Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e.V. (GSO)

📣 Open Call: Visiting Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) The Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung in Cologne is inviting applications for its Visiting Researchers Program for the #summersemester #2026. The institute conducts research on how #modern #societies are governed — at the intersection of economic sociology and comparative and international political economy. Scholars are encouraged to bring bold projects that connect with MPIfG’s research program and contribute to its vibrant intellectual community. ➡️ Who can apply? Professors, postdocs, and doctoral researchers from Germany or abroad working in relevant fields. ➡️ What’s offered? A collegial environment, intellectual exchange, and affiliation with one of the Institute’s directors or group leaders. While you’ll need to secure your own funding, MPIfG provides a formal invitation letter to support your applications to funding bodies. ➡️ Application details: 🔹 Proposal of up to 3 pages 🔹 Online submission (English or German) 🔹 Deadline: October 31, 2025 (23:59 UTC+1) This is a rare opportunity: only a limited number of visiting researcher positions are awarded each year. 👉 Learn more about the program and how to apply in the link in the first comment!

✨ Team News at GSO*! Our colleague Kübra Kananathan will soon be going on maternity leave. She has been the heart of many of our alumni and community activities - curious about people’s stories & always enjoying to create space for exchange! We wish her all the best for this exciting new chapter! At the same time, we are very happy to welcome Tobias R. to our team as Project & Communications Manager. With a background in Middle Eastern and Cultural Studies and professional experience in Berlin’s cultural and non-profit sectors, Tobias brings a strong interdisciplinary perspective to his new role. We’re looking forward to getting to know Tobias, working side by side, and seeing how he will shape our projects and community in the months ahead!

📣 Open Call: NRW Returning Scholars Program   With funding of up to €1.25 million for five years, the NRW Returning Scholars Program #NRWRückkehrprogramm enables researchers to start their own #junior #research #group at a university in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany.   ➡️ Who is eligible? ✅ Topic of this call: #LifeSciences, including areas such as #Medicine, #Biology, #Genetics, #Microbiology, #Virology, #Ecology, #Neurobiology, #Bioinformatics, #Biochemistry, #Biotechnology, #EnvironmentalSciences, #Bioeconomy, and #Biodiversity. Other related fields are welcome if the project clearly connects to Life Sciences. ✅ Applicants must hold a PhD completed 2 - 6 years ago (9 years for medical fields) ✅ At least 12 months of research experience outside Germany ✅ Previous residence in Germany required before going abroad (not limited to German citizens)   ➡️ Where can the group be established? ✅ At a university in #NRW. The #host #institution must provide the necessary #infrastructure, possibly in cooperation with a non-university #research #institute. Existing contacts are not required, though applicants should highlight resources and cooperation prospects at their chosen location. A list of participating universities is available on the program website.   ➡️ What perspectives does the program offer? ✅ #State #funding allows negotiations with host universities for opportunities beyond the #NRWRückkehrprogramm, including #TenureTrack options ✅ The #selection #process follows legal requirements, easing the path into #professorships   ➡️ What is the program about? ✅ NRW hosts 70 universities and over 50 non-university research institutes, making it the largest #sciencehub in #Europe. Since 2007, the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen has promoted the #return of outstanding young scientists from abroad. Around 65 researchers have received up to €1.25 million over five years to establish their own research groups in NRW.   ➡️ When and how to apply? ✅ Deadline: 9 January 2026, 4:00 pm CET. ✅ Applications can be submitted in #German or #English   Full details and the #application #portal can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ee4nbFj3

Fifteen Bold Ideas. One Boost for Each: Meet the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows 2025 With the KT Boost 6 series, we’re spotlighting fifteen researchers whose projects push the boundaries of their fields. Each Hashtag #KTBoostfellow represents not only bold scientific ideas but also the curiosity, persistence, and leadership that shape the future of research. Three Questions to… Sanne Lidewij Maas, Postdoctoral Researcher at RWTH Aachen University, Cardiovascular Research ❓ What if we could #predict #heart #attacks and strokes before they happen — and stop them in time? Sanne’s project investigates how certain proteins, called kinases, contribute to the rupture of artery plaques that cause heart attacks and strokes. Using a kinomics platform, she aims to find early warning markers and pave the way for better treatments. ❓What problem does your research tackle? #Heart attacks and strokes, driven by clogged arteries caused by atherosclerotic plaque rupture, remains the leading cause of death #globally. Existing treatments only lower the risk by 30-40%, highlighting the urgent #need for #new #therapies. Kinases, proteins that regulate vital cellular processes, play a key role in disease progression. Using a kinomics platform, I aim to identify specific kinases involved in plaque rupture and assess their potential as biomarkers to predict heart attacks or strokes. ➡️ This research could lead to #innovative #treatments and a non-invasive test for #earlier #risk #detection. ❓How does the #KTBoostFund support you and your #project idea? The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund helps me develop #independent #research ideas and explore new approaches that would otherwise remain untapped. It allows me to connect with researchers from different fields, encouraging #collaborations and fresh #perspectives to #improve my work. The funding also supports my leadership growth by enabling me to #mentor a PhD student. With this extra support in the lab, we can #accelerate #experiments and gather vital data to address heart disease, one of the leading global causes of death. Without this funding, these opportunities would remain unrealized. If I had more time for things other than research, I … …would love to dedicate more time to #dancing #salsa. It combines my love for #sport, #music, and #culture. Attending international salsa festivals is the perfect blend of all these interests. _______________________________ 🚀The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung offering flexible funding and career development to promote researchers in the #Biology, #Chemistry, #ComputerScience, #Geosciences, #Mathematics, #Neurosciences, or #Physics. #BoostFellows #KTBoostFund

Now Hiring: Postdoctoral Positions at Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) How do climate dynamics and social change shape each other? At the Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS) at the Universität Hamburg, this question is at the heart of our research. Researchers from the #natural #sciences, #social #sciences, and #humanities work side by side to investigate the #physical and #societal dimensions of #climatechange — and their interactions. Together with partners such as the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, and the Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum | DKRZ |, CLICCS is one of Europe’s leading hubs for #interdisciplinary #climate #research. 🔎 Over the coming months, 28 doctoral positions and 28 postdoctoral positions will be advertised, offering early-career researchers the opportunity to join an internationally visible cluster, connect across disciplines, and contribute to cutting-edge climate research. The first calls are already open — examples include: ➡️ Postdoctoral Researcher: Extreme Adaptation to Climate Change (social sciences or related field) – Deadline: October 20, 2025 ➡️ Research associate (m/f/d): Scale interactions in a warming Arctic (university degree plus doctorate) – Deadline: October 3, 2025 ➡️ Research Associate: Climate Finance – Deadline: October 7, 2025 ➡️ Research Associate: Social Construction of Climate Moods – Deadline: October 14, 2025 And more positions are being published week by week. 📌 If your expertise lies in climate science, environmental engineering, geosciences, social sciences, or related disciplines, this is your chance to be part of a collaborative effort to understand and shape the future of climate research. Explore current openings and stay tuned for further calls - link in the first comment!

Open Call: CZS Nexus – Building Independent Research Groups What if your next step isn’t joining a group, but building one yourself? The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (CZS) Nexus programme is now open for applications — supporting outstanding postdocs who want to launch their own interdisciplinary group at the interface of STEM fields. With a budget of up to €1.5 million, Nexus is designed to give early-career researchers the #freedom, #resources, and long-term stability to pursue ambitious ideas that connect: 🔹 Artificial Intelligence 🔹 Resource Efficiency 🔹 Life Science Technologies Who can apply? ✅ Postdoctoral researchers (doctorate completed within the last 4 years; extensions possible) who are ready to: ✅ Establish an independent and autonomous working group at a state university or a non-university institute affiliated with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft, or Max Planck Society — in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, or Thuringia. ✅ Work across at least #two #STEM #disciplines (e.g. life sciences, natural sciences, engineering). ✅ Lead a project with both scientific originality and social or economic relevance. What is funded? ✅ A full group leader position (5–6 years) ✅ Personnel (postdocs, PhDs, assistants) ✅ Large-scale equipment & infrastructure (up to 20% of total budget) ✅ Material resources, outreach, networking, and transfer activities ✅ Relocation costs and institutional overheads This is more than funding. It is a chance to step into independence, shape a team, and address global challenges with interdisciplinary research. 📅 Letter of intent deadline: 16 October 2025 👉 Full details and application guidelines in the first comment. — The CZS Nexus programme gives postdocs the chance to take bold ideas off the page and into practice — in an environment that encourages interdisciplinarity and impact. 🔁 Please share with colleagues who might be ready for this next step.

📣 Careers Beyond Academia: Webinar Beyond the Lab: Exploring a Career as a Journal Editor ✅ Not every researcher stays on the academic track. For some, the turning point comes during or after their PhD, when they realize that their real strength lies in thinking critically about research across fields, engaging with a broad scientific spectrum, and shaping how science gets communicated. That’s often the moment when the path toward becoming a journal editor starts to make sense. This free one-hour webinar is a chance to hear what that career looks like behind the scenes — directly from those who’ve done it: Helen Pickersgill, Founder & CEO at Life Science Editors Natascha Bushati, Freelance Life Sciences Editor Stephen Matheson, Director, Client Relations & Educational Programs at Life Science Editors April Pawluk, PhD, Scientific Publications Strategist at Arc Institute Together they’ll share: ✅ How they landed their roles at leading journals ✅ What the day-to-day #responsibilities involve ✅ How editorial #decisions are made—from #submission to rejection or revision ✅ The highs and lows of the job—including career #challenges and #rewards ✅ Honest discussion around #salary, career growth, and the #qualifications that matter And of course, there’s time for your questions in a live Q&A. 📅 October 7, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. ET (New York) / 16:00 UTC / 18:00 CEST ➡️ Whether you’re actively exploring a new career path or simply curious about what life as a journal editor is really like, this is a chance to learn directly from those who’ve been there. More information in the first link!

GAIN25 Digital starts tomorrow, on September 25! Are you looking for advice on topics such as your path to being a #Junior #Group #Leader, #career paths at #universities and non-university #institutions in Germany- or do you have questions on careers in business and other sectors? ✅ With our two free webinars at #GAIN25 Digital - the virtual component of GAIN25 in Boston this year - we will discuss this topics to help you make informed career decisions in and beyond academia. ➡️ Workshop Nr 1: "Beyond Academia: How to Build Your Career Strategy" Statistically, academia is the alternative path: fewer than 15% of doctorate holders under 45 in Germany stay at universities, and only a fraction secure a #professorship. Most researchers build careers in #industry, the #publicsector, or #nonprofits. So how do you find the right fit #beyondacademia? Together with experienced researchers and experts, we’ll look at: ✅ How your values and strengths can guide career decisions ✅ What to know if you’re entering the German job market from abroad ✅ How to use practical tools like informational interviews and LinkedIn research ✅ What career models are possible across sectors Hosted by: Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. Executive Director, GSO with panelists from the GSO network. 📅 September 25, 3:00 – 4:15 pm (CEST), in English ➡️ Workshop Nr. 2: "Returning to Germany as a Junior Group Leader – on the Example of the NRW Returning Scholars Program" Junior group leadership can be a decisive step toward a professorship. Together with Stephan Cursiefen (Ministry of Culture and Science of NRW) and two current fellows, Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. will discuss how the NRW Rückkehrprogramm supports #returning #scholars, what #challenges to expect, and how this step can fit into a long-term #academic #strategy. 📅 September 25, 6:00 – 7:15 pm (CEST), in German ➡️ Ahead of the workshop, two fellows — Andrea Kirsch (Ruhr University Bochum) and Robert Hein (University of Münster) — shared their peer-to-peer experiences and tips. You can read their interviews here: https://lnkd.in/eS6_47Dj and here: https://lnkd.in/eTGXGwQa Find the #registration link in the first comment!

Congratulations to our #KTBoost Fellows! Science Needs Women. And We’re Proud to See Two of Our Fellows Leading the Way. This year’s “For Women in Science” Award by L'Oréal, Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission, and the German Humboldt Network recognized four researchers whose work is not only excellent, but transformative. Among them: two of our very own #KTBoostFellows. ➡️ Dr. Casey Paquola (Forschungszentrum Jülich). Her research maps how the developing brain shapes #mental #health — and how MRI data and AI might one day predict psychiatric risks and enable early, targeted interventions. ➡️ Dr. Jingyuan Xu (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Her work pioneers #sustainable #cooling #systems with shape-memory alloys, aiming to replace greenhouse-gas-heavy compressors with environmentally friendly, energy-efficient alternatives. We find that #scientific #breakthroughs do not come from isolated effort, but from researchers who are given the #time, #space, and #trust to pursue ambitious ideas. The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund exists for exactly this reason: to provide early-career scientists with the freedom to think boldly and act independently. Our warmest congratulations also go to the other two awardees: Dr. Line Dahl Muradi // Næsborg (Universität Münster), and Rana Hussein Ali, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)! Photos: Andreas Rentz / Getty Images Klaus Tschira Stiftung #ForWomenInScience #KTBoostFund

📣 Open Call: Humboldt Research Fellowship – Your Research Stay in Germany. What if your next big idea could take shape in Germany, supported by one of the world’s most respected research funding foundations? The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation invites postdoctoral and experienced researchers from all disciplines and all countries (except Germany and Brazil) to apply for the Humboldt Research Fellowship. ✅ Why this fellowship matters: 🔹 Freedom & Flexibility Conduct your own research project with a host of your choice at a German institution. Stays range from 6–24 months (postdocs) or 6–18 months (experienced researchers) and can be split into multiple visits. 🔹 Generous Support Monthly fellowship of €2,700–€3,200, plus additional family benefits, travel costs, and health insurance subsidies. A German language course (for you and your partner) is included before you start. 🔹 More than funding Become part of the global Humboldt Network: lifelong alumni support, return fellowships, and future funding for collaborations long after your stay ends. ✅Who should apply: 🔹 Postdocs: PhD completed within the last 4 years (or close to completion). 🔹 Experienced researchers: PhD completed within the last 12 years. 🔹 Scholars from all fields: sciences, humanities, arts, and interdisciplinary research. ➡️ Researchers from developing or emerging countries working on sustainable development are encouraged to apply for the equivalent #GeorgForsterFellowship. The Humboldt Foundation explicitly welcomes #women, #underrepresented groups, and scholars from #diverse #backgrounds to apply. Excellence in research and a commitment to impact are what matter. 🌍 With the Humboldt Research Fellowship, you don’t just advance your project—you join a worldwide community of researchers shaping knowledge, policy, and society. 👉 Learn more and apply via the link in the first comment.