Pursuing an academic career? Strategic career planning on the path to a professorship

The workshop is designed for postdocs for whom an academic career is a serious professional option. Participants will have the opportunity to analyse their previous achievements and strengths systematically and to determine their development potential. Different fields of competency will be examined to analyse achievements to date and to formulate goals for one’s further career development. 
Following the model of triadic career counselling, not only the participants' own academic achievements are considered, but also personal aspects such as individual preferences and motivational factors as well as the situation in their special field. Thus, the workshop will provide an opportunity to reflect on specific academic career strategies as well as on questions related to the development of one’s personal life alongside academic commitments. 

Focal points

• Pillars of an academic career: qualitative and quantitative analysis of one’s profile 
• Development of individual goals 
• Looking beneath the surface: Official knowledge and informal rules 
• Strategies on the path towards a professorship, e.g.
  • What kind of position is attractive to me and what does that mean for the development of my academic profile?
  • How can I balance different requirements, e.g. in teaching and research?
  • What should I consider when building my individual research profile? 
  • What should I focus on: publications or funding?
  • What kind of networks do I need and how much time and energy do I invest in building and maintaining them? 
  • How important is participation in academic self-administration and what kind of committees should I choose? 
  • How to achieve a good work-life-balance
• Your individual development action plan: designing a roadmap for further career development. 

The course takes place as a two-phase blended learning programme with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous elements.

Procedure:

• 2 weeks before the workshop, participants will get access to an e-learning platform with work materials for individual preparation and reflection. There will be a joint kick-off to have a good start. During the 2 weeks participants can discuss any questions with the trainer in a course forum.
• This is followed by two half-day online workshops. For individual follow-up participants have access to the e-learning platform for 4 more weeks.

• Time: Tue, 18 June 2024, 09:00–13:00 h & Tue, 25 June 2024, 09:00–13:00 h
• Location: virtual via Zoom
• Target group: Postdocs of all research fields of the UA Ruhr universities (max. 12 participants)
• Trainer: Dr. Margarete Hubrath
• Registration deadline: 4 June 2024
• Contact for organizational questions: graduiertenzentrumtu-dortmundde

Further information and registration