Research Career Phases
At the beginning of an academic career, there is always the doctorate. Depending on the individual career goals, this is followed by a series of academic career phases. The Jenny Aloni Centre for Early Career Researchers supports young researchers in these phases.
Qualification Phase (Doctorate)
The first postgraduate qualification phase is completed with the doctorate. By successfully completing their doctorate, young academics demonstrate that they have carried out independent research and contributed to the advancement of knowledge in their discipline.
Orientation Phase (Early Postdoc Phase)
The doctorate is followed by the postdoctoral phase ("postdoc phase"), which serves to deepen and profile the scientific and methodological knowledge. The orientation phase, i.e. the first two to four years after the doctorate, is characterised by more independent research and publication activities. Scientific skills are expanded and sharpened, interdisciplinary competences are developed and own networks are built up.
At the same time, this phase serves as a conscious examination of one's own career goals and orientation about one's own professional opportunities within and, if applicable, also outside academia. At the end of this phase, the foundation for the further career path - whether inside or outside academia - should be laid.
Profile Phase (Advanced Postdoc Phase)
In the advanced postdoc phase, the way is paved for remaining in academia and preparations are completed, e.g. for a tenured professorship or a senior position at a research institution. At this stage, postdocs should already have acquired a high degree of academic independence, in-depth knowledge of their subject and related fields, and networking in the national and international community.
Ideally, you will take on a junior research group leadership, junior professorship or tenure track professorship at this stage. Moving to comparable positions outside the science system is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, a self-critical analysis of your abilities and expectations of your professional career is crucial in this phase.
Appointment phase
The profiling phase leads smoothly into the appointment phase, in which the candidate can apply for lifetime professorships on the basis of previous experience.
Classically, in Germany, the completion of the habilitation marked the start of the appointment phase. Due to today's diverse possibilities of habilitation-equivalent achievements and alternative paths, the profiling and appointment phases now overlap more than in the past. The point in time at which an application for a W2 or W3 professorship has a chance of success depends on the individual academic performance, but also on the subject culture and the respective applicant situation.