German Scholars Organization e.V. (GSO)

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗗𝗿. 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗼𝗹𝗮, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁. As a neuroscientist and research group leader at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Casey focuses on human brain development. We met her to discuss the insights she gained throughout the grant application process. 🚀 Casey's Journey: The application journey was about a year-long process - from submission to acceptance. Among other things, she highlights the importance of refining the proposal for clarity and readability to ensure it is accessible to a broader audience, and how the people around her have been key parts of the journey. In our GSO Peer Story, Casey talks about her takeaways: 🔸 Balance Ambition and Manageability: Strike the right balance between ambitious goals and practical execution. 🔸Find Supportive Mentors and Colleagues: Ask for constructive criticism from colleagues. This will significantly enhance the preparation period. 🔸 Integrate Diverse Perspectives: Establish international collaborations, continuously disseminate your work, and associate different types of opinions and datasets. Casey is also a recipient of the KT Boost Fund, a joint program of GSO and the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, which promotes excellent researchers by providing flexible funding, support for international collaborations, and targeted mentoring to accelerate their careers and promote early independence. The new, upcoming call will be this summer. We'll keep you posted! Click below to read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eQir6v-e #EmmyNoetherGrant #Mentorship #CareerJourney #KTBoostFund

𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁:  How are requirements worded? What is behind a particular job title? However, the language used in job descriptions might be unfamiliar, filled with terms and requirements you don’t seem to match at first sight. With our curated #TopPicks, we try to: 🔸 Introduce You to New Sectors: Which organizations/areas are looking for your expertise and transferable skills that you haven’t thought of yet? 🔸 Clarify Job Roles: What do daily tasks and responsibilities look like in those organizations? What are the titles of those jobs? Remember that they might match your skills, but the wording differs. 🔸 Put yourself in the shoes of the employer: How can your academic skills (or such you gained outside of academia) solve their problem/fill the gap? Find our recent #Toppicks here: https://lnkd.in/dVAjEcF This time with DeZIM-Institut, Technische Universität Dresden, IQB | Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen, More in Common Deutschland, GermanZero, De Gruyter and more.

🚌 Keeping Up With our Boost Fellow Oya Cingöz - about the Boost effects and career development - while she shares her advice for those progressing in academia. Oya is a virologist and group leader at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. She is researching the so-called “virus arms race” in retroviruses (the most well-known being HIV), their replication strategies, and how they interact with our immune system on the cellular level. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 – 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘄? While I was still at the same institute, there were significant changes to my career. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘛 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺. For many others, I wasn't eligible because I hadn't studied in Germany or there were restrictions to biological or academic age. I found this grant with no such restrictions and felt excited. And when I got the grant, it felt as if I was finally going in the right direction. I was still trying to establish myself as an independent researcher, which is difficult if you don´t have funding. With the fund, I hired professionals who were incredibly helpful in advancing the project. I also got my first last-author-paper out in Nature Communications which made me very proud.  𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢. I better know my direction, and the next steps, and I can plan strategically. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁? ❗ Be aware: from when you write the application to the project's last six months, research needs can change. This is hard to predict. You may have to save some funds, don't spend everything all at once. In public institutions, you may face budget cuts. 🔸 The Boost Fund gives you the flexibility to adjust and compensate.  🔸 Expect hiring processes to take time – and be mostly in German. It helps to understand the rules. Know the pay grades and how the administration thinks. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗞𝗧 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄?  There were quite a few, but one was being interviewed by the German newspaper DIE ZEIT. I still have that issue and sent it to my family even though they  don´t understand. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱?  You need a support system in academia. I knew this before, but it became even clearer when I got in contact with my fellow Boosties. The KT Boost Fund is a joint program of GSO and the Klaus Tschira Stiftung. It offers money and career support for postdoc researchers in Science, Math, and Computer Science. To stay up to date for the new, upcoming call this summer, register for the GSO newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/etkgsR3u

🕸️No matter if you dread networking or not, always remember WHY you are doing it – it’s not an end in itself. ➡️Be strategic AND give serendipity a chance (it's best to build a network before you need it) – here are some general pieces of advice: ✅Know what you want and what you have to offer. You can only communicate well what you have clarity about. ✅Don’t be shy to say what you want. It’s way easier to get help or advice if people have a concrete idea of what you are looking for ("I am exploring options for a collaboration/a postdoc/a host/transitioning to a field like yours - it would be great to give a talk at your institute about.../ask you some questions about...")" ✅Be interested in other people. Ask open-ended questions (“What is your take on the talk?”, "How did you land this job?”, “What would you consider if you were in my situation?”, "Who else would you recommend I talk to?") ✅Ask for advice. People are happy to share their experience and feel that you are interested in their perspective. ✅If you feel more comfortable in one-on-one meetings, make appointments before you attend a conference. Do your homework about that person in order to ask relevant questions and get the information you need. ✅Introduce people you know to each other. They will remember that. ✅Follow up – send a thank you note, send that link you were talking about. ✅Follow people or organizations on LinkedIn or other platforms to learn more about them. Consider using LinkedIn as a personal address book. 💡What are your pieces of advice when it comes to networking?

⚖️ 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗡𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸: 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 A healthier approach to balancing emotional well-being in academia and industry is important - and we are no strangers to the pressure of deadlines and the pursuit of excellence. Discussions surrounding academic well-being are still uncommon and often carry a stigma. However, we at AlumNode recognize the 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. That's why our upcoming coffee break wants to explore 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 together with alumnus Emanuele Martinuzzi, a mathematician and coach who advocates for the role of emotional intelligence. 🧠 As Emanuele rightly emphasizes: "Just as we don't expect individuals to learn subjects like math, language, history, geography, law, or philosophy on their own, it is crucial to acknowledge the value of emotional and psychological education." During the coffee break, we will: 🔹 Learn the role of emotions and why their management is vital. 🔹 Discover practical strategies and techniques for managing emotions. 🔹 Exchange ideas and discuss how we can influence our typical emotional responses. 📆 When: 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝟰:𝟬𝟬 – 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗽𝗺 (𝗖𝗘𝗧) 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 Given the sensitivity of the topic, we aim to foster a kind and inviting atmosphere, creating a virtual safe space for all participants. Please note that this event will be half an hour longer than usual, giving us time for more engaging conversations. 📝 To register, visit the event page on AlumNode: https://lnkd.in/d9hr5ees Please ensure that you are 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗡𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 to complete the registration process.   We look forward to your participation! #EmotionalIntelligence #AcademicWellBeing #CoffeeBreak #AlumNode

What are #career pathways of #academics? This week we happened to gather four members of the GSO community with different stories at a conference about the future of universities in Berlin. 🎤The event was moderated by Dr. Martin R. Lichtenthaler, alumnus of our Leadership Academy and a former postdoc in Chemistry, who co-founded Mighty Real, a company that offers interactive trainings and event hosting. 🚀Dr. Mridul Agrawal serves as advisory board member of the GSO and was one of the panelists at the event. Mridul co-founded iuvando Health while he was still a postdoc and medical doctor. He is now a full-time entrepreneur. 🔭Marcel S. Pawlowski is a member of GSO as an association as well as an alumnus of the Leadership Academy and the #KTBoostFund. He is a group leader at Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP). Together with Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. he was invited to share his perspective within the Next Generation University initiative of RWTH Aachen University that hosted the event. 🪴Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. became GSO's director after a postdoc in Sociology and another job in the nonprofit sector. There are so many opportunities for academically trained people to create societal impact. ➡️Please let us know where life took you after your #PhD, it might be an inspiration for someone! #NGU #GSOLA 📷: Elena Lichtenthaler

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸, 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗦𝗢 𝗱𝗼? Our mission extends beyond supporting German scholars; we are also committed to promoting the academic and professional lives of a diverse international community. 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗡𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Participants in our Leadership Academy become members of AlumNode, an international and interdisciplinary network funded by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung. The platform offers among other things project funding, peer mentoring, and interactive career workshops. 📣 The recent call for AlumNode project funding ended with a success for us - over 50 proposals were submitted: from AI solutions to empowering women in science, and from educational initiatives to creative games across diverse sectors (and many more!) This program is especially meaningful for us because it shows our double goal of promoting people with their careers while also encouraging everyone to work together and come up with new ideas. We look forward to seeing how the selected projects develop! #AlumNodeFunding2024 #Innovation #Collaboration

📣 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! How can we develop sustainable and healthy living standards globally in the face of economic and lifestyle challenges posed by climate change? The Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany is offering the Digital GreenTalents Award to support 20 talented young scientists from around the world who are working at the intersection of digitalization and sustainable development. This program offers a chance for these individuals to collaborate with the German Digital GreenTech community and establish long-lasting partnerships. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀: 🔸 A fully funded research stay in Germany for up to three months in 2025 🔸 A SpringSchool in 2025 with workshops, excursions, and networking opportunities 🔸 Becoming part of the Global Digital GreenTalents network 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 🔸 Master's/PhD students, postdocs, and young professionals with no more than three years of professional work experience 🔸 A strong focus on digitalization, sustainable development, and an interdisciplinary approach 🔸 Excellent command of English and above-average grades ❗ The deadline for submission is 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭:𝟱𝟵 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧. If you are passionate about addressing global challenges through innovative solutions, we encourage you to apply for this prestigious award and join the Digital GreenTalents community. Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/gaBBNyJW

❓Do you know your Transferable skills & how to communicate them? A while back we interviewed Dr. Melanie Hüttenrauch who transitioned from being a postdoc to a role at a start-up. Job positions such as "Customer Success Manager" or "Product Manager" might not be the ones you would intuitively type into the search bar of a job platform. 🤔Don’t be put off – first look at the tasks behind the title. Sales in a science-related company, for example, initially requires specialist knowledge, since the customers are, for example, doctors or scientists. In job ads you will read requirements that might not be an obvious fit to your skill portfolio - but actually, you are not so far off. For example: 💡“You will become a true product specialist” – i.e. you score points for being able to quickly learn new topics; “You will present our software via webinars…, identify vulnerabilities and maintain relationships” – these are classic skills of a PhD, give examples where you have succeeded in this in everyday science. 💡Make sure you communicate these skills through context to help employers better understand what "Presenting", "Organizing" or "Analytical Thinking" actually mean. You can do that by ✅using quantifiers (e.g., 3 years of experience in worling in a cross-functional team, presentetd complex data to different stakeholders at 15 conferences...) ✅state results (e.g., resulting in an expert interview with a newspaper, as evidenced by successfully finishing the project before the deadline etc.) ✅tell a story (What was the Situation, what were Tasks you had to do, what Actions did you take and what was the Result?) ➡️Remember: About 85% of people with a PhD under 45 in Germany work in the business or other sectors - academia is the alternative career path and you already bring many useful skills to the table.

Quite frankly, it took us more than a hot minute to gather relevant information and interpret the implications of the newest reform of the #WissZeitVG (German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act). 💡To save you some time, we put together a brief summary of what we think you need to know about the act and its changes including critical voices. 💡We also offer some ideas of what you can do right now and where to get further information. 💡Some outspoken voices on this topic and also on the German academic system in general you can find here on LinkedIn, for instance, we suggest to follow Amrei Bahr, Kristin Eichhorn, Leibniz PostDoc Network, Helmholtz Juniors, Max Planck PostdocNet, Jan-Martin Wiarda, Die Junge Akademie, Netzwerk für Gute Arbeit in der Wissenschaft, to name just a few. ➡️Please add any source that you felt was helpful or insights that you would like to add. https://lnkd.in/dxZ8r_FX