Venue: on-site @Betahaus
Date: 21 January 2025
For an overview/time table of the round table sessions see here.
Note: The number of places for the round table sessions is limited, and the allocation of the available places follows the "first come, first served" principle. Your registration is pending until the final confirmation from the organisers, which will be e-mailed to you after the end of the registration deadline .
PLENARY SESSION. CAREER PATHS OF SCIENTISTS, 9:30 - 12:00
Welcome and brief introduction, 9:30 -9:35
Keynote talk 1:
Dr Linda Jauch, UHH: Career paths and perspectives for scientists, 9:35 - 11:00:
The German academic system is coined, on the one hand, by an unparalleled level of freedom at professorial level, safeguarded by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. On the other hand, we have very few permanent positions for postdocs and a special act on fixed-term employment only for academia. What makes things even more complicated (but also offers new opportunities!), are the current efforts by some universities to introduce new permanent career paths to the system. The first part of the keynote will therefore focus on the academic system, its structure, the politics behind it and how they impact every single postdoc position. The second part will then explain the different career paths for postdocs in German academia and especially in Hamburg - maybe the best is yet to come...!
Dr Linda Jauch is head of academic and research career paths at University of Hamburg. Before she was responsible for postdocs and junior professors at the Hamburg Research Academy. After completing her entire higher education in the UK (London, Oxford, Cambridge), she decided for a career in higher education management and started as administrator for Cambridge’s Judge Business School. Moving to Germany she held various positions at Freie Universität Berlin, focussing more and more on early career researchers. From 2014 to 2018 she managed the Graduate Academy of the Universität of Oldenburg and also served as assistant to the vice president for early career researchers. She is an active member of various national groups and associations surrounding support for early career researchers and co-author of the UniWind publication "Außeruniversitäre Karrierewege für Promovierte: Arbeitgeber im Gespräch“ (2018).
COFFEE BREAK, 11:00 - 11:15
Keynote talk 2:
Prof Dr Julia Gebert, TU Braunschweig: From academia to business and back, 11:15 - 12:00:
Prof Dr Julia Gebert is a biologist and a soil scientist by training, educated at the University of Hamburg where she also obtained her doctorate in 2004 and won the Shell She-Study-Award in the same year. Since then, she has been principal investigator in several projects concerning biological gas treatment and anaerobic carbon cycling in sediments. After several years as Head of the Environmental Services Unit at Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) she held a position in The Netherlands as associate professor at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Recently, Julia was appointed full professor for Waste and Resource Management at the Technical University of Braunschweig.
LUNCH BREAK, 12:00 - 13:30 (catering included)
ROUND TABLE SESSIONS I, 13:30 - 14:30
For an overview/time table of the round table sessions see here.
Data Science: Dr Ivonne Anders, DKRZ
tba.
Science Communication: Michael Büker, freelancer
Michael Büker has worked in science communication since his graduation in physics in 2012. He is part of one of Germany's most popular physics podcasts, writes books and articles about physics, astronomy and spaceflight and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.
Public Sector: Dr Lutz Beckebanze, Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Weather Service)
Dr Lutz Beckebanze, meteorologist by training, has finished his PhD within the SICSS Graduate school in 2023. He worked on greenhouse gas emission from permafrost landscapse in the Russian Arctic. After the PhD in 2023, he changed to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and worked as a project coordinator for a large-scale measurement campaign aiming to understand the dynmaics of thunderstorm formation in mountaines areas. This position required a strong scientific background, even though almost no scientific work was part of the position. After the measurement campaign in spring 2024, Lutz decided to move back to Hamburg and started a position in the operational weather forecast at the German Weather Service (DWD).
Industry/Health Care: Dr Lisa Katharina Roth, Medac Group
As a former fellow of the PIER graduate school, Dr Lisa Katharina Roth earned her Ph.D. with honors in Molecular Parasitology from the University of Hamburg and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in 2019. Since then, she has worked as a Project Manager of international teams in globally operating companies, including roles in biotech and specialized precision oncology; a leading global marketing company for finished dosage forms for oncology and specialty generics, and is currently working as Project Manager for Cellular Therapeutics at medac group, a globally operating pharmaceutical company near Hamburg. She has experience in coordinating complex research and development projects and implementing agile methodologies.
NGO/NPO: Dr Yekaterina Astafyeva, German Marine Research Consortium
Dr Yekaterina Astafyeva’s journey bridges the gap between cutting-edge science and impactful policy work and steers innovation to strengthen the blue economy and Europe’s competitiveness. With a doctorate in microbiology, her research delved deep into the microscopic world of algae. Based in Brussels, Dr. Astafyeva now serves as a Science Policy Advisor at the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM, Konsortium Deutsche Meeresforschung). Here, she advocates for ocean research and marine sustainability, connecting scientific insights with policy-making at the European level. Her role involves engaging with diverse stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives, to ensure the integration of marine science into effective environmental policies and the blue economy. In a male-dominated field of political and research consulting, Yekaterina moves confidently and organizes her everyday life with two children and family responsibilities. She is a role model and talks enthusiastically and personally about her experiences.
Science: Prof Dr Nadine Schwierz, University of Augsburg
Since 2022, Prof Dr Nadine Schwierz is a Professor of Computational Biology at the University of Augsburg, focusing on the structure and function of biomolecules. Prior to this, she led an Emmy Noether research group at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt, hosted by Prof. Gerhard Hummer, where she investigated RNA-ion interactions. My postdoctoral research included work at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the Technical University of Munich focusing on protein misfolding and amyloid formation. She also gained industry experience during a year as a consultant for BMW and Audi. She completed her PhD at the Technical University of Munich after a degree in Physics from the University of Konstanz.
COFFEE BREAK, 14:30 - 15:00
ROUND TABLE SESSIONS II, 15:00 - 16:00
For an overview/time table of the round table sessions see here.
Industry: Dr Sergei Bobrovskyi, Airbus IT
Dr Sergei Bobrovskyi is one of the Airbus Experts on Artificial Intelligence working within the central AI team in the Information Management department. He is co-leading the Responsible AI program. His work focuses on AI ethics, Generative AI and applications of AI for anomaly detection. Prior to Airbus Sergei worked on automated fraud detection in the e-commerce sector. Before that he was engaged in various research related positions in the space industry. Sergei holds a PhD in theoretical physics and has studied physics and philosophy at the University of Hamburg.
NGO/NPO: Lucas Schmitz, Baltic Environmental Forum
Lucas Schmitz’s career path includes several stations: Among other things, he worked as a diving instructor, as a research assistant at the Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability at the University of Hamburg, as a high school teacher, as a project manager at Jordsand e. V. and Sana Mare e. V. and has now found his way to the Baltic Environmental Forum Germany, where he works as a consultant for the change towards a more sustainable world.
Data Sciene/Consulting: Dr Shafagh Dastjani Farahani, Deloitte
Dr Shafagh Dastjani Farahani is a physicist with a doctorate from the University of Hamburg. Her thesis, “Structural Modification of Solids by Ultrashort X-ray Laser Pulses,” explored the interaction of ultrafast X-ray lasers with solid materials, building on her experience at DESY. After transitioning from academia, Shafagh developed a versatile career in data science, working with institutions such as Berenberg Bank, CRIF Bürgel GmbH, and EOS Group. Since 2022, she has been a Senior Data Scientist and Senior Consultant at Deloitte, where she focuses on AI and data-driven solutions in healthcare and life sciences. Her expertise in computational modeling and data analysis has enabled her to lead impactful projects that leverage AI to optimize healthcare outcomes and improve patient care strategies.
Data Science: Dr Andrey Krutilin, Dataport:
Dr Andrey Krutilin is a chemist turned data scientist specializing in Computer Vision for web applications. He has a strong background in chemistry, holding a Doctor of Science in Physical Chemistry from the University of Hamburg. His doctoral research involved developing a novel mass spectrometric method for protein analysis. Transitioning into data science, he has focused on machine learning, particularly in object detection and natural language processing (NLP), with applications in optical character recognition (OCR) and procurement systems. Andrey works for Dataport in Hamburg.
Science/Industry: Dr Thomas Keitzl, DLR
Dr Thomas Keitzl is a IMPRS-ESM graduate of 2015. He studied solid-state physics in Würzburg and Barcelona before he join the MPIMET to work in Prof. Mellado's group (Turbulent Mixing Processes) on the ice--ocean interface. He has enjoyed a wide range of engagements such as DevOps Engineer, Patent Attorney (trainee), Consultant and Ice Cream Scooper. Currently, he serves as a Scientist in the Group for Quantum Computing Methods and Implementation at the Institute of Software Technology of DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft - und Raumfahrt / German Aerospace Center).
Science Management: Dr Nele Müller, Universität Hamburg
Dr Nele Müller works as deputy managing director and head of research coordination at the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) and the Cluster of Excellence "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" (CLICCS) at Universität Hamburg. She holds a PhD in Physics and a Master of Public Administration with focus on Science Management. Before joining the Universität Hamburg, she worked for six years as a science manager at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg.
COFFEE BREAK, 16:00-16:30
ROUND TABLE SESSIONS III, 16:30 - 17:30
For an overview/time table of the round table sessions see here.
Industry: Dr Eva Julius-Philipp, Vattenfall
Dr Eva Julius-Philipp is the director of the Environment & Sustainability Unit of the Business Area Wind in Vattenfall. Her team supports BA Wind in Environment & Sustainability operational and strategic questions within Offshore, Onshore, Solar and Battery projects in Northern & Western Europe. Eva Philips is a biologist and worked over 10 years in science before joining Vattenfall Wind in 2012. Her theoretical & practical experience covers a wide range of Environment & Sustainability topics throughout the full lifecycle of assets.
Consulting: Dr Nele-Charlotte Neddermann, PwC Deutschland
Dr Nele-Charlotte Neddermann received her doctorate in the field of seasonal forecasting from the University of Hamburg in 2019. Since then, she has worked in management consulting, including positions at Boston Consulting Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She advises companies on their risks related to increasing climate change while considering different climate scenarios. In her role as a project manager, she leads different teams and projects for various clients from the industrial and financial sectors.
NGO/NPO: Dr Armine Juergenliemk, World Bank Washington DC
Dr Armine Juergenliemk is an agriculture specialist at the World Bank. Her work focuses on rural development, climate-smart and digital agriculture. Before the World Bank, Armine worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome and New York, the UNDP, GIZ, Soil Science Institute in Hamburg, and the Armenian Development Agency. Armine holds a Ph.D. degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Hamburg.
Data Science/Consulting: Dr Samaneh Javanbakht, Adastra
Dr Samaneh Javanbakht was a doctoral student and researcher of theoretical physics at PIER and I. Institute for Theoretical Physics in Universitaet Hamburg. After leaving academia, she started out as software developer. She used her expert knowledge of applied statistical methods and programming to become a machine learning expert at a software development company in Hamburg. Now, she works at Adastra GmbH as a technical coach and business development leader. Her job is to provide innovative solutions and help to implement those. She identifies new business opportunities and consults clients on how to improve their services or products with data, the cloud services, and AI.
Industry: Dr Parisa Hollik, Nexperia
Dr Parisa Hollik is a former fellow of the PIER Helmholtz Graduate School at DESY/University of Hamburg. She earned her doctoral degree in 2018 with a thesis titled “Lab-on-a-chip device for optical mapping of DNA-single molecules”. After a year as postdoc, she left academia and started working as research consultant at Talentmark. In 2022, she joined Nexperia as Product Engineer Waferfab. Her tasks include the coordination and technical management of non-conformity, continuous quality control of product- and process performance indicators in wafer fab production.
Industry: Dr Mariya Doneva, Philips
Dr Doneva is a Senior Scientist and a Team Leader at Philips Research, Hamburg, Germany. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in Physics from the University of Oldenburg and her PhD degree in Physics from the University of Lübeck. After finishing her PhD in 2010 she joined Philips Research. She was a Research Associate at Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences department at UC Berkeley between 2015 and 2016. Dr. Doneva has been serving in the organizing committees of several conferences including the Annual meeting of the ISMRM 2019-2021, ISBI 2020, and the ISMRM Workshop on Data Sampling and Image Reconstruction 2020. Over the last ten years she has given over 25 invited talks including plenary lectures in front of large audience with mixed technical and clinical background. Read more on Philips Research here: https://www.philips.com/a-w/research/home
GET-TOGETHER 17:30 - 19:00
- End of Day 1: Networking over drinks -
