On the way to a professorship – career planning and development in Academia

Today, a scientific career is characterized by increasing complexity, long times of temporary contracts, rapid change and intense competition. Young scientists are increasingly confronted with raising demands for quality improvement and excellence in everyday scientific life. Strategic career planning and individual solutions can help meet these expectations and successfully pave the academic path. To stay in the academic system as a scientist permanently in most cases a professorship is the only option. Especially for female scientists it is very challenging and demanding to continue an academic career after the PhD when they reach an age where e. g. planning a family e.g. becomes prevalent. Many female scientists drop out of the system after their PhD.
This workshop is directed toward young female scientists aiming at pursuing an academic career. We will focus on the requirements towards professorship and look at different ways to gain the necessary qualifications. The participants will look at what they already have and what it still needed to be successful and develop an individual “road map” to reach their goal(s).

Moreover, the participants will have the opportunity for their individual SWOT analysis: What is my view of a „good“ professor? Do I have the necessary skills for this profession? What are my strengths and what are my weaknesses in endeavoring for an academic professorship? What are the opportunities and what walls am I running up against?

METHODS: This workshop will encompass a mixture of tools, from short presentations to group work and individual exercises to plenum discussions.

Plus individual sessions (30 min., online): You may use this individual session to clarify your personal questions, get feedback on your CV, reflect on your academic profile, to discuss your next career steps or alternative career options. Further information will be given during the workshop.

Trainer: Prof. Dr. Annette Kolb
Prof. Dr. Annette Kolb is nationally active as a freelance trainer, consultant and coach for scientists. Her activities focus on topics such as strategic third-party funding acquisition and strategic career planning. Before starting her independent work in 2014, she was a professor in the Department of Biosciences at Goethe University Frankfurt and from 2015-2020 a research associate in the science coordination staff of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung.

Language: English
Number of participants: 14