I’ve ended most years by writing a short reflection on I-DEEL, but 2025 feels different: it was the year COSSEE became real. If I try to summarise everything, I’ll fail to be concise, so I’ll focus on two themes that defined the year for me: people and place.
People: a lab assembled across continents
We began the year small: just Ayumi (Japan) and Erick (USA) - both postdocs, working out of temporary rooms in CCIS close to the Biological Sciences Building, where we later moved. From there, the year gathered momentum month by month. In March, we welcomed Santi (Mexico; postdoc) and, in April, Anna (also from Mexico; PhD student). In July, Sergio joined – a Mexican postdoc trained across both computer and biological sciences - bringing exactly the kind of integrative energy COSSEE needs. In August, Aneta joined us as an academic visitor from Poland.
September marked another turning point when Ed (Brazil) joined us as our manager. Ed is not a new collaborator; he is my first-ever PhD student from Otago (New Zealand) and later became a professor at the University of São Paulo (a long story why he is with us now). With Sergio’s help, Ed and I recruited two research assistants with computer sciences degrees: Mahi (Bangladesh) and Jimuel (Philippines), who are starting in early 2026.
COSSEE’s first year has also been shaped by my previous lab in Sydney, Australia (UNSW). There, Lorenzo (Italy) and Coralie (Australia/France) submitted their PhD theses - an enormous milestone and a proud moment. I also received fantastic news that Yefeng will be starting at Zhejiang University in China as an Associate Professor with a prestigious fellowship. And in January 2026, Kyle (Ireland) will transfer from UNSW to the University of Alberta to join COSSEE as a very experienced PhD student.
Looking ahead, in 2026, we are expecting an influx of new colleagues and trainees: Hao (China, MSc), Cassidy (USA, MSc), Aleksandra (Serbia/Ireland, PhD), Josh (UK, PhD), Xi (China, PhD), Christine (Canada, postdoc), Christin (Germany, postdoc; a bit confusing with Christine and Christen…), Iwo (USA, postdoc) and Marija (Croatia, postdoc). It will be busy in the best way.
Place: from temporary rooms to a home
The other big story of 2025 is that COSSEE finally gained something every lab needs: a space that feels like a base (yes, in the Biological Sciences Building). After months of decisions on furniture, carpets, tiles, wall colours, and even the kitchen sink, we now have a genuinely cozy COSSEE home (see the photos below). Our new office space includes two hybrid-capable meeting rooms, a larger workshop/group-meeting area, a kitchen, a large dining table for shared time, six nice offices, and a generous open workspace for students. It is not just functional; it is an environment designed for collaboration.
Into 2026 (the true first year of COSSEE as a research collaboration)
If 2025 was the year COSSEE took shape, 2026 will be the year it accelerates: new arrivals, new projects, and new routines that turn a collection of talented people into a lab culture of big-team science collaborations. One special development: Losia (Poland; Associate Professor) will be starting a sister lab, continuing I-DEEL at the University of Alberta. There is a lot to look forward to!
Finally, I want to close this post by thanking all the COSSEE and I-DEEL members for their support, help and dedication. With that, COSSEE has moved from an idea to a real group of people, and from borrowed rooms to a place we can finally call a cozy home.
