© Aida Maraj
From August 10 to September 18, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) hosted the six-week summer research school "Combinatorial Structures in Algebraic Statistics and Game Theory." The school was funded by the German Research Foundation priority program SPP 2458 Combinatorial Synergies and in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI MiS) in Leipzig.
The program welcomed 16 exceptional mathematics bachelor's and master's students from 15 institutions and 14 nationalities. Together, they worked on nine research projects spanning topics such as graphical models, game theory, phylogenetics, and likelihood geometry, designed by a team of three organizers, six mentors, and six research assistants. The opening week set the stage with lectures and exercise sessions led by the organizers, giving students the foundational tools and context needed to hit the ground running. From there, the school shifted into full research mode. Students worked intensively alongside their mentors, attended talks by guest researchers, and presented their progress in weekly seminars, learning not only how to do research but also how to communicate it. Feedback flowed freely between students, mentors, and guests, fostering a true spirit of scientific community.
The school was organized by Benjamin Hollering and Irem Portakal (both MPI MiS), together with Aida Maraj (MPI-CBG). The participants from both institutes embodied the spirit of cross-institutional collaboration, making the program a shared success between the two Max Planck Institutes.
Local organizer Aida Maraj reflects on the experience:
We as organizers are very proud. We had the privilege of working with such a dedicated team of mentors and students. The school offered an intense and real taste of what research life is like. All groups made meaningful progress on their projects and are continuing that work after the school ended, with plans to develop their results into papers or master's theses.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made these six weeks special: the organizers, mentors, and administrative staff – and above all, the students, whose curiosity, enthusiasm, and hard work were the heart of it all.
More information on the website of the event: https://sites.google.com/view/aidamaraj/dresdendir