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
Networking often feels challenging to doctoral researchers – it can be difficult to know where to start. Understanding the professional and personal benefits of a strong network and learning how to build and maintain that network can help researchers connect and foster relationships with their peers, navigate the stress of academia, and achieve career success. Providing early career researchers with moderated opportunities to exchange ideas, provide support, and discuss questions and challenges they are encountering enables them to put their networking skills into action and to expand their library of contacts and encourages collaboration.
Content
In this workshop, participants will get to know their peers through moderated quick exchange sessions, where they will have the opportunity to dive into ideas they are excited about and challenges that they are currently facing, as well as their expectations for the future. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in moderated networking activities and will learn creative methods for cultivating professional relationships. Together, we will explore the following topics:
• Why is networking so valuable? What role does it play in academia, and what benefits does it have for me as an early career researcher?
• How can we start conversations with peers and quickly build a lasting network relationship? What kinds of questions or conversations spark a connection? (And - how can I engage/connect even if I find typical networking events challenging?)
• How can we build sustainable networks that support our work/ourselves beyond this event? What can we do right now to make this happen?
• How do I approach online networking? What is the most effective strategy for online networking platforms? Which platforms should I be using?
• How do I align my personal goals and values with “self-marketing”? What can I do to help motivate myself and to overcome potentially negative connotations that I have associated with networking?
• How can strong peer connections and effective networking with other students and early career researchers support mental health in academia?
Please note
For updates and announcemnets 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.