UNITE Spring Semester 1: Science Communication

How to fail again and again: A journey through academic resilience

This workshop is dedicated to an essential yet often invisible dimension of academic life: failure. While CVs typically highlight achievements, the reality of an academic career is equally shaped by rejected papers, unfunded grants, abandoned projects, unexpected setbacks, and the emotional landscape that accompanies them. Drawing on concrete examples from different stages of an academic trajectory, this workshop invites participants to explore failure as a central, formative, and universal component of scholarly development. Through an open and reflective discussion, we will examine how resilience, appraisal, and peer support can transform setbacks into stepping stones. This workshop aims to foster a more transparent and compassionate academic culture where failure is recognized not as a personal flaw, but as an integral part of growth and long‑term success.

• Date & Time: February 27, 2026, 11:00 – 15:00
• Location: UniDistance Suisse, Schinerstrasse 18, 3900 Brig
• Duration: 4 hours (including lunch break and networking afternoon)