Training for Scientists – by Scientists
A successful scientific career requires many skills that go beyond the topics that are taught in a scientific curriculum.
We offer workshops on topics related to science management, to the presentation of scientific results and to the promotion of female careers in science. Our trainings are tailored specifically to the needs of researchers at different career stages, with a focus on the fields of natural sciences, engineering and life sciences. Additionally we offer interdisciplinary trainings on diversity, career planning, communication, critical reasoning and statistics. All our trainings are conducted by trainers who have personal experience working as scientists in academic and industrial settings, for some topics working in close cooperation with trainers from the fields of communication analysis and work psychology.
Workshops on »Presenting Science«
Grant Writing for Scientists (also available as webinar)
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- get introduced to general writing techniques
- learn strategies for writing successful grant applications
- write part of a grant application
- be introduced to the funding opportunities and special conditions of various funding bodies (i.e. BMBF, DFG, EU)
- learn evaluation procedures and evaluate the texts produced in the group
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
16 participants
Writing Scientific Publications
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- learn the principles of publication layout
- analyse a good publication and compare it to own texts
- learn to present results and design figures
- get introduced to general writing techniques
- work on good writing style in English
- learn to review texts and give feedback to others
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
12 participants
Poster Design and Presentation (also available as webinar)
Target audience
PhD Students
Objectives
Participants will:
- learn the principles of design for posters
- learn to adapt their presentations to the target audience
- design a poster using own material
- learn to present the poster to interested scientists orally
Workshop duration
1 day, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
10 participants
Oral Presentation Skills
Target audience
PhD Students and Postdocs
Objectives
Participants will:
- be introduced to presentation basics
- learn the principles of design for oral presentations
- learn to adapt presentations to the target audience
- learn to use and analyze body language, elocution and intonation
- receive video feedback on their presentations
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
10 participants
Workshops on »Managing Science«
Mastering your PhD - managing your projects (also available as webinar)
Target audience
Early stage PhD students
Objectives
Participants will learn skills for working independently on a scientific project by:
- defining aims and objectives smartly
- structuring their work using classical project management tools
- organizing themselves by applying time management methods
- dealing with stress and frustration and improving self motivation
Workshop duration
2 days
Group size
12 participants
Project Management for Scientists (also available as webinar)
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will improve their skills as project manager by:
- defining goals effectively
- using project management tools to plan and execute scientific projects successfully
- improve self organization by applying appropriate time management tools
- learn techniques for effective communication, delegation, team motivation and conflict management
Workshop duration
2 days
Group size
12 participants
Solving Conflicts in the Lab
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will improve their conflict solving capabilities by:
- understanding the stages of conflict escalation
- reflecting their own style of dealing with conflicts
- acquiring practical tools for conflict resolution
- developing Win-Win solutions
Workshop duration
2 days
Group size
12 participants
Workshops on »Communication and Diversity in Science«
Communicating Effectively in Diverse Scientific Teams
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- expand their communicative competences by integrating diversity-awareness in their daily communication in scientific work
- learn about intercultural communication, gender & communication and non-discriminating ways of communicating
- analyse and solve critical incidents and their own experiences
- practice diversity-aware communication in interactive exercises
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
12 participants
Peer Mentoring (also available as webinar)
Target audience
PhD students and Postdocs
Objectives
Participants will:
- become aware of the use and goals of peer mentoring
- learn how to constructively support a mentee in her/ his scientific career (e.g. doctoral thesis/ habilitation) and individual development
- become aware of their role as a mentor and about the potentials and limitations of their support
- learn how to give constructive and appreciative feedback
a) in scientific contexts (e.g. regarding structure, language and comprehensiveness of texts),
b) in socio-emotional contexts (e.g. work-life balance and other personal matters) - learn the basics of nonviolent communication
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
12 participants
Workshops on »Female Careers in Academia«
We Ask, We Talk, We Matter: Communication Skills for Women in the Sciences and Humanities
Target audience
Female 2nd year PhD Students, Postdocs and Group Leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- learn effective ways of authentic and successful oral communication as a female scientist and academic
- find out about communication between authenticity and self-marketing, competition and cooperation
- find out about their own communicative habits and practices
- understand key concepts and practices of non-verbal and verbal communication, intercultural and gendered communication
- learn to identify different styles of communication
- develop an awareness for communication as a key factor for social relationships and career development in academia
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
14 participants, women only
Modern female Leadership in the Sciences and Humanities
Target audience
Female 2nd year PhD Students, Postdocs and Group Leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- understand key concepts and practices of classic forms and modern, flexible styles of leadership in complex scientific settings
- learn about new forms of international leadership, including agile management
- get to know how to take advantage of female strengths and forms of socialisation in leading colleagues and teams
- learn how to deal with resistance and conflicts
- discover their own leadership preferences and authentic ways of taking on leading roles
- practice leadership scenarios in role-plays and interactive exercise
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
14 participants, women only
From Woman to Woman – Peer Mentoring for female researchers
Target audience
Female 2nd year PhD Students, Postdocs and Group Leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- be qualified for psychosocial and constructive peer mentoring of the scientific, career-oriented writing and research process
- understand the role as a mentor, how to give feedback and support, and the limits of mentoring
- understand the role as mentee, knowing how to accept support and constructive criticism as well as how to draw boundaries
- get to know key concepts and practices of self-care, individualised work-family balance and time management
- appreciate the gift of scientific partnership as mentor and mentee
Workshop duration
2 days, 09:00 - 17:00
Group size
14 participants, women only
Workshops on »Scientific Data Analysis«
Foundations of Statistical Analysis with R
Target audience
PhD Students and Postdocs
Objectives
Participants will:
- understand the intuition behind statistical hypothesis testing
- deepen their knowledge about the applicability of tests
Workshop duration
2 × 0,5 days, i.e. 09:00 - 13:00
Group size
15 participants
Linear Statistical Models with R
Target audience
PhD Students and Postdocs
Objectives
Participants will:
- understand the intuition behind linear regression, ANOVA and GLMs
- deepen their knowledge about how to build linear predictive models to analyse scientific data
Workshop duration
2 × 0,5 days, i.e. 09:00 - 13:00
Group size
15 participants
Additional Skills
Intellectual Property in Science
Target audience
Experienced PhD students, Postdocs or Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will be sensitized to the challenges of IP protection by:
- learning the legal background and the necessary definitions
- being introduced to different strategies for IP protection and exploitation
- learning how to search patent databases
- applying their newly gained knowledge in a case study
Workshop duration
1 day
Group size
15 participants
Critical Reasoning and Logic
Target audience
PhD students, Postdocs, Group leaders
Objectives
Participants will:
- get to know the fundamental concepts of logic
(validity, soundness, standard form, fallacies etc.) - learn to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of arguments
- learn how to break arguments down into their logical structure
- learn how to give well-structured and convincing arguments (written and orally)
- practice analytical-thinking skills
Workshop duration
2 days
Group size
15 participants
Starting your Career in Private Enterprises (also available as webinar)
Target audience
Students, PhD students and Postgraduates
Objectives
Participants will:
- develop vision, aims and strategies for their individual career path
- identify their individual strengths and personality traits and find out which jobs are suitable for them
- learn to interpret job ads correctly
- optimise their application letter, covering mail and CV with enclosures for national and international use
- present themselves in a job database
- learn how to pass a job interview successfully
- hear about the methods and possible procedures in assessment centres
Workshop duration
2 days
Group size
8 participants
Customized training offers
The modules described above are examples for the topics covered by our trainers. We are happy to adapt contents individually to the needs and interests of your specific target audience. So let us assist you in determining your specific training needs.