Jemma Arakelyan: The only way back to Lindau is with a Nobel Prize
Jemma Arakelyan, Medical Oncologist and CEO of the Institute of Cancer and Crisis, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Somewhere over the Himalayas, it hit me: The only way back to Lindau is with a Nobel Prize. My PhD mentor Maria (Masha) Babak called Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings “magical-romantic.” I didn’t get it — until I left.
As a young researcher running on fumes, this week reawakened my love for science. 606 brilliant minds. Nobel Laureates. Conversations that crackled with curiosity, courage, and a shared hunger to change things. We came from every corner of the globe — yet our DNA was identical: curiosity, adventure, impact as non-negotiable.
I’m leaving with profound gratitude and a crucial mindset shift, thanks to Martin Chalfie (2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP): “An experiment that works is a measurement. One that fails? That’s a discovery.”
Suddenly, every “failed” experiment in my near future feels like buried treasure.
To my fellow clinician-scientists: Meeting Laureates who walked our path was electric. They proved it: Clinical medicine alone can’t heal tomorrow’s patients. We need relentless curiosity.
So I fly home — exhausted, grateful, alight. Ready to finish this PhD. Ready to contribute. And yes — ready to earn that return ticket))
My sincere thanks to my amazing mentor Maria (Masha) Babak, City University of Hong Kong; to the Croucher Foundation; to Anna Law; to the scientific committee Valeria Nicolosi and Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede; to the huge team working behind the scenes throughout the year—Yeşim Akkaya-Akyol, Nora Dávila Flores, and Christoph Schumacher; and cheers to all my fellow young scientists!”
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