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Münster (upm)
Vít Kortus is the coordinator at the Graduate School of the “Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation” Cluster of Excellence and himself a doctoral student.<address>© privat</address>
Vít Kortus is the coordinator at the Graduate School of the "Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation" Cluster of Excellence and himself a doctoral student.
© privat

Starting off well with the right support

What distinguishes the promotion of junior researchers at Münster University? A PhD student, an associate professor and a trainee give their views

Anyone who spends thousands of hours at their desk doing research is not only dependent on selfless support and patience on the part of their nearest and dearest, but is also very pleased at the many forms of support available at Münster University: for example, the University’s Graduate Centre, when another application for funding or for a scholarship has to be written, or additional competences are to be obtained, or the career path is set to continue outside the academic world; or the University’s Reading and Writing Centre when there’s a writer’s block to overcome; or the smartNETWORK which offers opportunities for international exchanges and structured PhD work. But perhaps even more important is the fact that supervision agreements and a higher education political PhD students’ representation of sharpen the self-confidence of young academics – to be seen.

Vít Kortus is the coordinator at the Graduate School of the "Religion and Politics. Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation" Cluster of Excellence and himself a doctoral student.

 

Franziska Jahnke is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematics, Logic and Basic Research at the University of Münster.<address>© Astrid Pawlowitzky</address>
Franziska Jahnke is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematics, Logic and Basic Research at the University of Münster.
© Astrid Pawlowitzky
For me, the promotion of junior researchers – combined with my "Mathrix" associate professorship – means a high measure of independence. In particular, it gives me the opportunity to offer lectures and seminars on my own and thereby qualify for W2 professorships – a job for life. There are also other opportunities which present themselves to me as an associate professor: during my two-month stay at a research institute in Paris in early 2018, for example, I got more third-party funding as a result of my status as a professor. And last but not least, as a member of the body of professors at Münster, I gain deeper insights into how the University works. What I wish for, as regards future Mathrix generations, is that posts are equipped with tenure-track options – for example, offers to stay in a permanent post in the case of an appointment being offered at another university.

Franziska Jahnke is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematics, Logic and Basic Research at the University of Münster.

 

Since August 2017, Elisa Paschert has been doing vocational training at Münster University, learning office management.<address>© WWU - Kathrin Nolte</address>
Since August 2017, Elisa Paschert has been doing vocational training at Münster University, learning office management.
© WWU - Kathrin Nolte
The University of Münster also supports trainees in a variety of ways. Seminars and internal courses in English and Accounting increase our competences in communication, IT and correspondence. This is very good preparation not only for the final exams we will be taking before long, but also for everyday work in the office. This was one of the deciding factors in my choice of doing vocational training here. Another special feature is the fact that we move to another department every six months. This enables me to get to know a lot of different areas, types of work and staff at the University. In addition to our vocational training we also have an opportunity to get an extra qualification as a "European Assistant". At vocational college we learn subject-related, language and cultural skills and competences to help us deal with situations arising while working abroad or when interacting with business partners from other countries

Since August 2017, Elisa Paschert has been doing vocational training at Münster University, learning office management.

 

Source: "wissen|leben" No. 1, February / March 2019

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