Successful Kickoff Event for the Mentoring Program

How can women successfully build careers in academia—and what unique challenges do they face along the way? These and other questions were at the heart of this year’s Mentoring Program for female early-career researchers at Graduate Academy.

The program is specifically designed for women and provides targeted support for participants in their personal development, academic career planning, and professional networking. The program is funded through gender equality funds from the DFG-funded projects CRC/TRR 408 - AgiMo, CPEC und CRC 1415 at TUD.

The kickoff event focused on networking, mentoring, and visibility and their importance for women’s career development in academia. Katrin Saure, Deputy Head of the Diversity Management and coordinator of women’s advancement programs at TUD, shared valuable insights, practical advice, and important perspectives on these topics.

Sarah Fritzsch, the program coordinator, then introduced the goals, activities, and next steps of the Mentoring Program. Jenny Neukirch also provided an overview of the services and support available through Graduate Academy.

A particularly valuable part of the event was the opportunity for personal exchange. The participants shared their experiences and challenges along their academic career paths, exchanged advice, and discussed strategies and available support. The kickoff event therefore provided not only valuable information and inspiration, but also an important opportunity for networking and connecting with other participants.

Throughout the program, the participants will have additional opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. We look forward to supporting the women in this program cohort as they continue to develop and shape their academic careers.