The gala dinner at the JRP Conference 2023 marked a major shift in the history of our programme. After more than a decade of leading – and founding – the programme, Dr Kai Ruggeri stepped down from the position of Executive Director. It is hard to quantify how much effort Kai has put into the programme and on how many levels his work and dedication have positively influenced the lives of our alumni and the members of the JRP Team. Kai found a way to provide opportunities for those seeking careers in research, providing steppingstones in their careers, and, at the same time, fostering curiosity for research in talented students who were unsure whether science was a career they wanted to explore. It is his passion and dedication that attracted like-minded students and young professionals to join the JRP team and further develop the programme with him – a level of inspiration that is rare to find.

As such, finding a successor for this role was a task that not only took years of consideration, but also an exceptional individual to be considered. It is our utmost pleasure to inform you that on the evening of 13^th August 2023, Sarah Ashcroft-Jones has been named the new Executive Director of the Junior Researcher Programme. Sarah participated in the jSchool 2018 and joined the team in 2019 as the Research Officer for the 2020-2021 cohort. She then used her experience in the role of Alumni Research Officer, a position created specifically for her to support research projects outside the current cohorts, and she oversaw internship activities in summer 2022. Sarah was promoted to the level of Director in 2022, and we have since worked with her to prepare a smooth transition into the role of Executive Director. Over the past year, she took on internal leadership duties and the organisation of jSchool 2023 together with Hannes. Outside of JRP, Sarah is currently in the final phases of finishing her PhD at the University of Oxford and will start a new position later this year.

The JRP Team is incredibly thankful for Kai’s leadership and constant support, and we are looking forward to continuing working with him, albeit in different capacity (more news to follow soon!). At the same time, we are excited about all the wonderful things the programme has planned under Sarah’s direction and cannot wait to share what is already in the works over the coming months!