Postdoctoral Research Training

The activities of postdocs at the GCSC are varied, covering both research and academic management. Postdocs take responsibility as coordinators at the GCSC. As important contacts not only for doctoral candidates, but also for professors and external partners, they play a leading role in facilitating communication and thereby acquire important skills. The tasks and activities include, for example:

• Coordinating and supporting (inter-)national cooperations and networks
• Taking a leading role in Research Areas and Working Groups
• Coordinating graduate programmes and event offerings
• Advising doctoral candidates with proposals and applications
• Initiating, conceptualising, and organising conferences, workshops, film series, etc.
• Supporting and leading publication projects
• Engaging in external funding applications
• Teaching and mentoring (Introductory/Advanced doctoral courses, research and methodology workshops, colloquia)
• Participating in committees (Equal Opportunities Committee, Selection Committee)

Tailored career development is just as important as it is challenging for young researchers in academic life today. In coordination with the postdocs, a tailored qualification programme has been developed, which includes core competence areas for a successful career in research and academic management, the contents of which are continually updated to meet the needs of our postdocs:

• Research and Publishing Strategies
  Research is at the heart of the Postdoctoral Qualification. Through tailored formats, postdocs are supported in developing their academic profiles and acquiring important skills for strategic planning, (inter-)disciplinary positioning, and the publication of their research.
• Teaching and Pedagogy in Higher Education
  The present offerings from the GCSC Teaching Centre are complemented by formats which are tailored to meet the needs of postdocs as advanced teachers, in the form of an Advanced Teaching Centre. These focus on the provision of higher education pedagogy, which contributes to the further development of their personal teaching styles, as well as the exchange of methodological competences (e.g. task and communication management, learner engagement, and innovative teaching and learning styles). Equally, the postdocs are prepared for higher education teaching formats such as Master’s-level seminars and lectures.
• Third Party Funding
  Procurement of third party funding has become an essential indicator for the assessment of young researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Accordingly, ways of obtaining funding at both national and international levels are presented in workshops, in addition to the regular GCSC "Drittmittelsprechstunde". The associated application and selection processes are clarified, with a practical component to deepen understanding where possible.
• Higher Education Law ( Wissenschaftsrecht )
  Knowledge of the principles of university and higher education law is increasingly important for early-career researchers. Insight into the institutional and legal frameworks shaping academic careers within the German higher education system will therefore be provided, with particular focus placed on the structures intersecting at the various levels of federal states ( Bundesland ), the German state and international law.  Of particular relevance here are the spheres of funding and grant management, managerial authority ( Weisungsbefugnis ) and the internal regulation of the higher education act.
• Communication ( Kommunikation )
  With the ongoing digitalization of scholarship and the current attempts to increase its relevance to society, aspects of academic communication are of ever greater importance. The aspects covered here include the foundations and conditions of (academic) communication (rules on feedback, techniques for asking questions and an inquisitive attitude), as well as various genres and target audiences in the context of both academic and non-academic communication.
• Leadership ( Führen )
  By taking on leadership positions, often without prior experience, within the university, academics are faced with significant challenges requiring professional and personal development. This area of qualification aims to prepare early-career researchers for this task through a reflective examination of their own leadership roles and the expectations that come with such roles. Among the themes discussed here include staff management and development, decision-making strategies and conflict management.
• Diversity ( Diversität )
  Diversity as a resource for innovation and creativity is one of the central questions facing universities given the decreasing heterogeneity of students and academics. The objective therefore is to provide insight into both the theoretical foundations of diversity research and also the practical diversity skills required for profile-building, with the areas of gender, internationalisation and social background among those covered here.
• Networking ( Netzwerken )
  Academic networks form an essential element of the development of scholars since such networks not only contribute to the formation of research profiles but to the long-term promotion of careers. The themes covered here include the building and maintenance of personal and institutional contacts in Germany and abroad (including examination of country-specific practices), the latest techniques and tools in networking, as well as providing strategic advice on the various forms of contact and relations.
• Application Procedures ( Bewerbungs- u. Berufungsverfahren )
  Application procedures in general, as in specific cases, too, pose complex challenges for both applicants and institutions. Workshops will explain the frameworks applied in selection procedures and in advertising vacancies, looking at both the German and also the international context, with discussion of official procedures and formal requirements also featuring here. The specific themes include application documents, trial lectures, sample lessons and interviews with selection committees. This section will cover both academic and non-academic application procedures.