Early-Career Insights: Lessons from BCA 2025 in Leeds

Attending the BCA 2025 Spring Meeting in Leeds was a very memorable experience for me as a young researcher.

Aside from the amazing opportunity to present my work for the first time at a crystallography conference, what stood out to me most was how approachable and welcoming the crystallography community is. As an early-career crystallographer, I had expected to feel nervous about networking or discussing my work with more experienced researchers, but those concerns quickly disappeared thanks to how receptive and engaging everyone was. Chatting with others, hearing about their experiences, and realising we are all figuring things out at our own pace was really encouraging.

A few talks really resonated with me. The early career prize lecture by Dr Wojciech Stawski on "π-Conjugated Macrocycles in the Solid State" was outstanding — not only were the research approach and results brilliant, but I was also happy to learn that the speaker runs a YouTube channel dedicated to helping crystallographers struggling with structure refinement — videos I have personally watched and benefited from (check it out! – @WojtekStawski).

The talk on "3D Electron Diffraction via the Scenic Route" by Dr Jeremiah Tidey was also particularly inspiring from an early-career perspective — it was a great reminder that your most recent project does not have to define your entire career path. In fact, gaining diverse experience can open new doors and opportunities.

In addition, during the CCG plenary, Professor Lucia Maini gave a creative presentation that examined historical 'recipes' for specific chemical reactions. It was particularly impressive how much attention was paid to accurately replicating the original procedures found in historical documents.

I also discovered some useful resources by the CCDC with Dr Ilaria Gimondi's presentation — websites and toolkits that are aimed at supporting crystallographers, especially early-career researchers. It was a good reminder that there is a lot out there to help us, and it is worth sharing this kind of information more openly within the community.

Overall, the meeting was a fantastic opportunity to connect with other researchers, exchange ideas, and learn from some truly impressive work. I have come away not only with new knowledge but also with a sense of connection to the community. And as for the ceilidh at the conference dinner — I had no idea crystallography involved so much cardio. Note to self: stretch first next time!