11-14 October, 2026 | Balatonalmádi, HungaryJoão Gil Gomes Ferreira, Sheyda Shapouri, and I all had the opportunity to attend the 10th International Workshop on the Biology of Fish Gametes, which took place in Balatonalmádi, Hungary, a lovely little resort town by Lake Balaton.
Group photo of everyone who attended the conference. Can you spot all of us?
This is one of those conferences that I feel like I have been hearing about forever! I started my research journey back in 2019 at CCMAR, in Portugal, and I already remember people talking about this conference then. Even after starting my PhD, I kept hearing about it all the time, so it was really exciting to finally attend it myself.
The workshop originally started with a relatively small group of researchers working on fish gametes in Europe, and over the years it has grown into a much larger community, with lots of new and fresh faces joining along the way. Of course, many of the people who were there from the beginning are still attending too, and honestly, it is a delight to see their friendships in real time.
So many of the people involved in this conference are names I have recognized for years from papers, projects, or conversations in the lab, and it is always quite fun to finally put a face to a name. Actually, it was partly thanks to these connections within the fish reproduction community that I even got the opportunity to apply for my PhD. My Master’s thesis supervisors back in Portugal gave me the opportunity to spend two months in Catherine’s lab in France in 2022, which eventually led me to where I am today. It is a nice reminder that science is not only about doing good work and working hard, but also about putting yourself out there, meeting people, and creating meaningful connections with researchers whose work you genuinely enjoy.
As for the conference itself, I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot, including about topics that are quite far from what I currently work on, but that is also part of the fun of conferences. I also really enjoyed listening to the questions after the presentations. I am still trying to develop that ability to immediately make those very sharp observations or comments after hearing a talk, so I am always slightly amazed by people who seem to do it so naturally.
Catherine Labbé, always observant and asking questions.
We also had a plenary talk from Ozren Bogdanović, whom I had already had the chance to see at EPIMAR in Barcelona last year. Once again, it was super interesting, and this time particularly useful because I am currently writing my thesis. I am definitely adding some new information to my thesis introduction after that talk!
Carlos (a friend from CCMAR), me, and Sheyda listening very carefully to the talks.
João also paying close attention to the conference.
I also had the opportunity to present some of the work from my PhD. It was the first time I was doing a presentation in a conference! Unfortunately, I was the very last speaker of the entire conference, which can be a slightly ungrateful position to be in. By that point, everyone is a little tired, including yourself, and when you know you have a presentation coming, part of you just wants to give it immediately and get it done! I also feel that when you present at the very end, people have a little less time afterwards to digest your talk and come back to you with questions or comments.
Still, overall, it went really well. People responded very positively to the presentation, and the questions were quite challenging, but in a good way. They actually gave me some new ideas about how to approach and discuss my topic. More than anything, the experience gave me a nice boost of confidence in my work, which feels especially important now that I am writing my thesis and getting closer and closer to defending it.
Me answering questions after my talk. I look very relaxed, but inside I was nervous!
Talking about DNA methylation. Photo courtesy of Sheyda Shapouri!
There were plenty of other CryoStore highlights too. Catherine and Martin both acted as chairpersons and did a marvelous job. Catherine was, as usual, very curious and asked plenty of questions throughout the conference. She also presented a poster together with Charlène about their new work on extracellular vesicles, and I know they had quite a few people stopping by to ask questions, which I am sure they were both very happy to discuss. Martin also gave a talk, which was both great and entertaining.
Catherine and Charlène answering questions about their poster.
Martin giving his presentation.
João presented a poster and Sheyda gave an oral presentation, but I will let them tell you about their experiences themselves! I liked both of them, if anyone is asking for my opinion, although I may be slightly biased when it comes to their scientific output.
And then there was, apparently, an amazing gala dinner. I unfortunately could not attend because I had to return to Germany for my secondment, but based on everything I heard, and the photos I saw afterwards, it seems like I missed quite a night. Perhaps Sheyda and João can tell you more about that part!
Catherine dancing with Ákos Horváth.
From the photos, I know people were dancing to YMCA. Hey, there’s Sheyda!
João and Martin on the dance floor.
Overall, it was a great conference. I got to see many familiar and friendly faces that I had missed greatly (including my Portuguese lab friends <3333), catch up with people I already knew, meet some new ones, learn a lot, and finally experience a conference that I had been hearing about for years.
Me, Leonor, Rafael, and Elvira. Some friends from Portugal and Brazil <333 (we were all looking at a microscope image of spermatogonia).
Me and Carlos, who I know from my time at CCMAR.
Great science, great people, great time!!
- Mafalda