Authors
Renato Zenobi
Organizations
ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Abstract
In early October 2025, I attended the farewell party for a recent Ph.D. graduate from the lab. What I took away from that party is that a lab really is a microcosmos of collegiality and friendship: almost everyone who did not have a prior commitment showed up to the party, although it was in a quite remote location. Moreover, many former lab members joined, and seeing them is always a special joy for me. It feels to me like many formers have become friends, irrespective of whether they still work somewhere close or far away. This general sensation provided the gist to the present editorial: a feeling of closeness to all members of my lab, former or present, even the very young project students. Of course, officially I am (or was) their boss, not their buddy, and I cannot be completely sure whether the feeling of closeness is mutual. Would students see me as an authority who instills fear, or – hopefully – more as senior colleague?