Graduate Center News 04/25
Apr 07, 2025
Inhalt
*************************
Career Perspectives with a PhD in Natural & Life Sciences // April 10, 5 – 6 pm
Looking for career options after your doctorate? And not sure what is “out there”? With the series "Career Perspectives with a PhD in Natural and Life Sciences", we would like to offer an opportunity for interactive and informal exchange about career-related topics.
Dr. Manuel Delpero, an alumnus of the Thaer-Institute at the Faculty of Life Sciences, will be our guest. He completed his doctorate in 2023 and is a now Bioinformatics scientist at MGI.
All information and the meeting link can be found on this website.
*************************
Scientific workflows: Tools and Tips / Online Lecture Series by Dr. Selina Baldauf // April 17, 4-5pm
In this lecture series we will explore a diverse range of topics, including R code quality and efficiency, reproducible document creation, version control with Git, literature management, and academic notetaking. You'll learn practical tips and tricks that can help you optimize your research workflow and increase your productivity.
We will meet online on the 3rd Thursday of every month during the lecture period for one hour and you are welcome to join.
The next session will be about figures: “Clear Figures, Stronger Stories: Fundamentals of Data Visualization”.
Find further information and the meeting link here.
*************************
Info Event Series: Doctoral Studies at the BCP Department // April 25, 11 am – 12 pm
The Graduate Center is organizing an information series for doctoral candidates at the BCP department. Once a month, the focus will be on a specific topic related to doctoral studies at the department, with a short input and the opportunity to ask questions.
The third info event deals with the topic of thesis submission, evaluation and display period:
Should I announce my submission? In what form do I have to submit the dissertation? What should be taken into account when submitting a cumulative thesis? Which forms are necessary for submitting the thesis? Who appoints the doctoral committee? How is the evaluation procedure organized? How long is the display period?
Join the online meeting, gather some information and ask your questions!
Further information and the Webex link: https://www.bcp.fu-berlin.de/en/graduiertenzentrum/promovierende/veranstaltungen/info-events/index.html
Here you will also find the presentations of past information events as well as helpful links on the respective topic.
*************************
Doctoral Council Election // June 17 & 18 // Nominations by May 12
Information from the current members of the doctoral council:
“On 17 and 18 June 2025 PhD candidates at Freie Universität Berlin will have the opportunity to elect their representatives for the Doctoral Council.
As the Doctoral Council, we aim to represent all PhD candidates at FU Berlin. Our goal is to provide representation, a point of contact and a network for everyone.
Whether you are pursuing your PhD as a research assistant at FU or “externally”, whether you speak German or English, or whether you finished your undergraduate studies in Germany or elsewhere – everyone is invited.
We hope to welcome a lot of new colleagues after the election within our young council. Want to get involved? You can contact us via mail at promovierendenvertretung@fu-berlin.de and find further information on our website.”
If you are interested to stand for election for the BCP dept., please get in touch with us: graduate-center@bcp.fu-berlin.de
*************************
No-Means-No Central Contact Person
The FU Berlin´s central contact person for sexualized harassment, discrimination and violence is Wendy Stollberg. Counseling is open to all members, associates and guests of Freie Universität Berlin - regardless of their status, gender or sexual orientation. Every request is treated with the strictest confidentiality.
You can find more information and the contact details here.
*************************
Dahlem Research School (DRS) Workshops & Open Door Talks
"Challenges in the Journey of First-Gen Doctorates" is the latest podcast episode of the DRS Podcast “Drs 4 Docs @Berlin”: https://blogs.fu-berlin.de/drs_podcast/2025/02/19/first-gen-doctoral-researchers/.
Prof. Dr. Martin Lücke, professor for historical education at the Freie Universität Berlin, talks about the challenges and opportunities for first-generation doctoral researchers. In this interview he discusses the world of German academia and shares his experience in navigating this world as a first generation academic. The interview was conducted in German but you can find an English translation to read on the website.
Self-care during your doctorate
Date: April 30, 9am – noon
Venue: Hittorfstraße 16 (Dahlem Research School)
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/106815
Open Door Talk: Doctoral Research and Care Responsibility (online)
Date: May 20, 10am – noon
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/112581
Grant Proposal Writing
This workshop focuses on how to develop your idea for a project into a sound work program, how to match it to the requirements of the funding program and how to facilitate the communication with the reviewer by presenting your complex ideas in an easy to understand way.
Date and venue: May 21 ff. 9am – 12 (noon); online
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/108020
Wirtschaftswissen kompakt
Der Workshop vermittelt in anwendungsorientierter Form Grundlagen der Betriebswirtschaftslehre für all diejenigen, die sie nicht studiert haben.
Date and venue: 26. + 27. Mai, 9:00-16:00 Uhr; Hittorfstr. 16 (Dahlem Research School)
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/112259
Wissenschaftsethik: Ich möchte doch nur forschen
Die Teilnehmer*innen werden im Workshop für ethische Probleme in Bezug auf ihr eigenes wissenschaftliches Arbeiten sensibilisiert. Dabei werden sie befähigt, konkrete Problemfelder innerhalb ihrer Forschungsarbeit zu benennen und zu analysieren.
Date and venue: 3. + 4. Juni; online
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/112560
Einführung in gute wissenschaftliche Praxis und wissenschaftliches Fehlverhalten
Die Teilnehmenden lernen die Grundlagen guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis kennen und wenden sie auf ihre eigenen Fälle an.
Date and venue: 03. Juni (9:00-17:00) + 04.Juni (9:00-12:00); Hittorfstr. 16 (Dahlem Research School)
Registration: https://www.drs.fu-berlin.de/en/node/108020
*************************
Humboldt Graduate School (HGS) & BUA workshops
Join the organizing team for Career Day 2026
The Career Day is an annual event organized by the Berlin University Alliance. It is designed for doctoral candidates in Berlin who are looking to expand their horizons and learn about the various career options available to them. It is an excellent opportunity for doctoral candidates in Berlin to explore future perspectives and meet exciting guests.
Whether you’re looking to pursue a career in academia, research management, consulting, policy making, patent law or business, the Career Day offers a chance to connect with individuals who have chosen these paths and can provide valuable insights into the different paths available to you.
The Career Day is scheduled for January 29, 2026. Preparations will start in spring 2025. To join the organizing team, register here.
Lost in Dissertation?
Von der Literaturverwaltung bis zur Publikation – eine Veranstaltungsreihe von FU, HU, TU und Stabi für Promovierende
Wann? 7. – 11. April 2025
Wo? Virtuell
Was? Themen Literaturverwaltung, Schreibprozess, Projektmanagement, Publikationsmöglichkeiten, Open Access und Forschungsdaten
Link: https://blog.sbb.berlin/lid-25/
Good Scientific Practice (Natural & Life Sciences)
For last-minute bookers: there are still places available in this workshop!
Instructor: Dr. Peter Schröder
Date: 09/04/2025, 10:00-17:00
Location: online
Language: English
Budget Points: 7
For last-minute bookers: there are still places available in this workshop!
Instructor: Millie Baker
Dates: 10 & 11/04/2025, 09:00-17:00
Location: Humboldt Graduate School, Luisenstr. 56, 10117 Berlin, room 144
Language: English
Budget Points: 16
Parenting and Academia: Managing the Mental Load
Instructor: Desiree Dickerson, PhD
Date: 28 & 30/04/2025, 09:30-12:30
Location: online
Language: English
Budget Points: 6
*************************
Info Webinar “From Passion to Profession: Becoming a Professor” // April 16, 6pm
In the next webinar of the VBIO Berufsfeld Infoabend sessions, Max Fürst, PhD (Assistant Professor of Computational Protein Design, University of Groningen)
and Prof. Dr. Markus Diefenbacher (Institut für Experimentelle Pneumologie, Professur für Immunonkologie der Lunge und Pleura, LMU München) will share their personal experiences. They will discuss their career paths, key milestones, and insights into academic life, providing valuable guidance for those considering or pursuing a future in academia.
Register for this webinar.
*************************
Online Competence Tool (OCT)
Designed especially for postdoctoral and doctoral researchers, the Online Competence Tool (OCT) is a valuable online resource that helps you assess and develop your professional competencies.
Identify your strengths, uncover areas for improvement, and gain personalized insights to support your career development.
By taking the self-assessment multiple times, you can track your progress over time. Plus, a graphical evaluation of competencies provides clear guidance for professional growth.
To start your assessment, click here.
*************************
Falling Walls Global Call 2025 // Application deadline April 30
The Falling Walls Global Call aims at promoting scientific findings and fostering discussion on research and innovation among a broad audience from all parts of society. By participating, you will enhance the visibility of your research in your field and community. The Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2025 laureates will present their groundbreaking research at the Falling Walls Science Summit.
More information: Falling Walls Global Call 2025
*************************
QueerDocs: Networking & Empowerment for LGBTQI+ PhD Candidates // May 5
Open to all doctoral students of the BUA who identify as LGBTQI+
The Humboldt Graduate School and the HU Centre for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging warmly invite all LGBTQI+ doctoral researchers to our first networking meeting on the 5th of May 2025!
In a safe space, you'll have the opportunity to meet other queer academics, share experiences, discuss key issues, and explore opportunities for sustainable peer mentoring. You will also have the opportunity to make suggestions for target group-specific training programmes.
Bring your ideas and help create a peer mentoring network that truly supports its members.
Please register here