Joint Workshop “Appointment for Professorships” of the RMU Alliance – Rhine-Main Universities https://lnkd.in/e9-vvGPp. For me, these workshops represent hands-on support for Early Career Researchers (ECR), as well as a commitment to Equity and Diversity. In practice, this is where we see whether our concepts—developed, for example, within collaborative research projects (CRCs) funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – German Research Foundation —are truly effective. Every one of us plays a crucial role in this!

As many colleagues can surely confirm, mentoring and supporting ECRs on their journey to an academic career is one of the most rewarding privileges of being a professor. I am very proud that five of my former doctoral students and postdocs have now been appointed as professors.

On February 18, 2025, I had the opportunity to engage with ECRs in the R2/R3 phase from Technische Universität Darmstadt, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, discussing different pathways to a professorship and sharing my experiences. We explored three key topics: applications, hearings (known as Vorsingen in German), and negotiations with university leadership.

The participants came from a wide range of disciplines. We engaged in lively discussions, identified differences and commonalities in the paths to a professorship, and exchanged valuable insights. I, too, gained many new ideas for supporting early-career researchers and will incorporate them into my own mentoring approach.

Many thanks for the very positive feedback from the participants and to Ingenium for the invitation to contribute!