IceLab Camp

Part of the Stress Response Modeling Research School, IceLab Camp is a four-day off-site PhD course that prepares its participants to create new inter- or multidisciplinary research by first teaching them to listen to each other – and how to ask research questions. IceLab Camp runs yearly in the fall.

Be prepared for the grand challenges of the future

Many grand research challenges of the future exist in the unexplored terrain between traditional disciplines. IceLab Camp will help you prepare for the multidisciplinary endeavour.

Do you think your experimental research would benefit from causal understanding through mathematical modelling? Would your theoretical work profit from valuable insights through empirical studies? Are you creative and open-minded? We welcome you to join us in a research camp together with about 20 other Master’s, Ph.D., and Postdoctoral researchers from multiple disciplines primarily in the natural sciences.

In 2025, IceLab Camp will take place September 23-26. 

Vision

To bridge the traditional departmental boundaries of universities and initiate new cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Method

To approach research questions from different scientific directions through cumulative cycles of generation, analysis, rejection, and acceptance of ideas, and, in the collaborative process of repeatedly zooming in on the details and out on the big picture, improve each participant’s ability to express ideas, give and take constructive criticism, and interact with researchers from a wide range of backgrounds.

How

Participants work in multidisciplinary teams to develop a small research project and write it up in a proposal. We use the first day or two to converge on different research questions and the following days to find the best theoretical or experimental framework to answer those questions. On the last day, we review each team’s proposal. Between sessions of project work, we will sandwich in various exercises and interactive games to break open the boundaries of creativity.

Where

Granö Beckasin, an eco-hotel surrounded by nature, upriver from Umeå, during the peak of autumn splendor. Course sessions are held in the treetop glass meeting room, and group work is done anywhere you find inspiration. Take nature walks for brain breaks, or a cold river swim after a sauna on the last night.

Find out more about Granö Beckasin
 

Credits

Students receive 2 ECTS credits for completing the camp.

Participation is free

IceLab Camp is funded by the Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet, by a grant for the excellence center Stress Response Modeling at IceLab. IceLab Camp is part of the Stress Response Modeling Graduate Research School.

Thanks to this, the Camp, including all accommodation and meals, is free for participants. Participants cover their travel to Umeå.

Who can apply?

Applicants are young researchers (master’s, doctoral or postdoctoral) from universities in Sweden or abroad. Together with a CV, applicants should provide a summary of what they hope to gain from this event and how they would contribute to the collaborative outcome.

Apply by June 5, 2025

Link to 2025 Application Form

 

Questions about IceLab Camp? Ask us!

A woman standing in front of a painting of trees

Gabrielle Beans, IceLab Coordinator

IceLab Coordinator and Research Communicator, also at Curiosum. Fundamentally curious.

A man writes on a white board in an open office

Martin Rosvall, IceLab Director

Martin Rosvall, Physics Professor and IceLab Director. Complex Networks. Cries over melting snow.

A group of people sitting around a table with laptops

Apply to join IceLab Camp

Apply for a spot in the 2025 IceLab Camp by June 5, 23:45 CET.

People standing in a fall landscape by a river.

Article about the 2022 IceLab Camp

18 researchers at different career stages met for a creative camp in Granö.

Latest update: 2025-04-17