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Two students standing in front of a blackboard © Oliver Schaper​/​TU Dortmund

Support of Early Career Researchers

Scientists in early career phases form the foundation of sustainable scientific excellence. TU Dortmund University creates the best conditions to support early academic independence, create visibility, and enable mobility through a comprehensive qualification, networking and funding program. This way, it opens up diverse and fitting career prospects.

Concept for early career researchers

TU Dortmund University is committed to research- and career-friendly structures, plannable career paths, competitive remuneration and equipment, equal opportunities, consideration of individual backgrounds, and the compatibility of career and family, also for the early career phase of the doctorate.

Principles for good doctoral supervision (in German)

Supervision agreement (in German)

 

The Graduate Center is the central service unit for early career researchers at TU Dortmund University and supports scientist from their interest in a doctorate through to obtaining a lifetime professorship or leaving their academic career. The Graduate Center is part of the Research Academy Ruhr, the cross-university platform that offers access to further interdisciplinary workshops and career-related information and networking events at the universities in Dortmund, Bochum, and Duisburg-Essen.

Offers for all target groups

The Graduate Center supports doctoral students, postdocs and junior faculty conducting their own research, i.e. habilitation students, experienced postdocs, junior research group leaders and junior professors.

Individual advice is available for all target groups:

A wide range of offers and events that provide target group-specific information and opportunities for cross-faculty networking and informal exchange within a structured framework.

The qualification programs are aimed at developing and deepening key qualifications for the respective career phase. These range from self- and project management and professional communication to leadership and acquiring third-party funding. The Graduate Center also bundles other offers from TU Dortmund University and the Research Academy Ruhr for the respective target groups.

Specific programs for postdocs & junior faculty

For various target groups – postdocs, junior professors, advanced researchers on the way to a professorship – there are additional, more specific programs.

With the TU Dortmund Young Academy, TU Dortmund University supports doctoral researchers in the qualification phase in building up a research profile with strong third-party funding. The funding includes: Project funding, qualification, networking, increased visibility, and a research prize.

The “JProf TU” program offers a tailor-made offer for assistant professors with and without tenure, combining various elements in the areas of onboarding, qualification, networking, advice ,and increasing the visibility of this target group. The previous Tenure Track Academy offerings have been merged into JProf TU.

fuTUre is TU Dortmund University’s program for advanced researchers on the way to a professorship. The university thus closes the gap between the TU Dortmund Young Academy, which provides internal project funding, and JProf TU, the support program for assistant professors, and includes junior research group leaders and researchers who are on their way to a professorship after substantial external third-party funding in its fuTUre support program. fuTUre offers a well-rounded supporting program through targeted further training, coaching, and networking events.

The proposal workshop provides researchers at TU Dortmund University with important knowledge about DFG grants in short inputs and builds up key skills for writing successful funding proposals through practical work on their own proposals. The workshop is aimed at both postdocs and professors who write their proposals in peer cohorts over the course of a semester.

Support for international networks

With tu.hosts, doctoral candidates can invite high-ranking researchers from international institutions to TU Dortmund University for lectures and seminars.

With the Research Explorer Ruhr program, TU Dortmund University and the UA Ruhr partners invite international postdocs to spend two weeks at TU Dortmund University in the first year after their doctorate in order to initiate a longer research stay. During the stay, contact with a suitable teaching area can be intensified. The accompanying program combines information on funding opportunities, workshops on writing applications and excursions in the Ruhr region.

The Rudolf Chaudoire Prize is awarded annually by the International Office. It is intended to support research stays at a foreign university or research institution by highly qualified young academics at TU Dortmund University, usually with a doctorate. The completion of the doctorate should not be more than five years ago.

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