On May 11, we had the honor of welcoming Prof. Jacek Jaworski from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (Poland), who is also a member of the COBRAIN Advisory Board.
He delivered an inspiring lecture focused on the true essence of PhD research, scientific curiosity, and the path toward meaningful discovery. One of the central ideas of the lecture was that a PhD is not simply about obtaining a degree or summarizing what is already known — it is about generating new knowledge through original research, critical thinking, and genuine curiosity.
Before choosing a topic, every future researcher should ask themselves one essential question: “Why do I need this PhD?” The answer should come from a real desire to understand unresolved questions and contribute something valuable to science. An important message emphasized during the lecture was the need to prioritize a non-competitive niche that is still ambitious and focused.
A successful PhD project must remain realistic and feasible within the available time, funding, and resources, while still being bold enough to genuinely move the field forward. Overstudied questions that offer little novelty should be avoided in favor of meaningful scientific gaps and unanswered problems. The lecture also highlighted that the strongest research projects begin with a clear scientific problem, well-defined questions, and a hypothesis capable of producing impactful new insights.
Many of the most exciting discoveries emerge where current understanding is incomplete, experts disagree, or new technologies create opportunities for previously impossible research. Most importantly, when scientific curiosity, motivation, environment, and purpose align, a PhD becomes far more than an academic requirement — it becomes a lasting scientific contribution.
