Professional Skills Training

Scope

The Professional Skills Training of the GS-EES aims at additional skills that are not directly related to electrochemical energy storage, but which are essential for scientists and engineers during their doctorate and in preparation for their future career in science or industry.

A certain total number of credits is mandatory including a minimum for the categories “Good Scientific Practice / Research Ethics” and “Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship”. Besides that, the Professional Skills Training can be tailored individually to the needs and interests of every GS-EES member.

The Professional Skills Training of the GS-EES is organised in the four categories “Communication”, “Management”, “Good Scientific Practice / Research Ethics” and “Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship”.

Communication

Communication

Communication is a major task in science and relevant for all doctoral researchers since research results are rather useless if they are not known by others. Communicating in science ranges from writing articles in scientific journals, presenting talks and posters at conferences or meetings to informing the public and at least a PhD thesis has eventually to be written by everyone.

Courses in this category include academic writing, preparing posters and presentation slides as well as voice training to name a few.

Management

Management

A PhD thesis can be considered as a project and many third party funded research activities are organized as projects as well. In addition, many doctoral researchers have more tasks than just doing their own research, e.g. they are supervising the research of bachelor and master students. Thus, management skills are useful already during the doctorate.

Management skills often become even more important for the future career in academia and especially in industry.

Courses in this category range from time- and self-management to project management.

Icon symboling Good Scientific Practice

Good Scientific Practice / Research Ethics

Obeying the rules of Good Scientific Practice is an absolute must for each scientist. But what exactly are those rules, what are the responsibilities of a doctoral researcher, which conflicts can one encounter during a doctorate and how should one react when noticing violations of those rules? Answers to these and other related questions can be found in Good Scientific Practice / Research Ethics courses.

Research Data Management

Another important issue to perform reliable research is Research Data Management (RDM). Thus, RDM courses are also categorized as Good Scientific Practice in the GS-EES Qualification Program. Teaching of RDM in the GS-EES goes beyond the aim to comply with guidelines for safeguarding good research practice. In close collaboration with the RDM activities of the Cluster of Excellence POLiS we also seek to unlock additional scientific value through systematic data handling and widespread data reuse across our research community. We offer workshops instructing how to make best use of Kadi4Mat, which is developed at KIT and integrates an electronic lab notebook (ELN), a robust repository, and advanced data analysis tools.

Icon symboling Diversity and Mentoring

Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship

The group of doctoral researchers is diverse in terms of gender, social and cultural background, nationality, etc.. Courses in the category Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship aim at supporting and empowering each individual doctoral researcher during their doctorate and to prepare steps for the future career. In addition, we aim at improving the collaboration between the diverse group of scientists.

Courses include intercultural trainings, workshops on unconscious biases, workshops on career planning and application processes and more.

To emphasize the importance of this category, the GS-EES Qualification Program demands to gather a minimum of 1 credit point.

How & where to find courses

The GS-EES offers specific workshops covering all categories of the Professional Skills Training. A focus is on those categories which require mandatory credits, i.e. Good Scientific Practice / Research Ethics and Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship.

In addition, a broad variety of courses is offered by the respective institutions of our home universities responsible for supporting and promoting young researchers. These are

  • the Graduate & Professional Training Center (ProTrainU) at Ulm University
  • the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
  • the Giessen Graduate Center for Natural Sciences and Psychology (GGN) at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU)

 

Participation in such courses is credited towards the GS-EES Qualification Program.

Workshop offerings of our home universities

Upcoming workshops

Communication (academic writing, presenting, etc.)

Fri, November 29, 2024
Online

Online Seminar Busting Jargon. Tactics for Comprehensible Communication in Science (two-day)
As a scientist, you regularly communicate your expertise to various audiences – not only to people from within your scientific community but also to collaborators from different fields, grant bodies, students, the general public. When writing for or speaking to others, however, you must overcome multiple obstacles for your message to be understood, such as peoples’ short attention span, differences in prior knowledge and ignorance about your technical language. If you do not design your communication with these barriers in mind, your ideas are unlikely to reach your intended audience.
Details
Wed, November 20, 2024
Online

Autoren- und Urheberrecht. Was Sie als Nachwuchsforschende wissen sollten
Viele Aspekte wissenschaftlicher Tätigkeiten berühren urheberrechtliche Fragen – ohne dass sich Nachwuchsforschende oftmals darüber bewusst sind. Die Informationsveranstaltung führt Sie an die wichtigsten rechtlichen Regelungen heran und bietet einen Überblick über die folgenden vier Themenbereiche, die für Nachwuchsforschende von besonderer Bedeutung sind: Urheberrecht in Grundzügen für Forschung und Lehre, Zitatrecht und Bildrechte, Autoren- und Verlagsrechte, Creative-Commons-Lizenzen und Open Content.
Details
Mon, November 04, 2024

Scientific Writing. What Makes a Good Paper and How to Write It (two-day)
Publications of research results is the currency in modern science. It might not be your favourite occupation, but it is a decisive one, strongly determining your future research and career opportunities. In this course, you will be introduced to the process of writing a scientific paper. In order to deepen and apply this knowledge, you will also actually produce a manuscript based on your research data (and one that might serve as the foundation for a journal submission). Questions about other forms of text like conference papers can also be discussed.
Details
Thu, October 24, 2024
Villa Eberhardt

The missing link - Statusverhalten als Kommunikations-Tool
Status ist allgegenwärtig, aber schwer zu fassen, stabil und doch überraschend veränderlich. Wir alle sind schon Statusprofis – aber auf unbewusster Ebene. In diesem Workshop geht es darum, Statusverhalten bewusst zu machen, um es danach zielgerichtet einsetzen zu können. Man kann sich mit Statusverhalten nicht automatisch durchsetzen. Aber man kann Spannungen auflösen, die Kommunikation erleichtern und die Sachebene besser von Instrumentalisierungen lösen. Der Workshop ist ein praktisch/reflexives Kommunikationstraining.
Details
Tue, October 22, 2024
Ulm University, Lise-Meitner-Straße 16

Workshop "Voice and Language"
To improve your skills in speaking in fornt of an audience we offer the Workshop "Voice and Language" at Ulm University on 22nd October 2024 from 9am to 5pm. Please register by 6th October 2024.
Details
Fri, October 11, 2024
Online

Selbstbewusst Netzwerken auf Tagungen
Durch wen komme ich beruflich voran? Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler müssen souverän für sich und ihre Forschung einstehen und dafür Kontakte knüpfen. Erfolgreiche Gespräche bei Vorträgen, auf wissenschaftlichen Konferenzen und Tagungen können über den eigenen Erfolg in der Zukunft entscheiden.
Details
Wed, September 18, 2024
KIT

Präsentieren für Nachwuchsforschende (zweitägig)
Forschende müssen ihre Arbeit regelmäßig für verschiedene Zielgruppen präsentieren – auf wissenschaftlichen Konferenzen, in Laborsitzungen sowie bei Tagen der offenen Tür und anderen Informationsveranstaltungen. Häufig stehen ihnen dabei nur wenige Minuten zur Verfügung, daher gilt es, das eigene Forschungsthema möglichst prägnant und verständlich zu vermitteln.
Details

Management

Wed, October 02, 2024

Business Studies in a Nutshell (three-day)
The workshop provides a compact introduction to the basics of business administration for those who have not studied it. In addition to the explanation of typical economic thinking and theories, this primarily concerns insights into the areas of corporate management, organization, controlling and marketing. In this workshop, knowledge is imparted that is needed after a job change to the business world in order to be able to understand and classify the processes in companies. At the same time, however, this is also increasingly relevant for scientific activities, especially in the area of third-party funded projects; for the preparation of one's own self-employment it is essential. Trying out and practicing what has been learned also focuses on areas that can already be used in your current professional phase.
Details
Thu, October 17, 2024

Grundlagen des Projektmanagements (zweitägig)
Viele Forschende, insbesondere Promovierende und Postdocs, betrachten ihre Tätigkeiten in erster Linie aus fachlicher Perspektive. Projektmanagement wird daher als eine Kompetenz wahrgenommen, die zukünftige Arbeitgebende außerhalb der Wissenschaft erwarten. In der Tat ist ein Grundverständnis von Projektmanagement ein wertvoller Karrierebaustein, sei dies innerhalb oder außerhalb der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. Denn auch der Arbeitsalltag in der Wissenschaft ist stark durch Projektarbeit bestimmt. Viele komplexe wissenschaftliche Tätigkeiten lassen sich nur mithilfe eines guten Projektmanagements effizient und zielgerichtet bewältigen. Denn: erfolgreich sind Projekte dann, wenn die wichtigen Management- und (Selbst-)Führungsaufgaben ebenso beherrscht werden, wie die fachlichen Aspekte. Dies gilt innerhalb wie außerhalb der Wissenschaft.
Details
Thu, November 07, 2024

Agile Project Management (two-day)
Using tools and approaches from “traditional” project management it’s difficult to handle project environments that are changing and don’t allow to foresee what exactly the development or project requirements will be. First time developed and applied in IT agile project management nowadays is applied in many different fields that have to consider changes or rapid developments in their surroundings. This approach allows to flexibly respond and adapt to these changes.
Details
Thu, November 14, 2024

Time and Self-Management (two-day)
Young scientists like you often face an onslaught of daily challenges like teaching, research projects or administrative tasks. Given that academics are also often expected to be flexible and constantly available, it is only natural that you feel at times overwhelmed. Moreover, those many last-minute, short-term assignments often take precedence and can keep you distracted from more important, long-term goals and ambitions as well as your personal interests. In order to keep your priorities in sight, you thus need a carefully thought-out time and self-management system. In this workshop, you will learn to set priorities and forge realistic plans in order to balance the demands of research and your personal life goals.
Details
Tue, November 26, 2024

Making decisions under uncertainty
Often, you have to make decisions during your projects based on limited information and in situations of uncertainty. Whether it is about keeping or killing a project, or deciding on resources or partners, you need a decision strategy and clear communication skills. And you have to be very clear about what your personal biases could be. In this interdisciplinary workshop, your own experience will be enriched by novel tools and guidelines for becoming a professional decision-taker.
Details
Thu, December 05, 2024

PhD as a project - Self- and Time Management
When working for you Phd many competences are necessary: Research and Writing skills, Reflection and creativity for argumentation. But overall you need self-management to organize yourself and the daily routines, to prioritize and manage all your needs. Thats a complex task from different perspectives and: not to forget your career planning and job issues… Therefore the reflection on your individual goals, instruments for stress reduction and tools for time management are helpful to cope with the challenges during this special time.
Details

Good Scientific Practice

Fri, August 23, 2024
online

Verantwortlich Denken und Handeln in Technik, Wissenschaft und Innovation
Ars Reflectionis ist ein KIT-weit angebotener modularer Online-Kurs zum Selbststudium. Ziel ist, Studierende zur kritischen Reflexion der ethischen Herausforderungen des eigenen Faches und der eigenen zukünftigen beruflichen Tätigkeit zu befähigen. Dabei lassen sich studienbereichsspezifische Komponenten zu konkreten Fragen der Verantwortungsübernahme mit allgemeinen Komponenten zu normativer Argumentation und Grundlagen der (Technik-, Wissenschafts- und Wirtschafts-) Ethik kombinieren.
Details
Thu, September 26, 2024

Good Scientific Practice GSP 06 (two-days)
Plagiarism and falsification of data by researchers have been in the news repeatedly over recent years. The internet allows knowledge to become a mobile and easily re-packaged good. Even though deliberate academic misconduct is not representative, good scientific practice presents a series of difficult questions, and nagging problems for researchers and accidental breaches can happen. But there are basic and helpful principles which researchers should be aware of and should be able to apply. Where this is the case, it is possible to act appropriately even in difficult situations and avoid dangerous pitfalls in the academic career. This workshop familiarises participants with good scientific practice. It informs them about ethical and legal guidelines and uses typical issues and problems as examples to show how they can be practically implement in research.
Details
Mon, October 21, 2024

Good Research Practice (two-day)
Researchers are responsible for ensuring that their own conduct complies with the standards of good research practice. The workshop will introduce basic issues of research integrity by addressing important guidelines of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and specific regulations of KIT for safeguarding good research practice – relevant for every early career researcher@KIT.
Details

Research Data Management

Workshop "Introduction to Research Data Management"

The responsible and far-sighted handling of digital research data is becoming increasingly important. Management, storage, exchange and access to large amounts of data, including the corresponding metadata, is challenging.
In this workshop, researchers learn in a first block basic skills to handle their research data safely and sustainably. Ways to publish and re-use research data are discussed. The new “Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice”, published by the DFG, are addressed in the context of research data.
In a second block, the functionalities of the data exchange and analysis platform Kadi4Mat will be discussed on the basis of the Kadi4Mat web interface. Using examples, the researchers learn how to collaboratively work on a common description of research data and how to document, manage and share their own research data.

There are several workshops on RDM offered throughout the year. Please refer to the Upcoming Events section for upcoming workshops.

Due to the significance of Research Data Management in POLiS, participation in RDM workshops is mandatory for all doctoral researchers funded by POLiS!

0.5 CPs within "Good scientific practice / Research ethics" will be accounted for the participation.

 

Workshop "Advanced Research Data Management: Kadi-apy and Workflows"

Automated data processing allows data sets to be processed in a faster, more reliable, and reproducible manner, making a significant contribution to the generation of FAIR research data. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use command line tools for automated data processing.

In a first step the basic concept of Kadi4Mat is reviewed. In a next step, the software package kadi-apy is introduced, with which it is possible to communicate with the Kadi4Mat database via its programmatic interface. Possibilities to import and to export data will be discussed. In addition, the concept of workflows is explained using examples and exercises for the participants.

There are several workshops on Advanced Research Data Management offered throughout the year. Please refer to the Upcoming Events section for upcoming workshops.

0.5 CPs within "Good scientific practice / Research ethics" will be accounted for the participation in combination with the completion and submission of an exercise with an own data set.

Equal Opportunities / Diversity / Mentorship

Mon, September 23, 2024
Online

Career development with PhD - Workshop with individual Coaching
What are my strenghts and weaknesses? Why self-analisis and planning? Who I am and who I would like to be? Strenghts and Potentials. How to develop your personality? Where do I fit (or not)? How could I apply?
Details
Thu, October 10, 2024
KIT

Stressmanagement. Gelassener durch den Wissenschaftsalltag (zweitägig)
Stressmanagement ist heutzutage eine wichtige Kompetenz, um gesund und ausgeglichen die vielfältigen beruflichen und privaten Aufgaben und Anforderungen zu bewältigen. Vielleicht fühlen Sie sich manchmal erschöpft oder angespannt und möchten gelassener durch die Promotion oder die Postdoc-Phase und Ihr Forschungsprojekt gehen – oder wollen einfach nur potentiellen Stressbelastungen vorbeugen. Um gestärkt durch den Wissenschaftsalltag zu gehen, sind neben fachlicher Expertise und hoher Motivation auch eine gewisse Stressresistenz, ein gutes Selbstmanagement und ein Gleichgewicht zwischen Anspannung und Entspannung wichtig. Dieser Workshop bietet Ihnen ein abwechslungsreiches Angebot aus Informationen, Selbstreflexionen und praktischen Übungen für ein erfolgreiches Stressmanagement
Details
Mon, October 14, 2024
Online

Getting Started. Die Promotion als Projekt (zweitägig)
Der Weg zur Doktorarbeit steckt voller Herausforderungen. Doch wer sich von Anfang an eine kluge Herangehensweise überlegt, erreicht schneller seine Ziele und erhält bessere Ergebnisse. Der Workshop konzentriert sich auf die zentralen Stellschrauben für eine erfolgreiche Promotion: Welche Mindsets, Werkzeuge und Arbeitsprozesse machen einen echten Unterschied auf dem Weg zur Promotion? Dabei fokussieren wir uns auf drei Schlüsselbereiche für eine erfolgreiche Dissertation: Die effiziente Organisation von Aufgaben und Notizen, den produktiven Austausch mit der Forschungsgemeinschaft sowie das strukturierte Lesen und Verfassen von Texten.
Details
Wed, October 16, 2024
KIT, MZE

Workshop "Mental Health"
To adress issues related to mental health we offer the Workshop "Mental Health" at KIT on 16th October 2024 from 10am to 5pm. Please register by 29th September 2024.
Details
Tue, November 12, 2024
Online

After the Doctorate. Career Options and Application Strategies (two-day)
The workshop is intended to provide assistance in the job search for doctoral researchers. It is designed to cover as broad a collection of questions as possible that doctoral researchers often ask themselves when transitioning into the professional world: How do I become aware of my skills? Academia or Industry? How do I find the job that suits me? How do I establish contacts with potential employers? How can I present my strengths in a serious and authentic way? How do I determine my market value?
Details
Mon, November 18, 2024
KIT

Grundlagen der Führung in der Wissenschaft (zweitägig)
In diesem Workshop bietet sich Ihnen die Möglichkeit, sich – gerade als angehende oder junge Führungskraft – gelingend in die neue Funktion Führung einzufinden. Es geht um Ihre innere Haltung, um Selbstreflexion, um Bewusstwerdung. Desweiteren geht es um Rollenklarheit, um die gegenseitigen (teils unausgesprochenen) Erwartungen und Herangehensweisen von Ihnen als Führungskraft und von Ihren Mitarbeitenden in Bezug auf Führung und Aufgabenerledigung. Dabei bewegen Sie sich stets in dem Spannungsfeld Ansagepflicht und Kontrolle Ihrerseits versus Selbstorganisation Ihrer Mitarbeitenden und das Vertrauen in Ihre Mitarbeitenden andererseits. Motivation, Flexibilität und Transparenz im Kommunizieren und Delegieren spielen dabei eine wesentliche Rolle.
Details
Thu, November 21, 2024
Villa Eberhardt

"Was kann ich? - Was will ich?" - Wege zur Profilschärfung und Karriereorientierung
Die eigenen Kompetenzen erkennen und beschreiben zu können, ist ein wichtiger Schritt im Prozess einer gelungenen Karriereentwicklung. Um herausfinden zu können, welche Karriereziele zu Ihnen passen, benötigen Sie das Wissen über Ihre fachlichen und überfachlichen Qualifikationen und Fähigkeiten sowie die Erkenntnis darüber, welche Aspekte und Rahmenbedingungen Ihnen in Ihrem beruflichen Umfeld und bei Ihrem Aufgabenspektrum besonders wichtig sind. Mit bewährten Methoden aus der Karriereberatung erarbeiten Sie Ihr persönliches Kompetenzprofil. In Einzel-, Partner- und Gruppenarbeiten schärfen Sie Ihr Profil und erhalten interdisziplinäres sowie fachliches Feedback für die Gestaltung möglicher weiterer Karriereschritte.
Details
Thu, December 12, 2024
KIT

Workshop Personal Roadmap for Career Orientation
As part of a personal roadmap, you have the opportunity to consciously reflect on your current professional and private situation. You will look at your personal goals and wishes and derive concrete steps for your further career and skills development. What have I already achieved? What skills particularly characterize me? What are my strengths? What is important to me? How do I visualize a successful future?
Details