20 Years of the ISCB Student Council Symposium: shaping computational biology and future leaders

Over the past two decades, the Student Council Symposium (SCS), the flagship event of the ISCB Student Council, has grown into a vital forum for early-career researchers in computational biology. Since its inception in 2005, the SCS has served as a platform for scientific exchange, skill development, and community building in a student-led, globally inclusive environment. The 20th edition, held in 2024 in Montréal, Canada, continued the symposium's tradition of global engagement and hybrid accessibility, reaffirming a commitment to in-person dialogue. This article presents a comprehensive retrospective of the evolution of computational biology through the lens of SCS. We trace key advances from genome-scale analyses and structural modeling to single-cell and AI-driven bioinformatics. Based on SCS2024 talks and keynotes, we illustrate how emerging interdisciplinary methods have reshaped the field. We also highlight parallel efforts in global education, regional expansion, and equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. This retrospective shows how SCS has not only reflected the transformation of the field but also played a key role in shaping emerging leaders in bioinformatics.