© Karsten Eckold

By introducing the status "TUD Young Investigator", TU Dresden is strengthening the position of excellent independent Junior Research Group Leaders in Dresden's scientific community by integrating them more closely into the faculties and offering them qualifications tailored to their specific needs.

The aim of this scheme is to counteract the structural disadvantages sometimes experienced by this group of researchers due to their lack of defined status and poor or nonexistent connection to a faculty.

Critical points here are primarily the lack of entitlement to assess (co-)supervised dissertations, the restricted possibility to gain experience in academic teaching and the often flawed information from the Faculties.

To take remedial action, TU Dresden awards the "TUD Young Investigator" status for a limited time.

Every TUD Young Investigator

• will be given a TUD university teacher as a mentor and direct contact. These mentors will be professors actively involved in teaching at the TUD with membership rights in a faculty.
• will be accepted by the faculty as an assessor and examiner in doctoral procedures, particularly with regard to the dissertations they (co-)supervise.
• will participate in the teaching of their mentor’s faculty. The specific organisation of teaching participation will be set in consultation with the respective mentor and the relevant faculty, usually to an extent of two hours per week per semester.
• will be integrated in their respective faculty, including the possibility to attend public parts of Faculty Council meetings as a guest. Additional agreements can be made individually with the faculty.
• will get the opportunity to take part in a range of training individually designed by the Graduate Academy, which will specifically address the needs of academics in this qualification phase.