Welcome!
This is the homepage of the Plants and People Conferences.
Plants and People (P&P) Conferences are organised by the PhD students at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and occur every second year.
Our conferences aim to bring together a unique mixture of high-profile international speakers, to speak not only on their specific research within the plant science field, but also to discuss wider aspects of life and growth within the scientific research world.
The role of a (plant) scientist in our rapidly changing world may at times seem paradoxical. Novel discoveries often require a focus on the minuscule, engulfing oneself in niche topics, and zooming-in on cells, cell compartments, and even single genes. At the same time the larger picture must always be kept in mind. This is needed for scientific breakthrough, perhaps best exemplified by the large strides made through the application of artificial intelligence in the biological sciences. But also, to notice problems that need scientific attention, and to allow a successful dissemination of our work to a broader public.
In the 7th edition of the Plants and People Conference, we explore Plant Sciences by ‘Looking In, Out, and Forward’. P&P25 takes place on September 9–10, 2025. We look in with speakers discussing their work on plant physiology, genetics and epigenetics; we look forward at how other fields, such as space research and machine learning, contribute to plant science; and we look out at the art of science communication.
Come and have a look with us!
Previous Plants and People Conferences were
- 2023: 'Exploring Plan(t)s' brought together speakers from academia and industry to discuss plant science from different perspectives and potential career paths.
- 2019: '(M)PIMP Future Foods - Challenges for Global Food Security' aimed to give us insights into scientific and social aspects of future challenges with regard to food security.
- 2017: 'Communicating Science - Connecting Worlds' focused on the communication and dissemination of scientific knowledge, not only to scientists but also to non-experts.
- 2015: 'Future Plan[t]s' brought together academic researchers and industry professionals to discuss their science and career paths.
- 2013: 'Challenges in Biology- Big Data and Ethics' focused on advances in biology and addressed ethical challenges that we as scientists have to consider.
- 2011 (inaugural conference): 'On Roots and Fruits of Plant Biology' looked into the history and present day applications of plant research.
Much of our financial support comes from the Max Planck Society, within the funding for the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Molecular Plant Science, with additional contributions by sponsors.
