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

📣 Last Call for Applications: GSO Leadership Academy 9 Apply now - 25 fully funded fellowships are available for the 9th Leadership Academy, open to German-speaking #postdoctoral #researchers from #all #disciplines who are currently conducting research abroad or returned to Germany within the past 18 months. German citizenship is not required! Supported by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, the program strengthens leadership skills in an #interdisciplinary, #transnational environment - while creating space to reflect, connect, and plan your next career steps. With two in-person modules in Berlin and Heidelberg, the Leadership Academy explores questions researchers face such as: ➡️ How do I build my research group and find the right style of leadership for me? ➡️ Which paths of professorship can I take, or explore career options in other sectors? ➡️ How do I grow - professionally and personally - within institutional frameworks, peer networks, and multiple roles? The program combines practical #workshops, #mentoring, and #peer #exchange - across sectors and disciplines Application #Deadline: April 22, 2025. All details & application form: https://lnkd.in/dWKEiqm Please pass it on! In the picture: Our LSA8 alumna Rima Chakaroun #GSOLA #LSA9 #LeadershipAcademy

📽️ Something’s in the making... Today was shooting day at GSO - as you know, newly standing for Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers. The video will be part of our upcoming rebranding event this July, where we’ll go beyond new names and logos - to open a dialogue with institutions: 🔹What impulses does science need to have impact? 🔹What challenges shape the work in the current research landscape? 🔹What kind of support structures help researchers – and institutions – move forward? Our Rebranding means bringing into focus what’s already been there: ➡️ That GSO means honest career guidance, not quick fixes. ➡️ That our programs and build on 20+ years of experience. ➡️ That we see institutions and researchers not just as clients, but as partners in shaping research and its landscape sustainably. A big thank you to Karl Kubik for the thoughtful & all around great shoot today! If you're looking for someone who captures not just scenes but stories - you’re in good hands with him!

Webinar Recap: HAW Professorships – A Practice-Oriented Career Path – with HTW Berlin What does it take to become a professor at a University of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Germany? Our recent webinar explored this career path with insights from Prof. Dr. Helena Mihaljevic, Prof. Dr. Tine Lehmann, and Prof. Dr. Stefanie Molthagen-Schnöring from Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin! What Makes a HAW Professorship Different? Unlike traditional university positions, professorships at HAWs emphasize practice-oriented teaching and #applied #research. Teaching load is high, direct #contact with #students is central, and #collaboration with #industry is encouraged. But how do you get there - and what do you need to bring? Spoiler: It’s a mix of teaching, research, and service - and all three matter. Here’s what the panel emphasized: #Teaching ➡️ The standard teaching load is 16-18 SWS. At some institutions (like HTW Berlin), this can be reduced to 14–16 SWS with active research, “Gremienarbeit” and further other university-related activities. ➡️ A clear teaching philosophy. Document your experience, include evaluations, and qualifications. #Professional #Experience Outside Academia ➡️ At least five years of professional experience after the university degree, including a minimum of three years outside academia (e.g. in industry). ➡️ This can include applied research in companies, consultancy work, or leadership in R&D -all relating to your field and well documented. #Research ➡️ Maintaining a research profile — even while working in industry — makes a difference. Publications, conference talks, third-party funding applications, and collaborations count. ➡️ Social sciences thrive & although humanities are scarce - interdisciplinarity opens doors. #Administrative #Work ➡️ Don’t underestimate “Gremienarbeit” — involvement in committees, governance, or organizational development. ➡️ This is part of academic life. If you’ve done it, put it in your CV. #Language ➡️ German is not always mandatory, especially in English-taught programs, but it is often an asset. ➡️ Administrative responsibilities usually require at least solid working knowledge of German. Even if a professorship is still a few years away, you can set yourself up strategically: 🔸Build teaching experience early (e.g., guest lectures, adjunct roles). 🔸Stay active in research beyond academia. 🔸Highlight governance experience. 🔸Use platforms: http://academics.de and monitor HLB listings. 🔸Explore hlb.de - the Association of Professors at HAWs. Use it for community and advocacy. 🔸Reach out to departments, send initiative applications, and network within study programs. 🔸Consider demographics: a generational shift is coming - there will be many openings. The message of our experts was clear: a HAW professorship is not an “easier” or fallback academic career - it’s a highly engaged, hands-on path that calls for #motivation, #autonomy, and a #passion for applied education.

Keeping up with the Boost Fellows – Final Episode with Christin Katharina Kreutz in Gießen! We wrap up the first season of Keeping up with the Boost Fellows with Christin Kreutz, a Computer Scientist and the first KT Boost Fellow at a University of Applied Sciences (HAW). But stay tuned - Season 2 will launch in 2026, bringing you more stories from the next generation of Boost Fellows. While enjoying Christin´s homemade chocolate cake, Birte learned how she shaped her academic career: by listening to her own needs, her interests, and taking chances. Christin´s journey offers plenty of insights and tips for career planning! Her Boost Project: #LLMs and #Argument #Recommendation, exploring the risks of using large language models (LLMs) like #ChatGPT to #personalize #arguments in #debates. Can AI-generated arguments be both #persuasive and #reliable? How do we avoid #bias and #misinformation? These are questions in her research. Why a Postdoc at a #HAW? A HAW wasn’t exactly her plan - after finishing her PhD, she got the advice to apply for junior professorships right away. But instead of jumping straight into leading a research group, she wanted to focus on independent research first. A postdoc position at TH Köln, in the group of Philipp Schaer, turned out to be the perfect fit. ➡️ It was not just about the research - she was drawn to the group's dynamic, collaborative spirit and Schaer’s #leadership #style: warm, professional, and inspiring. Now: Tandem #Professor in Data Science for the #Humanities In 2024, two years into her Postdoc, Christin took the next step - becoming a Tandem Professor at TH Mittelhessen, University of Applied Sciences and the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe. ➡️ This role allows her to gain industry-equivalent experience, a key requirement for HAW professorships, while already holding a W1-equivalent position, bridging academia and applied research. Christin’s Advice for Postdocs: 🔹 #Reflect on what you need in a position: Look beyond the institution - the team and its spirit, leadership style, and learning opportunities 🔹 #Applying for grants: Map out your CV early and identify gaps - then actively seek out funding to fill them. 🔹 Finding an international research stay: Don’t limit yourself to existing networks. Literature #reviews can lead you to new and fitting collaborations. 🔹 Considering a tandem professorship at a HAW? Be ready for #interdisciplinary work, different academic cultures, and a dynamic, non-routine job. 🔹 Best career advice she received? Set up Google #Alerts for job postings early - it helps you understand the landscape before you even apply! ___________________________________________ Klaus Tschira Boost und is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung offering flexible funding and career development to promote researchers in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Link to the article in the first comment! #ktboost #GSO  

What makes a research career work — and what happens when it doesn’t? The EURAXESS Smart Talks podcast is worth your time if you’ve ever looked for well-informed perspectives on what it takes to stay in research, leave it, or move between roles in science, policy, and society. It offers a combination of practical advice, big-picture questions, and space for voices often missing from the conversation. Each episode features interviews with people who have seen research careers from more than one angle - from science ministers to early-career researchers, policy advisors, innovation managers, and research administrators. ✅ What to expect: ➡️ Conversations on moving between #academia and #industry — not as an “exit,” but as a next step. ➡️ Insight into the growing field of #research #management — and why more researchers are choosing it. ➡️ Candid reflections on #purpose, #burnout, and what to do when the #system doesn’t work for you. Some standout episodes: • From the Ivory Tower of #Science to the Black Hole of #Politics – with Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science. • #Research #Management: A Fascinating Way to Develop a Researcher’s Career – on how researchers find long-term roles beyond the lab or lecture hall. • Decoding #ERC #Grants Part: #Effective #Communication and Strategies for Success The podcast speaks in an inclusive, reflective tone — assuming the listener is familiar with the realities of research life, but also open to personal stories, policy-level views, and less conventional career paths! Take a look—and have a listen! Link in the first comment.

Sometimes, careers are shaped by lucky coincidences! That’s how Sofia Gutium came into our team - first as Student Assistant ➡️ and now as Junior Manager Community and Content! Sofia first learned about GSO while working at Humboldt University of Berlin as student assistant. As part of her project, she interviewed Birte Seffert about #mental #health for #academics. That first connection sparked her interest, and when the GSO later advertised a student assistant position, Sofia immediately applied and became the first student assistant on the team! Now, she is taking on her new role as a Junior Manager #Community and #Content, supporting communication, events, content creation, and the alumni platform AlumNode – your network by Klaus Tschira Stiftung. Sofia did her master’s in Cognitive Sciences at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain. She also has a diverse academic background that includes philosophy, educational psychology, and even interior design. Alongside her studies, Sofia gained experience in academic administration, interdisciplinary research, and content production – from podcasting to visual design. We’re happy to have you with us, Sofia! ❤️

Keeping Up with the Boost Fellows: Dr. Eunbi Kwon at Seewiesen Eunbi Kwon´s fascination with #migrating #shorebirds started when she was camping for the first time. Not on a camping site, but in snowy Alaska for more than two months of fieldwork as a behavioural ecologist. She observed tiny shorebirds flying thousands of kilometres to return to the exact same spot year after year to monogamously mate with their partner.   Her research interest took her to the secluded Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Intelligenz in Seewiesen. Nestled between forests and a lake, reachable only by car or bus from Starnberg, it’s a quiet, remote place—but for Eunbi, that focus is exactly what she needs.   ✅ Eunbi’s path to Seewiesen was shaped by a lucky #conference #meeting, and the move to rural southern Bavaria has opened doors she never expected - leading her to work on multiple continents. ➡️ Her story is a reminder that career paths are rarely linear and that sometimes, the most remote places can be the best ones to think, focus, and innovate.   ✅ From Arctic Expeditions to High-Tech Bird Tracking Eunbi’s work is all about understanding how #shorebirds choose their #breeding sites. #Social #interactions likely play a major role, but tracking them in the wild has always been nearly impossible. ➡️ To change this, Eunbi is contributing to developing a miniature #GPS audio #transmitter - a device that tracks not only where birds go but also their sounds and those of other nearby birds. ➡️ Could the presence of other birds influence their decision to settle in a certain area? This is one of the questions Eunbi’s research aims to answer.   ✅ #Collaborating with #Industry Eunbi is one of the Boost Fellows closely cooperating with a company as part of her project, Druid Technology Co., Ltd., a company that develops wildlife tracking devices. What started as a standard client-supplier relationship evolved into a real collaboration - one where both sides benefit. Working with industry partners comes with certain challenges. ✅ Here’s what Eunbi has learned:   ➡️ Find partners who share your #scientific #curiosity. A good collaboration goes beyond business—it’s about shared intellectual interest. ➡️ Be clear on #information #boundaries. If a device you co-develop is later sold commercially, define early on what research findings or technical details can be shared. ➡️ Ask for #modifications. Don’t assume the products in a company’s catalogue are the only options. Many companies are willing to customize their technology. Read more about how Eunbi’s field is rapidly changing and how AI is transforming behavioural ecology in our article! _______________ The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund is a joint program by GSO and Klaus Tschira Stiftung for flexible funding and career development to promote researchers in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Sciences.   #ktboost #gso

📣 News Of Our KT Boost Fellows - From Coffee Breaks at Conferences to the HANNOVER MESSE Stage Last year, when we spoke with Jingyuan Xu, Head of the ZEco Thermal Lab at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) and #KTBoost Fellow, she shared how small moments often shape a research career: ➡️ “My first steps into networking began with attending conferences… Starting these relationships can be as simple as a conversation during a coffee break.” Through early interactions, Jingyuan built professional relationships. Recognition followed - most recently, an invitation to speak at a leading industry event! 📍 Today, Jingyuan is at Hannover Messe, presenting her work on Elastocaloric Technology - a promising step toward sustainable cooling and heating solutions. ➡️ Her talk: Elastocaloric Technology: Pioneering Sustainable Cooling and Heating Solutions for a Greener Future https://lnkd.in/e5Xx3BUd Congratulations, Jingyuan! 👏 If you're at Hannover Messe, don’t miss her talk - and take the chance to connect.

📣 Fifteen Bold Ideas. One Boost for Each: Meet the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows 2025 Why do some birds and mammals help raise others' offspring – and how can this knowledge be shared with a broader research community? Can neural networks enhance resource management and natural hazard prediction? How might liquid crystals revolutionize the treatment of skin infections? These are just a few of the scientific questions our #2025 #Klaus #Tschira #Boost #Fellows will explore. Over the next two years, they will push boundaries and gain academic independence through the Fund. ➡️ The new Fellows will begin their projects between April and October 2025. Now in its sixth year, the KT Boost Fund – a collaboration between the Klaus Tschira Stiftung and GSO* – provides postdoctoral researchers in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science with the freedom to think boldly at a crucial career stage. ➡️ By supporting ambitious, exploratory, and interdisciplinary projects, the program helps postdocs shape their careers and sharpen their profiles. But the Boost Fund is more than just funding. As 60 Fellows so far have attested, the "Boost" is strengthened by career development opportunities and a supportive peer community of Fellows and Alumni. ➡️ This year’s selection process was again highly competitive, with over 300 applications: ✅ 16.4% of applicants reached the final round; only 4.82% received the grant ✅ 113 reviewers from 13 countries contributed to the selection process Who Are the 2025 Fellows? ✅ 15 researchers, from early postdoc to group leader, with most in their early postdoc years ✅ 60% with an international background ✅ Representing 7 universities and 6 non-university research institutions across 10 German states – RWTH Aachen University and Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) each receiving two fellowships. ➡️ Why This Matters The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund invests in the next generation of scientific leaders, giving them the freedom to develop their research vision, build interdisciplinary networks, and gain early independence. Past Fellows have: ✅ Secured faculty positions at leading research institutions in Germany and abroad ✅ Established new industry collaborations ✅ Obtained competitive research grants based on their Boost-funded projects None of this would be possible without the support of the Klaus Tschira Foundation, as well as the reviewers, selection committee, and partners. ➡️ What’s Next? In the coming weeks and months, we’ll introduce more of the 2025 Fellows – highlighting their research, ideas, and the challenges they are tackling. #KlausTschiraStiftung #GSO #KTBoost #ResearchFunding

📣 Save the Date on April 8: GSO x ONE EIGHT ZERO° Webinar on Transferable Skills Identify What You Already Bring: What if your next career move didn’t start with learning something new - but with recognizing what you already know? In this interactive webinar, Anne Schreiter, Ph.D. guides you through identifying your transferable skills - those overlooked but #highly #valuable #abilities that make transitions possible. ✅ This workshop in collaboration with ONE EIGHT ZERO° is for researchers considering new roles, changing sectors, or pursuing more autonomy in careers - for #PhD holders, #postdocs, #early #career #researchers, and anyone rethinking the professional path. It will help you: ➡️ Recognize strengths that go beyond your academic title ➡️ Communicate your experience clearly - on paper and in person ➡️ Find the strategies to position yourself in the job market Date: April 8, 2025 Time: 5–6 PM (CEST) Fee: €20 | Reduced GSO-rates available on request, just send us a message! Registration: Link in the first comment!