We at CERes... tell your stories!

Imagine having two full days to devote entirely to your writing project – free from other obligations, in a calm and inspiring environment, surrounded by other writers, with complete flexibility over your schedule. Twelve researchers seized this opportunity at CERes from 8 to 10 January 2026, making real progress on diverse projects: long-overdue publications, upcoming presentations, habilitation theses, or final dissertation chapters. The variety was broad, but the shared aim was clear: to achieve tangible advances in focused tranquillity. Find out more about the retreat and upcoming dates.

Have you ever received a compli-diss – a compliment laced with critique – from a colleague, reviewer or supervisor? Assistant Prof. Le Anh Nguyen Long (University of Twente; University of Münster alumna) opened this year’s Take-Off Days with her own story of receiving one. She showed how mixed feedback can shake confidence yet spark growth drawing on self-efficacy to fuel motivation, persistence, and resilience in academic careers.  

At CERes, we believe growth is not only measured by experiments completed, hours spent in libraries, or papers published — it can also take root in the soil. 
This year, eight dedicated researchers are tending to a shared plot of organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers in our InchbyInch community garden. We spoke with five of them about how the garden has shaped their academic and personal growth — and how nurturing the soil together has sparked fresh perspectives beyond the greens they grow. Learn more.

Would you have guessed that it took James Dyson more than 5,000 prototypes to create a working bagless vacuum cleaner, or that Albert Einstein’s dissertation was initially rejected? With these and further examples from his keynote speech on the topic of expectations, Jun.-Prof. Philipp Schäpers opened the event week for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Learn more.

Nine videos – nine stories – nine glimpses at a researchers’ everyday lives … which could hardly be more different from one another. This series of videos, produced by the University’s Communications and PR Department in 2020/2021, shows you more about research and everyday life in the Clusters of Excellence, research institutes and faculties. Look over the shoulders of doctoral researchers and postdocs, learn about their exciting projects and prepare to be surprised at all the things that make up a researcher’s day.