From July 21 to 23, over 150 members of the SimTech community gathered at the Seminaris Hotel in Bad Boll for the annual Status Seminar. As one of the few formats that brings together researchers from across institutions, research areas, and disciplines, the event once again served as a central hub for exchange, collaboration, and reflection – particularly important in a year marked by structural transition.
The program combined scientific depth with community-building and strategic discussion. Three invited lectures framed the scientific highlights of the seminar. Maribel Acosta (TUM) opened the seminar with a presentation on knowledge graphs for scientific discovery, showcasing ongoing work in CRC 1625. She discussed how heterogeneous research data – conceptual, factual, procedural, contextual – can be integrated into semantic knowledge graphs to support machine learning, provenance tracking, and reproducibility in materials science. Her talk also addressed the use of large language models to support knowledge graph development.
On the second day, Frank Jenko (MPI for Plasma Physics) delivered a keynote on digital twins of fusion power plants, highlighting the simulation challenges associated with modeling plasma physics in tokamaks. He discussed the multiscale nature of the underlying physical processes and the computational complexity involved in bringing simulations closer to real-time predictive control.
Later that day, Kai Zosseder (TU Munich) addressed challenges in forecasting the sustainable use of geothermal reservoirs under increasing utilization pressure. His talk combined hydrogeological modeling with real-world planning scenarios, emphasizing the role of simulation in long-term resource governance.
The seminar also featured four poster sessions spread over two days, offering space for in-depth technical exchange and visibility for early-career researchers. Posters spanned the full range of SimTech topics – from machine learning and data assimilation to uncertainty quantification and biomedical applications – and were well attended throughout.
A core feature of this year’s agenda was the focus on strategic discussions about the future of the field and the structure of the SimTech community. The session “What’s your next bold idea?” encouraged participants to propose and debate visionary research directions. Topics ranged from generative AI and robotics in healthcare to stochastic inference, NFDI, and meta-learned interatomic potentials. These sessions reflected both creativity and concern: with the end of Cluster funding in sight, the seminar became a forum for thinking beyond current structures.
Another focal point was the three-hour interactive workshop “Career Paths: Academia and Beyond”, led by Dr. Michaela Hergersberg. It offered doctoral researchers and PostDocs concrete tools for career planning and introduced alternative tracks in science management, communication, and innovation.
Beyond science and strategy, the seminar also provided space for internal governance and community reflection. During the PhD and PostDoc Assembly, a new team of PhD spokespersons was elected: Espen Xylander, Andreas Melchinger, and Amir Reza Zargar will take over from Lukas Vosse, Fabian Klötzer, and Carme Homs-Pons. In addition, Tanja Blascheck was elected as the new PostDoc spokesperson.
The PhD and PostDoc spokespersons play a crucial role as a bridge between the (Post)doctoral researchers and the SimTech leadership, including the Management Team and Board of Directors. Their responsibilities go far beyond representation: they help communicate institutional developments to the (Post)doctoral community, collect feedback and concerns, and actively shape the culture of exchange across SimTech. In recent years, the team has initiated several formats to strengthen community cohesion – such as the Sip & Mingle event series and the PhD Retreat, which bring together researchers from different backgrounds in informal or interdisciplinary settings.
We sincerely thank the outgoing spokespersons for their dedication and commitment over the past year and look forward to working with the new team in the months ahead.
The seminar concluded with the official handover of responsibilities, a short reflection by the outgoing spokespersons, and the awarding of the Best Paper Award to Christian Pfaendner. A separate article covers the award in more detail.
With the DFG no longer funding SimTech as a Cluster of Excellence beyond 2025, this year’s seminar may have been the last of its kind. That fact added weight to many of the discussions – both scientific and structural. Still, the three days in Bad Boll also made clear that the SimTech community remains strong, self-reflective, and ready to take its next steps – even if the framework changes.
