This paper report presents the interdisciplinary science showcased at the Young Scientists Retreat 2019. The retreat was jointly organized by young researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (Portugal) and Institut Curie (France) and took place in Pedrógão Pequeno, a small village in the central region of Portugal in September 2019. Three keynote speakers were invited to present their work, Alfonso Martinez-Arias, Biola Javierre Martínez, and Sara Magalhães. In addition, accepted talks and posters from young researchers were presented at the retreat. Talks were organized in sessions, which included: epigenetics and evolution, immunology, cell biology and metabolism, biostatistics and public health, biophysics, proliferation and morphogenesis, and cell polarity. A post-retreat survey, complied both by IGC attendees as well as a sample of non-attendees, discovered the existence of barriers that prevented the full participation of some junior scientists, especially female postdocs and postdocs with families. We discuss ways in which future retreats could help address this and additional issues common to young researchers in general.