Government, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Google DeepMind, and the Chan Zuckerberg BioHub, Innovation Endeavors, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC, and The Rhodes Trust.
The inaugural Schmidt Science Fellows Global Meeting took in the United Kingdom, over two weeks in July and August 2018. Centered on the historic venue of Rhodes House in the heart of Oxford, Fellows participated in sessions on ethics, leadership, and problem-solving and met leaders in science, business, and public policy. The group visited world-leading centers including the Blavatnik School of Government and the University of Cambridge.
Watch the highlights video and read Fellows’ blog posts on their Global Meeting experience here.
Hosted by Harvard University, MIT, and the Broad Institute, the Cambridge, MA, Global Meeting presented a unique opportunity for the Fellows to meet with and learn from experts in science communication, policy engagement, interdisciplinary science leadership, and institutional strategy development.
Fellows were able to engage with some of the world-leading scientists who call the labs and facilities of Cambridge home. Highlights included a discussion with David Liu and Feng Zhang on the development and potential of CRISPR, a conversation with Eric Lander on leadership, and visits to MIT.nano and the Broad Institute’s sequencing center. Fellows also engaged in a full-day workshop with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
Watch the highlights video and read Fellows’ blog posts on their Global Meeting experience here.
The Northern California Global Meeting presented the 2018 Schmidt Science Fellows with opportunities to immerse themselves in the special environment of Silicon Valley. The meeting, hosted by Stanford University and UC Berkeley, consisted of a week of unique meetings, training sessions, and laboratory visits in the Bay Area of Northern California.
Fellows met scientists with experience of spinning out and leading innovative companies and spent a day meeting iconic Silicon Valley venture capitalists, including John Doerr at Kleiner Perkins, Vinod Khosla at Khosla Ventures, and Dror Berman and Scott Brady at Innovation Endeavors.
The Fellows had focused sessions with world-renowned scientists and leaders, including Nobel prize-winner, Dr Stephen Chu, Dr John Hennessy, Chairman of Alphabet Inc., MacArthur Fellow, Dr Emmanuel Candès, and pharmaceuticals pioneer, Dr Lucy Shapiro. They visited the US national laboratories, SLAC and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Watch the highlights video and read Fellows’ blog posts on their Global Meeting experience here.