The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is an alliance of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Together, they are pursuing the goal of creating and shaping an integrated research space in Berlin. This alliance aims to establish Berlin as a leading international science location. All workshops and events offered by the Graduate Studies Support Program are funded by the BUA and therefore free of charge.
Participation
Doctoral researchers (all disciplines) of the Berlin University Alliance.
Before booking a workshop, please make sure that you can attend for the entire duration. Please check our terms and conditions.
Background & Goals
Whether it is navigating daily life in a new country, balancing your own cultural expectations against those of your new environment, or experiencing a shift in or loss of support structures - there is a lot to manage in cross-cultural transitions. Researchers and doctoral students who have relocated from abroad to work in a new environment arrive with high expectations for their own productivity, and along with their colleagues and employers, they often expect themselves to hit the ground running once they have found an apartment and unpacked their belongings. The stressors inherent in international transitions can make it feel harder to manage your research project successfully. You might feel like you have hit an invisible wall, or find yourself questioning your work patterns or project structure. When challenges arise – issues communicating with your supervisor, a snag in collaborating with a colleague, or a global pandemic – it is easy to feel even more overwhelmed then you might have felt back home. Developing an understanding of typical transition stressors and building a toolkit of sustainable strategies to manage stress in transition can help you build resilience and cultivate work habits that support mental health.
In this workshop, we will explore common transition stressors and their impact on researchers in their work and daily lives. We will share our experiences, develop strategies to reduce and manage stress, and explore work habits that can make the difference between surviving and thriving in the increasingly global academic job market.
• What challenges might international doctoral researchers encounter? How can a deeper understanding of the stressors and challenges I am dealing with help me to develop resilience?
• What strategies exist to help me manage the stressors and challenges that I am facing while researching abroad? What methods exist to help me?
• How can I build a (new) network and find support during difficult times while also maintaining the workload of my doctorate?
• How can I communicate problems and challenges to or with my colleagues and supervisor(s)?
• What resources exist to help me with my international experience? What do I do if I feel overwhelmed or I am not moving forward?
Please note
For updates and announcements register to our DRS Newsletter.
Also check out workshops at the BUA partner institutions that are available for you free of charge: Graduate Studies Support Program.
For workshops held online, participation is allowed under the following conditions: a working camera that is turned on and a microphone to allow active participation in discussions and group work. Headphones must also be used to protect other participants from office eavesdroppers. In this context, we would also like to refer to the rules for digital courses at Freie Universität Berlin (Code of Conduct).
Further Information
Postdocs are welcome to participate if spots are available.
Doctoral programs calculate credits based on the number of work units earned through workshop participation. Each work unit represents 45 minutes of workshop time, and 8 work units equal 0.5 credit points. For mini workshops (less than 8 work units), credits are calculated proportionally based on the work units. Please note: To be eligible for credit transfer, you must accumulate enough work units from short workshops. For example, attending two 3-hour workshops results in 8 work units (2 workshops x 4 work units each), which equals 0.5 credits.