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Training for Doctoral Supervisors

Doctoral Supervisor Training & Supervisor Networking Events

Supervisor Networking Event in February 2025

Doctoral Supervision 2.0: Innovative Supervision, the Role of AI, and Making A Difference in Doctoral Education

February 6th, 2025 2.00-5.00 pm. in-person
Helmholtz Munich Campus Neuherberg, building 31, room 003

We are excited to welcome Prof. Dr. Robert Harris, Academic Vice President of Doctoral Education at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm for our upcoming Supervisor Networking Event. The Doctoral Supervisor Networking Event series seeks to connect doctoral supervisors across Munich. In addition to the keynote talk, we invite you to join interactive World Cafe sessions on supervision and networking opportunities. 

Join us for this thought-provoking session designed for supervisors from Helmholtz Munich, TUM the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and LMU. We particularly invite future participants and alumni of the joint Doctoral Supervisor Training.  

Please register via this registration form by January 30th 2025.

About Robert Harris

Prof. Harris is a leading figure in doctoral education, overseeing quality assurance, doctoral programs, and supervisor training at one of the world’s foremost medical universities. 

As supervisors, you play a central role in guiding the next generation of researchers. During his keynote lecture, Robert will share insights into the Swedish system of PhD supervision, focusing on KI’s structured supervisor training program.  

Looking ahead, Robert will explore how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping supervision and the supervisor-student relationship. AI tools offer opportunities to enhance efficiency, and research innovation but also challenge the human connection between supervisors and doctoral researchers. How can you as supervisors integrate AI thoughtfully while maintaining personalized, meaningful guidance? 

This vision ties into Robert’s “Making A Difference” (MAD) concept: as supervisors, you have the unique responsibility and privilege to empower your students to make meaningful contributions to society. By combining AI’s potential with thoughtful, human-centered mentorship, you can inspire your students to be MAD—to lead research that creates real impact. Do you want to know more about the concept? Have a look at #madbob on LinkedIn

Doctoral Supervisor Training: Become the next SUPER-Visor!

Please that the application phase for the training in Spring 2025 has ended and it is no longer possible to register for the training. 

The Doctoral Supervisor Training offers support for the supervision of doctoral candidates on an academic and personal level. In cooperation with qualified trainers, various aspects of supervision, such as my role as a supervisor, leadership through communication, mental health, etc., are examined with best-practice examples in individual sessions.

The training will provide you with a holistic overview of how you can best support your doctoral researchers, from recruiting to career development. Through the cooperation with scientists from different fields and institutions, the training also provides a platform for professional exchange.

The jointly developed training is aimed specifically at professors, PIs, junior research group leaders, and postdocs at TUM, the two Max Planck Institutes for Biochemistry and Biological Intelligence, and Helmholtz Munich.

The structured program consists of eight modules taking place between February and April 2025. The kick-off, as well as the conclusion of the training, are designed as in-person events, while the other six content modules take place online via Zoom. The modules are linked by an exchange of experiences and practical applications.

 

Program Outline

Module 1 | Kick-Off: Essentials of Supervision – Exploring my role as supervisor & team building

For both groups: Thursday, Feb. 13th 2025, 1.00 pm. - 6.00 pm, in person at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry

with Monika Beer, Neele Meyer Camila Hernández Frederick, Vera Kaulbarsch

Getting to know each other and clarification of expectations
Supervision timeline & formal aspects
Understanding my role as a supervisor 
Team building & Get together

Module 2 | Self-Awareness, Emotional Intelligence & Non-violent Communication
Group 1: Wednesday, Feb. 19th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
Group 2: Thursday, Feb. 20th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online

 
with Ulrike Schneeberg 

Introduction to the basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Understand and know how to manage own emotions in the workplace
Increase awareness of other people’s emotions and needs
Know how to integrate both their own and others’ needs and interests when communicating with others
Apply concepts of emotional intelligence to improve their communication skills, especially when giving feedback, resolving conflicts and or motivating a team
Use the tools of NVC to lead your team with empathy and make clear requests
Implement NVC principles in different case situations

Module 3 | Basics Leadership: Giving and Receiving Feedback, Clarification of Expectations
Gro
up 1: Wednesday, Feb. 26th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
Group 2: Thursday, Feb. 27th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online

with Martin Fladerer, Clarissa Zwarg

Giving and receiving feedback in a non-violent and constructive way
Regular constructive feedback as an integral part of the supervisory role
The importance of clarifying mutual expectations
Identifying potential changes in the way of giving feedback, using concepts shown to improve communication skills

Module 4 | Recruiting Doctoral Researchers & Onboarding
Group 1: Wednesday, March 5th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online 
Group 2: 
Thursday, March 6th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
 
with Martin Fladerer, Clarissa Zwarg

Introduction to the scientific basis of a structured recruitment process and the benefits of such a process
Understand cognitive biases and strategies to reduce these biases within the recruitment and selection process
Importance of effective onboarding and integration into the team
Know the process of organizational socialization (i.e., integration on three levels: professional, social, value-based)

Module 5 | Intercultural Communication

Group 1: Wednesday, March 12th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
Group 2: Thursday, March 13th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online

 
with Ulrike Schneeberg 

Learn about and get familiar with culture-specific dimensions of communication (Erin Meyer) to increase their awareness of cultural dynamics to foster successful and productive relationships with their supervised Doctoral Researchers
Reflect on and discuss their own, other participants’ and/or exemplary critical incidents in the context of cross-cultural work experience to evaluate the effectiveness of the employed behaviors in these specific situations
Learn to identify and focus on underlying interests and not on positions
Understand the concept of principled negotiation and its benefit in the supervision of DRs

Module 6 | Mental Health
Group 1: Wednesday, March 19th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
Group 2: Thursday, March 20th, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online

 
with Judith Bergner

Being a role model for staying mentally strong in a challenging work-environment
Healthy self-motivation strategies
Self-calming strategies in stressful times
Knowing warning indicators for mental exhaustion
Establish routines to keep strain and regeneration in balance
Supporting doctoral researchers in dealing with different stressors
Create a safe work environment in which people can flourish  

Module 7 | Leading Difficult Conversations
Group 1: Wednesday, April 2nd, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online
Group 2: Thursday, April 3rd, 9.00 am - 1.00 pm, online

 
with Ulrike Schneeberg 

In the weeks before this module, participants will conduct a role play via zoom with a professional actor, based on a specific scenario of their choice
Analyzing, reflecting, and discussing the role play based on video feedback and feedback from the actors
Improve your conversational skills and deal with challenging conversations 

Module 8 | Closing Event: Looking back & future vision as a supervisor
For both groups: Thursday, April 10th, 3 pm - 6 pm, in person, TUM Campus Garching

 
with Monika Beer, Neele Meyer Camila Hernández Frederick, Vera Kaulbarsch

Reflection: My role as a supervisor after the training, definition of milestones & implementation strategy to put theory into practice
Impulse lecture with a supervisory role model and panel discussion
Networking Event & Award of Certificates


Trainers

Ulrike Schneeberg, PhD
Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and systemic business trainer with a focus on caring and honest communication to improve (self-)leadership in research systems. Website | LinkedIn 

Judith Bergner 
is a licensed psychologist and holds an Executive Master´s degree in business engineering. She founded skillfactors in 2000. Her focus is currently on mental health of employees and the correlation with working conditions and superior interactions. Website | LinkedIn

Dr. Martin Fladerer
is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Chair of Research and Science Management at the TUM School of Management, TUM. He is also the Scientific Director of the “Perspektivenlabor” at the House of Competence at KIT

Clarissa Zwarg
is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the Chair of Research and Science Management at the TUM School of Management, TUM. She is part of the DFG-project “Does the place make the people? The role of leadership and work climate for moral and prosocial socialization in the workplace”

Organizers

Dr. Monika Beer 
is Head of Scientific Talent and Career Development, Strategy, Programs, Resources and Director of the Helmholtz Graduate School Environmental Health (HELENA) at Helmholtz Munich

Dr. Camila Hernández Frederick 
is Head of Career Services & International Max Planck Research School for Molecules of Life (IMPRS-ML) at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich

Dr. Vera Kaulbarsch
is Project Manager Qualification Program at the TUM Graduate School

Dr. Neele Meyer 
is Postdoc Coordinator as part of the Scientific Training and Career Development Team at Helmholtz Munich

 
 

Open Munich Postdoc101 Talk: How To Be A Good Supervisor 

November 27th, 2024, 4.00-6.00 pm. 
Description: Most researchers are thrown into supervison, a very important task, without formal training. While most researchers gain hands-on experience, we would like to discuss what makes a good supervisor. We have invited two experts to share their expertise and tips with you.

Objectives:
Gain perspectives on how to supervise doctoral candidates
Know some best practices of good supervision
Get answers to different questions on supervision

Speakers: 
Prof. Dr. Jens Förderer, Supervisory Award Winner 2023, Innovation & Digitalization, Center for Digital Transformation at Campus Heilbronn, School of Management, TUM.
Dr. Nadia El Khawanky, Senior Research Fellow & Junior Group Leader, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine and Health, TUM.

Please register via this link to join the talk. 

 

Contact Persons at Helmholtz Munich

Neele Meyer

Dr. Neele Meyer

Postdoc Center

Dr. Monika Beer

Team Lead

DST Organizer Team