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Preparing university professors in the sciences for the future

Target Groups:

• Junior group leaders, habilitated researchers (including junior professors, Juniordozenten, and Privatdozenten), and postdoctoral researchers who are working or planning to work at a German institution (university or research institute) with current or future teaching responsibilities in the fields of chemistry, physics, astronomy, or similar fields.
• Academic leaders of German universities.

This fourth annual workshop aims to gather junior group leaders in the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy; their academic administrative leaders at German universities; experts in educational exchange from the Fulbright Kommission and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) for a unique opportunity to further professional development.

The workshop offers training for junior group leaders in Germany on how to best implement evidence-based pedagogies, integrate research and teaching, use new strategies for communicating science to the public, and develop skills in time management, leadership, mentoring students, and networking. The workshop also engages the academic administrative leaders in Germany in a dialogue on how to leverage professional development for future academic leaders and increase the university's impact on society.

The workshop has the following objectives:

• Apply change theory to promote academic initiatives (new German tenure-track model). We will cover how junior faculty can maximize their chances for promotion by influencing change, and what skills are key for the transition to a tenure-track model.
• Apply communication skills that convince authority figures and rally subordinates: convincing and motivating effectively in an academic environment.
• Develop skills to optimize student learning: applying evidence-based methods on learning that transcend the classroom and aid research success.
• Examine the alignment of the Fulbright-RCSA Cottrell-Scholar Initiative with the 1000 New Tenure-Track Professors German Initiative: debunking the myth of the research-and-teaching zero-sum game. The top researchers are often the best educators and can bring universities to a higher level.
  

Further Information.