The CENTURI PhD students and Postdocs gathered once again for their annual retreat, this time at the Moulin de Vernègues — a 17th-century Provençal bastide set within a seven-hectare park of centuries-old trees, midway between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. Over three days, from Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th April, the group shared a rich programme blending scientific sessions, creative activities, and outdoor adventures, all in the spirit of collaboration and community that defines CENTURI.
Ice Breaking: Social Bingo and Graphical Abstracts
The retreat got off to a lively start shortly after the group’s arrival from Marseille Saint-Charles. A Social Bingo session warmed up the atmosphere, giving everyone a playful opportunity to discover unexpected connections and shared experiences across labs and disciplines.
The afternoon then shifted into more scientific territory with a Graphical Abstract session — a creative exercise inviting participants to distil their research into a single compelling visual. The activity sparked both laughter and genuine reflection, as researchers from biology, physics, and computer science found common ground in the challenge of communicating complex ideas clearly and beautifully.
The evening concluded on a more relaxed note, with a movie night rounding off a full first day.
Terraforming: Imagining the Future of Science
A centrepiece of this year’s retreat was the Terraforming sessions, which ran across all three days in several dedicated blocks. This collaborative, forward-thinking exercise invited participants to step beyond their day-to-day research and think more boldly — about interdisciplinary futures, about the kind of science they want to build, and about how the CENTURI community can shape its own trajectory. Far from being passive workshops, these sessions were dynamic and at times provocative, exactly the kind of space a retreat is designed to create.
Tree Climbing & Laser Forest
Wednesday afternoon offered a welcome change of scenery. After the morning’s Terraforming sessions, the group boarded the bus for a Tree Climbing and Laser Forest activity, spending nearly five hours navigating treetop courses and testing their reflexes in the forest. The activity proved a perfect counterpoint to the intellectual intensity of the rest of the programme — a reminder that team spirit thrives just as well among the branches as it does around a whiteboard.
The evening wrapped up with dinner together, followed by a party — complete with a drink offered by CENTURI — that kept the energy going well past midnight.
CENTURI Updates and Looking Ahead
The final morning, after check-out, concluded with a CENTURI Updates session. The Admin Team and members of the PhD/Postdoc Committee took the floor to share news, ongoing initiatives, and perspectives for the year ahead.
By mid-afternoon, the group boarded the coach back to Saint-Charles — tired, connected, and inspired.
The CENTURI Administrative team warmly thanks the Organising Committee and all participants who made this retreat such a memorable edition.