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

What does the move from academia to industry look like in practice? Moritz Bross shares his experience.👇 Transitioning from academia to industry can feel like a big leap, but it becomes more manageable once you understand what actually matters. We spoke with Moritz Bross about his move from academic research into Industrial Biotechnology at BASF. His experience highlights what makes this transition easier and which skills become essential beyond the university setting. Here are a few takeaways based on what Moritz found most helpful in his own journey. ➡️ Activities beyond your research strengthen your profile: Through sustainability initiatives, Moritz developed skills in communication, teamwork, and initiative. Many of the competencies valued in industry come from experiences outside the core PhD or postdoc project. ➡️ Staying connected with people helps when you start looking: Moritz already knew his future supervisor from a conference. Small, regular networking habits can make a big difference. ➡️ Beyond deep expertise, broad professional skills become essential: In industry, Moritz relies on quick comprehension, self-organization, stakeholder management, communication, and project management. Scientific expertise is important, but these broader skills shape much of the day-to-day work. ➡️ Structured work environments can be a major advantage: Flexible hours, predictable schedules, remote options, and part-time possibilities are aspects he now values in industry settings. ➡️ Academia is not the only meaningful career path: Moritz’ industry experience changed how he views the path to professorship. High uncertainty and heavy workloads are not always matched by the impact researchers hope for. Other career options can be just as rewarding. 👉 Read the full article on our website: https://lnkd.in/exJg9snn 👉 Learn more about Moritz’ work in this video by BASF: https://lnkd.in/e73BjRnX #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

To Be Honest Conference 2025 | Securing Support: Effective Grant Strategies for Researchers 📅 December 4, 2025, 4:30 - 5:45 pm (CET) At the To Be Honest Conference 2025, each session brings a closer look at the realities of life and work in research today. From practical strategies to diverse perspectives, our speakers explore the challenges and opportunities researchers face in a rapidly changing world. Grant writing is no rocket science - with the right approach, anyone can learn to succeed. In this session, an experienced grant trainer, Sabine Preusse, will guide you through the formula of successful grant writing, show you how to identify the funding programs and strategies that best fit your research and career goals, and share tips for handling rejections constructively. ✅ Join us online for the To Be Honest Conference 2025 — live on Zoom. Registration is now open. Discover the full program and register here: https://lnkd.in/efRygWmu 👥 Who it is for? ➡️ Researchers with a PhD or close to finishing one, including postdocs, group leaders, and professors. ➡️ Professionals and decision-makers from academic institutions, funding bodies, or research policy. 👉 When sharing content related to tbh, make sure to use the hashtag #tbhconference2025. The conference is organized by GSO, supported by AlumNode – your network by Klaus Tschira Stiftung, and made possible by funding from the foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung. #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport #tbhconference2025

To Be Honest Conference 2025 | LinkedIn as a Launchpad: Opportunities Inside and Beyond Research 📅 December 5, 2025, 3:30 - 4:45 pm (CET) At the To Be Honest Conference 2025, each session brings a closer look at the realities of life and work in research today. From practical strategies to diverse perspectives, our speakers explore the challenges and opportunities researchers face in a rapidly changing world. Can LinkedIn really help researchers advance their careers? Join Timo Lorenz and Ulrike Boehm for an honest, practical look at how to use LinkedIn strategically, even if you’re short on time or skeptical about “self-promotion.” Learn how small, authentic steps can build visibility, open unexpected doors, and connect you to opportunities in and beyond academia.This session is moderated by Birte Seffert, Head of Advisory & Funding Programs at GSO. ✅ Join us online for the To Be Honest Conference 2025 — live on Zoom. Registration is now open. Discover the full program and register here: https://lnkd.in/efRygWmu 👥 Who it is for? ➡️ Researchers with a PhD or close to finishing one, including postdocs, group leaders, and professors. ➡️ Professionals and decision-makers from academic institutions, funding bodies, or research policy. 👉 When sharing content related to To Be Honest Conference, make sure to use the hashtag #tbhconference2025. The conference is organized by GSO, supported by AlumNode – your network by Klaus Tschira Stiftung, and made possible by funding from the foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung. #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport #tbhconference2025

Exploring career options in business, nonprofits, or the research sector but not sure where to begin? For many researchers, the wider job market can feel like unfamiliar terrain: 🔹 unclear job titles 🔹 vague role descriptions 🔹 countless options that are hard to compare That’s why we created our #TopPicks series. Each month, we highlight selected job openings for academics across industry, the nonprofit sector, and science-driven organizations. ✅ Our goal: make the landscape more transparent and easier to navigate. With our curated list, you can: ➡️ See which employers actively hire researchers ➡️ Understand what job ads really ask for ➡️ Identify the skills from your research that transfer across sectors ➡️ Discover roles you might not have had on your radar 👉 Check out the latest list here: https://lnkd.in/dVAjEcF This time, amongst others, with: Senior Project Manager Hamburg Sustainability Conference, Research Manager AI & Engineering TWT GmbH Science & Innovation, Head of Bioinformatics Facility Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Programm Manager*in Stifterverband, Post Doc FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik, Referent*in Wissenschaftskommunikation NCL-Stiftung, Head of Grants Office Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, PostDoc Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning – New Perspectives for Science Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Koordinator*in Hochschulmanagement Stiftung Universität Hildesheim, Referent*in Health+Life Science Alliance Universität Heidelberg, Leitung strategische Kommunikation ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Science Communication Officer Universität Paderborn, Wissenschaftlicher Referent*in Mein Grundeinkommen e.V., Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Difu). #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

Curious about becoming a professor at a University of Applied Sciences in Germany? On Thursday, 4 December 2025 from 4-6 pm, Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten is hosting the online event “Career Goal UAS Professorship.” The session is designed to help international researchers understand the pathways to becoming a professor at a University of Applied Sciences (UAS) in Germany. You’ll receive insights on: ➡️ the job profile of a UAS professorship in Germany ➡️ required qualifications and professional experience ➡️ the appointment process ➡️ support structures for early-career researchers You’ll also hear from Zerrin Harth and Andre Kaufmann, who will share insights into their work and their personal career journeys. In addition, the event will feature current job openings from the following faculties: ➡️ Mechanical Engineering ➡️ Social Work, Health, Nursing 👉 Join here: https://lnkd.in/eyzRKuzq 👉 More information: https://lnkd.in/giP32CGM #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

🎉 Share your career tip by December 15 and take part in our CV check raffle! At GSO, we share career advice, open calls, and peer insights, many of them based on what we hear directly from our community. To close the year, we would like to bring your perspectives into the conversation. 💬 What’s one piece of career advice or insight you would share with researchers in or beyond academia? Or, if you prefer: What’s one piece of advice you would find helpful right now? ✅Post your answer on your LinkedIn profile ✅until December 15 ✅tag Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e.V. (GSO), and use #GSOCareerVoices. Among all posts, we’ll raffle a personal CV check and a GSO goodie bag. We are curious to read what you have to say! #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

To Be Honest Conference 2025 | Session Spotlight: (Ad)ventures beyond Academia: Entrepreneurship and Start-ups 📅 December 5, 2025, 2:00 - 3:15 pm (CET) At the To Be Honest Conference 2025, each session brings a closer look at the realities of life and work in research today. From practical strategies to diverse perspectives, our speakers explore the challenges and opportunities researchers face in a rapidly changing world. Ever wondered if your research skills could fuel a start-up? In this session, Eva-Maria Markutzik, Lead & Community Manager at MAFINEX Technology Center, Daniel F. Carlson, Founder of Squirm Tech, and Dr. Katharina V.,  Founder & CEO of Digital Trust Analytics GmbH, share how they turned scientific and creative ideas into real ventures, and what they wish they had known before starting. You’ll learn how to test whether entrepreneurship might be a good fit for you, which skills from your PhD really matter in start-ups, and where to find support and funding in Germany’s innovation ecosystem. This session is moderated by Birte Seffert, Head of Advisory and Funding Programs at GSO. ✅ Join us online for the To Be Honest Conference 2025 — live on Zoom. Registration is now open. Discover the full program and register here: https://lnkd.in/efRygWmu 👥 Who it is for? ➡️ Researchers with a PhD or close to finishing one, including postdocs, group leaders, and professors. ➡️ Professionals and decision-makers from academic institutions, funding bodies, or research policy. The conference is organized by GSO, supported by AlumNode – your network by Klaus Tschira Stiftung, and made possible by funding from the foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung . #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

If you’re a postdoc trying to make sense of career options, LinkedIn can feel noisy; but the right voices can make it surprisingly useful. Every now and then, people share lists of “who to follow” for career advice in and beyond academia. We thought we’d add a few more names - a mix of international and Germany-based experts whose posts are genuinely helpful, practical, and refreshingly honest. If you’re a postdoc or early-career researcher, following the right people on LinkedIn can quietly broaden your view: ➡️ how others navigated their career steps ➡️ what’s happening at the interface of academia and industry ➡️ where to find good mentorship or community ➡️ and how the German research system actually works in practice. Here are a few people worth following, a simple starting point if you want to make LinkedIn more useful (and less overwhelming). Disclaimer: Some of the people listed offer services or programs. We haven’t evaluated these and don’t endorse them. We’re recommending them purely based on the value of their posts. 👉 Who’s missing? Who do you find helpful to follow? Share your recommendations below.👇 ➡️ On transitioning to other sectors: Elena Hoffer, PhD Dr. Seher Abbas David Giltner Lira Nigmatullina, PhD  Jennifer Polk, PhD   ➡️ Insights into jobs beyond academia: Ulrike Boehm Edouard Fouché, PhD Kim Klebolte Letitia Parcalabescu ➡️ On tools and hands-on advice for academics: Robert Kötter Lennart Nacke Mariya Topchy, Ph.D.💙💛 Jayron Habibe, PhD Andrew Churchill, PhD Samira Hosseini   ➡️ On navigating Academia: Timo Lorenz Johanna Stadlbauer Matthew Betts, Ph.D.   ➡️ On Visual Communication in Science: Dr. Radhika Patnala Dr. Martin Skrodzki #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport

Featured Event: Transatlantic Intellectual Collaboration in Crisis by Barenboim-Said Akademie. On December 1, the Barenboim-Said Akademie invites for a discussion on the challenges confronting transatlantic intellectual networks and scientific discourse. The panelists will explore how geopolitical shifts, the rise of "post-truth" phenomena, and the impact of AI are reshaping academic institutions and broader global challenges like nativism, populism, and climate change. The panel brings together leading voices from journalism, history, and policy: ➡️ Melissa Eddy, Business Correspondent, The New York Times (Berlin) ➡️Prof. Dr. Carole Fink, Humanities Distinguished Professor of History Emerita, The Ohio State University ➡️Katja Greeson, Deputy Director, Aspen Institute Germany Moderated by GSO board member Dr. Jacob Eder. 📍 December 1, 5:00 pm, Barenboim-Said Akademie 🔗 More information in the link below: https://lnkd.in/eHYiBAA4 

Academic Job Interviews in Germany: Guidance and Travel Funding for Researchers Abroad For researchers abroad, attending in-person interviews for academic positions in Germany can be both time-consuming and expensive. Public research institutions often struggle to reimburse these expenses due to budgetary constraints. To address this challenge, the Dr. Wilhelmy-GSO Travel Expenses Program aims to support universities and public research institutions in attracting international scientists by reimbursing travel costs for job interviews up to €2,000. What does the program support? ➡️ Eligible travel includes in-person interviews for the following positions: W2/W3 professorships, junior professorships (W1/tenure track), universities of applied sciences (FH) professorships, and group leader positions. ➡️ The program is limited to STEM fields. A technical orientation of the discipline is required for funding approval. ➡️ Candidates must have been working abroad for at least 18 months at the time of application. 👉 More Info: https://lnkd.in/dq37hJX And what actually matters when applying from abroad? Check out our article with Julia Westermayr and Christopher Künneth, who used the Dr. Wilhelmy-GSO Travel Expenses Program to attend their job interviews and ultimately returned to Germany. 👇 https://lnkd.in/ezByMUq6 #GSO #ResearchCareers #PostdocLife #CareerDevelopment #AcademicCareers #BeyondAcademia #LinkedInForResearchers #PhDCareerSupport