The Benchstorming Seminars, led by VHIO postdoctoral fellows, are a program to allow young researchers to exchange research interests with the various VHIO research programs.

The specially designed informal format of these meetings encourages freedom of thought, fluency, and interaction between speakers and participants.

Established back in February 2016 by co-founders Verónica Rodilla, a former postdoctoral fellow with VHIO’s Growth Factors Group, and Jordi Martínez Quintanilla, postdoctoral fellow with our Stem Cells and Cancer Group, our series of Benchstorming Seminars represent an excellent educational opportunity for junior faculty at VHIO to both present and exchange ideas about their respective research interests across VHIO’s various research programs. Not only do our young researchers learn more about their other colleagues and the research lines currently underway, they can also express their thoughts on each seminar’s specific topic. The specially designed informal format favors free thought, flow, and interaction between the speakers and participants.

In 2019, Elena Senís, postdoctoral fellow with VHIO’s Cellular Plasticity and Cancer Group and Benchstorming co-chair, announced that Chiara Bellio, postdoctoral fellow with VHIO’s Tumor Biomarkers Group, would be taking over the reins for co-chair Toni Jauset, a former member of VHIO’s Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group. At the end of 2020, Elena Senís stood down as co-chair as well, and Sara Simonetti, Attending Physician with VHIO’s Molecular Oncology Group, and Tian Tian, postdoctoral fellow with our Chromatin Dynamics in Cancer Group, joined Chiara as Benchstorming co-chairs. In 2022 Sara and Chiara continued in the team coordinating the seminars and Fabio Giuntini, Researcher PhD Student at the VHIO’s Models of Cancer Therapies Group, joined the team. In 2024, Francesco Grussu, biomedical engineer specialised in computational MRI, became part of the group.