hei_TRACKS CareerPlus - Virtual Impulses on Career Development for Postdoctoral Researchers
A successful and healthy career takes into account many factors and aspects. In the virtual CareerPlus event series, we offer you relevant topics that you can reflect on for your current job and use for your professional future.
Each session includes an impulse and the opportunity to discuss, ask questions and exchange with peers. All events will be held in English.
All postdocs, habilitation candidates, scholarship holders, junior research group leaders and junior professors with and without tenure track are cordially invited to register for the respective date.
CareerPlus #1: Negotiating salaries inside and outside academia
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 12:00-13:30, online
Join this interactive online session to learn how to navigate salary negotiations when transitioning into roles in industry, the public sector, or academia. We will discuss how to assess your market value, define realistic salary expectations, and communicate your strengths effectively. We will also explore how collective agreements shape salary structures in Germany and highlight where postdocs still have room to negotiate within these frameworks.
Speaker: Julia Barden is a psychologist with professional experience in Human Resources. She is focused on conducting workshops at universities across Germany to help researchers and students transition from academia into the German labour market.
Please sign-up here (with University e-mail only)
CareerPlus #2: Agile working – what does it have to do with research?
Thursday, July 2, 2026, 12:00-14:00, online
Agility has become an integral part of many work environments, while it is still largely unfamiliar within academia. Yet, agile mindsets and methods can offer valuable impulses, especially in complex and uncertain research contexts. In this interactive online session, you will gain a clear and practical introduction to the topic of agility: What does “agile” really mean beyond methods and buzzwords? How does agile working differ from classical project management – and what does this mean for research projects in practice? Which mindsets, principles, and tools can help to better deal with uncertainty, change, and complexity?
Through playful exercises, short inputs, and interactive elements, you will not only learn about agility theoretically, but experience it in practice.
Speaker: Inka Philipp is an experienced Agile Coach and trainer who supports individuals and teams in navigating change, fostering self-organization, and developing modern ways of working.
Please sign-up here (with University e-mail only)
CareerPlus #3: Understanding the German Academic System (for non-Germans and Germans)
Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 12:30-14:00, online
This session ist part of the Postdoc Appreciation Weak 2026 and open to all postdocs.
The German academic landscape can feel complex—especially for postdocs who are new to its structures, terminology, and regulations. This concise workshop offers an introduction to essential features of the German research system, including typical career pathways, the role of the Habilitation, common contract types, and the implications of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG). Designed for international and German postdocs alike, the session provides input combined with interactive elements and time for questions. You will leave with a foundational understanding of how the German academic system works and what it means for your postdoctoral trajectory.
Speaker: Dr. Wiebke Deimann is a researcher development specialist at the University of Bonn. She also works as an independent coach and consultant, supporting researchers at all career stages in their professional and personal development.
Please sign-up here