SPOTLIGHT ON | Postdoc Talks
The ABC of Science
Once the decision to pursue an academic career has been made, the postdoc period is the decisive phase in which the foundation is laid for a successful career in science. It is crucial to develop an independent scientific profile, become visible through publications, projects, and cooperations, gain teaching experience, and acquire third-party funding.
Postdoc Talks | SPOTLIGHT ON
In our Postdoc Talks, we shed light on career-relevant aspects of the postdoc phase and showcase relevant services TU Dresden offers. Experts share their know-how and (insider) tips while answering your questions.
Our Postdoc Talks take place every second Tuesday of the month, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — online via Zoom.
Our Postdoc Talks will not be recorded.
Postdoc Talks 2025 | Dates & Registration
Service for researchers | European Project Center (EPC)
Please register via Zoom.
The talk will be held in English.
- Are you a PhD student or PostDoc (PhD defense max. 7 years ago) and looking for future career opportunities in academia?
- Do you aim to work independently and set up your own research group?
- Do you want to take a leading role in a groundbreaking basic research project?
If so, an ERC Starting Grant could be just the right thing for you.
In this Postdoc Talk, the European Project Center (EPC) team will give you brief and concise information on when and how you can successfully apply for an ERC Starting Grant. Furthermore, you will receive valuable insights from a successful ERC Grantee that will be helpful for your application.
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Save the Date | ERC Masterclass 2025 for Starting Grants
Organized by the Graduate Academy and the European Project Center
The ERC Masterclass 2025 offers an excellent opportunity for all early-career researchers who want to optimally prepare themselves for applying for an ERC Starting Grant and who want to deal intensively with the requirements and expectations of these Grants.
- Mid-January 2025: Call for proposals
- March 28, 2025: Online onboarding session
- April 4 & 11, 2025: Two-day workshop
We will provide you with all further information as soon as possible.
Thank you for being patient!
Please register via Zoom (link).
Applied research, praxis-oriented teaching, and university management are among the many exciting tasks at the University of Applied Sciences. In addition, numerous HAW professorships will be filled in the coming years. The career path HAW-professorship thus offers compelling prospects for Postdocs.
In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTW), this Postdoc Talk will cover the prerequisites you should meet and how to become eligible for a professorship.
Please note: This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
Please sign up via Zoom. (Link)
This talk will be held in German. You're welcome to ask your questions in English!
Mentoring is a proven and successful instrument for the targeted promotion of early-career researchers. It offers a wide range of benefits for everyone involved: As a mentee, you receive valuable support, feedback, and guidance for your personal and professional development. At the same time, mentors can develop their leadership skills and promote young talent in a targeted manner. Networks and horizons can be expanded together — an actual win-win-win situation.
In this Talk, we will examine the opportunities, possibilities, and framework conditions of mentoring. We will also explore the roles, competencies, and tasks of mentors and mentees and provide an overview of the structured mentoring process.
We will introduce you to helpful tools for a successful mentoring partnership that supports goal exchange and achievement. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the many facets of mentoring and get excited about this career booster!
Our Speaker
Simone Freitag holds a doctorate in psychology with a focus on health psychology. She has extensive experience in the scientific field, including the planning and implementation of research projects, publications, research proposals, and university teaching. She was a research assistant at the University of Greifswald and at the Robert Koch Institute and currently works at the Federal Joint Committee (healthcare system) in Berlin.
Postdoc Talks 2024 | Dates & Registration
Please sign up via Zoom.
In this Postdoc Talk, we aim to increase awareness of signs of mental distress in the workplace and enhance your strategies for supporting colleagues with mental health challenges. We will present essential contact points and internal/external support options.
Our Speaker
Annett Schneider is a psychologist in the Occupational Health Services of TU Dresden. In the psychological counseling center, she supports international employees in dealing with mentally challenging situations and developing their solutions.
Tip
You can find an overview of our mental health services and other links on our website.
Please sign up via Zoom. (Link)
This talk will be held in German. You're welcome to ask your questions in English!
Successful science communication can help to draw attention to one's research, communicate topics to society, and get people excited about one's field of science. It is often part of the list of requirements for project funding.
- But how can good communication succeed outside the scientific community?
- Does every science slammer have to become a YouTuber or TikTok pro?
- And what are good strategies?
We will discuss all these issues (and more) in our talk.
Our Speakers
Benjamin Griebe, from TU Dresden's social media team, introduces you to the available social media channels and the characteristics of successful science communication.
Prof. Dr. Simon Meier-Vieracker, Professor of Applied Linguistics at TU Dresden. With his award-winning TikTok channel @fussballinguist, he reaches over 100,000 followers and communicates linguistic topics in the innovative format #LinguisTikTok. He was awarded the Golden Blogger Award in 2023 for his work.
Please sign up via Zoom. (link)
Successfully acquiring third-party funding is one of the most essential skills in Academia. This is not only crucial for the financing of your research but also a necessary factor for your career development and reputation.
- Are you thinking about writing your first third-party funding proposal?
- Or are you in the process of writing one?
- Have you heard that the proposal text is a peculiar type of text but don't really know what this means for you and your proposal?
- Does the rest of the third-party funding business also seem like a closed book to you?
- What happens once the application has been submitted?
- Who are the reviewers, and what do they look for?
The Postdoc Talk will address these and similar questions. After the talk, you will have the opportunity to ask your questions and benefit from the experiences of the speakers and other participants. These and similar questions will be addressed in the Postdoc Talk.
Tip
Do you require additional assistance? If yes, consider our Career Track Academia qualification program or apply for our Grant Writing Boot Camp next year.
Our Speaker
Dr. Sebastian Schneider is a Project Scout at TU Dresden, where he supports researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences with third-party funding applications. Prior to his current role, he held the position of program director at a well-known science funding foundation, gaining a unique understanding of the funding process from the perspective of the funding organization.
This talk will be postponed to next year.
Save the Date: Tuesday, March 11th, 2025
Mentoring is a proven and successful instrument for the targeted promotion of early-career researchers. It offers a wide range of benefits for everyone involved: As a mentee, you receive valuable support, feedback, and guidance for your personal and professional development. At the same time, mentors can develop their leadership skills and promote young talent in a targeted manner. Networks and horizons can be expanded together — a real win-win-win situation.
In this mentoring talk, we will examine the opportunities, possibilities, and framework conditions of mentoring. We will also examine the roles, competencies, and tasks of mentors and mentees and provide an overview of the structured mentoring process.
We will introduce you to helpful tools for a successful mentoring partnership that supports the exchange and achievement of goals. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the many facets of mentoring and get excited about this career booster!
Our Speaker
Simone Freitag holds a doctorate in psychology with a focus on health psychology. She has extensive experience in the scientific field, including the planning and implementation of research projects, publications, research proposals, and university teaching. She was a research assistant at the University of Greifswald and at the Robert Koch Institute and currently works at the Federal Joint Committee (healthcare system) in Berlin.
Please sign up via Zoom.
Many Early Career Researchers hold idealized images of academic institutions and of science as a whole. In stark contrast to these images, actual academic work environments can be highly abusive, exploitative, and corrupt.
In this talk, Professor Daniel Leising (TUD, Psychology) will introduce some key concepts that may be useful in trying to comprehend this issue. He will also present examples of the various forms of unethical conduct that occur in academia, and close with a few recommendations for necessary structural reform and some “emergency measures” that victims of power abuse may adapt to protect themselves.
Just a quick reminder to please make sure you arrive on time for the start of the talk. We don't want you to miss out on anything. Thanks so much!
Service for researchers | European Project Center (EPC)
Please sign up via Zoom.
- You have completed your doctorate two to a maximum of 7 years ago?
- Would you like to work independently and establish your research group?
- Do you want to take on leadership tasks in a groundbreaking research project?
If so, an ERC Starting Grant could be just right for you.
In this Postdoc Talk, the European Project Center (EPC) will briefly and concisely provide the essential information on when and how to apply for an ERC Starting Grant successfully.
Please sign up via Zoom.
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If you're an (international) Postdoc contemplating a transition from academia to other professional paths, this Postdoc Talk is tailor-made for you.
The team from intap will provide invaluable insights, practical tips, and clever strategies for thriving in this vibrant region of Saxony, successfully transitioning, and setting the stage for your next exciting career chapter outside academia.
Join us for a lively discussion about your journey ahead, and let's equip you with the knowledge and tools to confidently embark on your next career phase.
Our Speaker
intap connects (international) talents with companies from the (high-)tech sector in Saxony and beyond
Please sign up via Zoom.
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Which teaching competencies enhance learning – and my academic career?
Universities emphasize high-quality teaching and expect teaching competence among their academic staff. In this way, the ability to design teaching and learning at the university is becoming an essential factor for academic careers.
- But which teaching skills are necessary?
- How can they be developed?
- And what options of support are available at TU Dresden?
This postdoc talk will cover the field of teaching skills and illustrate them with practical examples. Participants will share their experiences and receive suggestions on how to deal with challenges, develop themselves further, and promote their academic careers.
Our Speakers
Michael Sommer (ZiLL) and Matthias Heinz (HDS) provide further training in higher education didactics at the TU Dresden. The two lecturers also offer consultations in higher education didactics, hospitations, and coaching, as well as qualitative teaching evaluations and support you in developing curricula from a didactic point of view.
The Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (ZiLL) is the first point of contact for teaching topics. It is responsible for the continuing education program in higher education didactics at the TU Dresden, developed in close cooperation with the Center for Higher Education Didactics Saxony (Hochschuldidaktisches Zentrum Sachsen.
Postdoc Talks 2023
Please register via Zoom.
You are planning an ambitious research or innovation project, and you are not familiar with funding.
You do not know whether there is a suitable funding program for your project and what should be considered in principle.
The Förderberatung „Forschung und Innovation“ des Bundes is the first point of contact for all questions regarding research and innovation funding.
In this talk, Alexandra Bender will present the federal government's research structure and opportunities for funding research and development projects through various national ministries. There will also be tips on general rules for submitting applications.
The federal government only funds institutions and (collaborative) projects. Individual funding is not intended. Therefore, the talk is aimed at anyone wanting to learn about institutional funding.
Please note: This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
English speakers are welcome to ask their questions in English.
Please register via Zoom.
This talk will be held in German. You're welcome to ask your questions in English!
Applied research, praxis-oriented teaching, and university management are among the many exciting tasks at the University of Applied Sciences. In addition, numerous HAW professorships will be filled in the coming years. The career path HAW-professorship thus offers compelling prospects for Postdocs.
In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Dresden (HTW), this Postdoc Talk will cover the prerequisites you should meet and how to become eligible for a professorship.
Please register via Zoom.
Committee competence has also become a criterion for profiling in a scientific career. On the one hand, committee work is an everyday routine, offering advantages and disadvantages, for example, in the concretization of creative and power spaces or representing the interests of one's status group. But on the other hand, it can be associated with a great deal of honor and pleasure.
However, it is also essential to consider potential risks or obstacles. For example, committee work can be time-consuming or potentially risky, affecting one's career. In this respect, dealing with “committee competence as a career-relevant factor for postdocs is worthwhile.”
Dr. Monika Klinkhammer has worked in private practice for over 25 years as a coach, teaching coach, supervisor, and trainer, especially with and for executives, professors, and scientists of all status groups. Her main topics are leadership, career and profiling strategies, and conflict management. She led a supervision and coaching training program at ASH Berlin for over ten years. She is an expert of the German Society for Supervision and Coaching, author of numerous professional publications, and founding member of the Coaching Network Science.
Please note: This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
English speakers are welcome to ask their questions in English.
Power to the Postdocs: Paving the Path to Excellence (PAW Special)
19.09.23 | 5 – 7 pm
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Please register via Zoom.
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There are plenty of good reasons to consider a career in academia in Dresden; here are the first three of them:
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1. Excellent comprehensive university
— with a wide range of subjects and interdisciplinary networks!
The TU Dresden offers a diverse range of disciplines as a comprehensive technical university. Therefore, doctoral candidates and postdocs find a dynamic, international, and inspiring research environment at TU Dresden and optimum support.
2. DRESDEN concept — a unique alliance of exceptional research and culture!
Dresden as a research location is characterized by a dense network and a vivid exchange between the TU Dresden and the local non-university research institutes, forming the research alliance DRESDEN concept.
3. Networks to promote early career researchers
— Postdoc Center HZDR-TUD
With the Graduate Academy, TU Dresden offers a central service point for doctoral candidates, significantly creating optimal conditions for young researchers. The joint Postdoc Center of the TU Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf provide various tailored services for postdoctoral researchers.
So join our Postdoc Talk to discover how to use our services effectively.
We'll provide top-notch tips to help you achieve excellence in your scientific career.
Welcome to Dresden – where excellence comes to life.
We look forward to meeting you!
Science communication is so much more than “just” writing press releases. There are many exciting possibilities and formats. An effective medium for presenting complex topics understandably and entertainingly is a podcast, which is also relatively easy to produce.
With an exciting podcast, you can reach a large audience, communicate the relevance of your research findings, and increase your visibility. In our Postdoc Talk, you'll get tips on developing a podcast idea and what it takes to succeed.
Our speaker
Marlen Sommer is a passionate science communicator and advisor to TU Dresden's Chief of Communication Officer. Previously, she was the idea giver and project manager for the Leibniz Association's successful “Date a Scientist” podcast, bringing interested non-experts with Leibniz scientists.
Please note: This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
English speakers are welcome to ask their questions in English.
Service for researchers | European Project Center (EPC)
Please sign up via Zoom.
Would you like to work independently, establish your research group, and take on a leadership role in a groundbreaking research project? If so, an ERC Starting Grant could be just right for you.
In this Postdoc Talk, the European Project Center (EPC) will briefly and concisely provide you with the essential information on when and how to apply for an ERC Starting Grant successfully.
ERC Starting Grant Holders will share their insights, give tips and answer your questions.
Please register via via Zoom.
Please note: This Talk will be held in German.
Your career goal is a professorship, and you have questions about the prerequisites and requirements for your application.
- How do appointment procedures for filling a professorship work?
- What are the critical things to consider?
The Talk will explain the legal aspects. In addition, we will point out the requirements for application documents and give an insight into the typical course of an appointment procedure.
Speaker
Kathrin Dietzmann | Appointment Officer of the TU Dresden
Please register via Zoom.
Please note: This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
Are you expected to design research in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary way, take social needs into account, or contribute to solving complex problems? From these demands placed on science, a collaborative research design often follows.
However, the main strength of cooperative research – the diversity of competencies, knowledge bases, and perspectives – is also one of its most significant challenges: It makes it difficult for researchers to understand each other and thus achieve common goals.
This Postdoc Talk looks at the central findings and recommendations of the BMBF-funded research project “Determinants and Effects of Cooperation in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Research Associations” (2019-2022).
Which challenges typically occur during a research collaboration, and how can science managers and researchers avoid them?
About the speaker
Nick Wagner is an expert in scientific collaborations and the co-creative design of innovation processes and has worked for the BMBF, the Stifterverband, and the Saxon State Ministry for Science, among others. He studied political science, geography, and economic and social history at the TU Dresden and Lund University and is a Design Thinking Coach.
Sorry, registration is closed.
- Do you have an innovative business idea or research results ready for the market?
- If so, get started with your own start-up!
- Find out what it takes to succeed in starting a business in this Postdoc Talk.
For 20 years, the startup-service dresden|exists has been setting impulses for the Dresden startup culture. The aim is to encourage scientists and students to turn their research results into business and thus create attractive new career prospects.
Prospective founders can draw on a comprehensive range of information and qualification events. The entire start-up process is accompanied – from the first idea sketch to creating a viable business model to founding the company. Every year, dresden|exists accompanies between 50 and 70 start-up ideas, from which about 20 companies emerge.
About the speaker
Dr. Frank Pankotsch is the managing director of dresden|exists and freelance start-up consultant (focus on business models, financing) and coach for the High-Tech Gründerfonds. He holds a diploma in industrial engineering from TU Dresden. He gained professional experience as a management consultant and research assistant at the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at TU Dresden. Not only that, but he also completed his doctorate in venture capital and the financing of high-tech start-ups.
Service for researchers | European Project Center (EPC)
Please register via Zoom.
- You are a postdoctoral researcher, and would like to deepen your research topic and don't shy away from borders?
- You would like to broaden your network and mature as an independent researcher ?
Then the Marie Sklodowska Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF) from the Horizon Europe program is made for you !
In this Postdoc Talk, you will learn more about the MSCA PF funding scheme from the EU. MSCA PFs are a great option if you are a researcher looking to give your career a boost by working abroad. These fellowships offer exciting new learning opportunities and a chance to add some sparkle to your CV.
The European Project Center (EPC) will briefly and concisely provide you with the most important information on when and how to apply for a MSCA PF 2023.
Postdoc Talks 2022
Impulses on Science Communication
Please register via Zoom (link).
It takes more than just your expertise to present your specialist knowledge in an understandable, clear, and appealing way to cooperation partners, students, and colleagues, but also to an interested public.
This Postdoc Talk will give you ideas on how to communicate your research topics skillfully.
It's all about the right formulations and the appropriate visualization.
This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
About the speaker
Dr. Anna Kollenberg is an expert in science communication and interdisciplinarity. Her expertise is to communicate complex interrelationships understandably without trivializing them. She studied philosophy and economics at the University of Erfurt, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Graduate-Center of the City University of New York.
www.analytic-thinking.com
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Postdoc Talk Special
E-Learning | Basics of Science Communication (in German)
- This introductory course Basics of Science Communication of the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik) focuses on topics such as dimensions of science communication, the interplay of actors and target groups, and dealing with media.
- Therefore, this e-learning can be accessed online anytime and flexibly integrated into everyday professional and university life.
Would you like to take the course?
Please email us at :
We will then send you an access link for the course. First come, first served.
Please note:
A confirmed membership in the Graduate Academy or the Postdoc Center is required. This e-learning is only available in German.
Power games and micropolitical competence in academia | Interactive lecture
Please register via Zoom (link).
In Germany and elsewhere, researchers are embedded in specific hierarchical constellations. Regardless of their position at the top, middle or lower levels of their organization, sometimes they meet irritating and even incomprehensible behavior and outcomes: formal regulations may be bypassed, expertise and institutionally defined responsibility may turn out to be unimportant when decisions are taken, rival camps may impede reasonable cooperation, etc.
In this talk you will become familiar with helpful concepts of micropolitical theory and are able to recognize and classify micropolitical games in the system context.
You will receive initial suggestions for reflecting on their own roles, scope for action and limits.
In this way, you can promote your autonomous action and can develop better strategies for achieving your goals.
About the speaker
Dr. Veronika Fuest is a certified consultant (systemic transactional analysis) and has been working as a coach for individuals and teams and a trainer and facilitator since 2015. She has profound experience in science. She was active as an expert for the BMBF, DFG, and Volkswagen Foundation until 2008. From 2008, she took on various tasks in science management at the University of Göttingen, including consulting, internal organizational development, and most recently, until 2018, as director of the Ombuds Board for Good Scientific Practice.
Service for Researchers | Research Promotion| Project Scouts
Please register via Zoom (link).
Do you have a research idea and are looking for a suitable funding opportunity?
Do you still need partners for the implementation of your idea?
Are you looking for support in the preparation of your third-party funding application?
The team of Project Scouts at TU Dresden supports you with a wide range of services in the development of competitive third-party funding applications.
DFG in a Nutshell
In this Postdoc Talk, you will get first insights into the structure of DFG funding proposals, input for the strategic text design from the perspective of reviewers, as well as tips and tricks for your successful proposal.
This talk will be held in English.
Postdoc Talk Special | Postdoc Appreciation Week
Please register via Zoom (link).
“Societal challenges” such as, not least, the Corona pandemic or climate change demonstrate the importance of communicating scientific knowledge, methods, principles, and processes to the public.
Researchers who communicate about their research have a central role to play here. In science communication, they have many opportunities to address different target groups using various formats and channels. Therefore, to make a suitable choice and to communicate in a targeted and effective way, good planning of science communication is indispensable.
In this talk, you will get an overview of approaches for strategic planning of science communication. You will learn about critical questions that will help you strategize your communication easily and intuitively, e.g.,
- What are your communication goals?
- Which target groups are the communication aimed at?
- And what format is appropriate?
This talk helps to get started in science communication and also provides for researchers with communication experience approaches for deepening and reflection.
About the speaker
Liliann Fischer is deputy project lead and research associate at Wissenschaft im Dialog in the project Transfer Unit, a joint project with the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities which aims to bring together science communication research and practice. Apart from her work at Wissenschaft im Dialog she is doing a PhD at the University of Passau looking at professional self-understandings in science communication.
Wissenschaft im Dialog
Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) is the German organisation for science communication of the scientific community. WiD supports science and research with expertise in effective communication with society and encourages researchers to communicate their research, including its controversial aspects, with the public.
Initiated by the Stifterverband, Wissenschaft im Dialog was founded in 2000 by the leading German science organizations. Further science-related foundations joined as partners. WiD is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Service for researchers | Teaching Synergies Program (TSP)
We are sorry, but this Postdoc Talk has to be cancelled and
will take place on a later date.
To support you in university teaching and developing an independent, research-oriented teaching portfolio, the Teaching Synergies Program (TSP) was initiated at TU Dresden.
The program supports you in bridging the gap between excellent research and outstanding teaching, gaining teaching experience, and thus also increasing your chances for a professorship.
The TSP team will present the basics of research-oriented teaching and the continuing education programs offered by the TSP.
Based on selected best practice examples, you will learn how to use these specifically for your career development.
Additional speakers
Dr. Juliane Simmchen – Research Group Leader at the Chair of Physical Chemistry and TUD Young Investigator – was awarded the 2021 Fulbright-Cottrell Award.
She will share more about her award-winning project “Unraveling the influence of activity in matter formation,” which combines innovative research with exceptional teaching approaches.
Service for researchers | European Project Center (EPC)
Would you like to work independently, establish your research group, and take on a leadership role in a groundbreaking research project? If so, an ERC Starting Grant could be just right for you.
In this Postdoc Talk, the European Project Center (EPC) will briefly and concisely provide you with the most important information on when and how to successfully apply for an ERC Starting Grant.
ERC Starting Grant Holders and TUD Young Investigator will share their insights, give tips and answer your questions.
You are planning an ambitious research or innovation project, and you are not familiar with funding? You do not know whether there is a suitable funding program for your project, and what should be considered in principle?
The Förderberatung „Forschung und Innovation“ des Bundes is the first point of contact for all questions regarding research and innovation funding.
In this talk, Alexandra Bender will present the federal government's research structure and opportunities for funding research and development projects through various federal ministries. There will also be tips on general rules for submitting applications.
The federal government only funds institutions and (collaborative) projects. Individual funding is not intended. Therefore, the talk is aimed at anyone who wants to find out about institutional funding.
Please note!
This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
English speakers are welcome to ask their questions in English!
Service for researchers | Research Information System (FIS)
The TU Dresden is a research-intensive university of excellence at which a large amount of information on research activities and research results is generated.
With the launch of the new Research Information System (FIS) in January 2022, researchers at all career levels have the option to create their research profile for recording, managing, processing, and presenting their research activities and thus significantly increasing their visibility.
In this Talk, the FIS-Team will introduce you to the essential functions and new features of the Research Information System. They will tell you why it is worth your while to create a FIS profile, and will be happy to answer your questions.
Please note!
This Postdoc Talk will be held in German.
English speakers are welcome to ask their questions in English!
Please also let us know if you're interested in an English version of this talk.
Are you missing a specific topic?
Please get in touch!
© Klaus Gigga
Deputy Head of Unit
NameAngela Böhm M.A.
Career Development , TUD Young Investigators, PR & Events
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