Mentoring network for women in the natural sciences

Support on the way to the top

Within the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg scientific members of the Max Planck Society foster the careers of excellent female scientists after their postdoc phase, helping them to succeed on their way to an appointment as a tenured professor or as a director of a research institution.

The Schiemann Kolleg supports activities which help its fellows successfully establish themselves in the scientific community. Additionally, the Kolleg offers a platform for transdisciplinary scientific exchange. The support of the Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kolleg is of non-material nature; the fellows are not supported financially.

The Kolleg is named after Elisabeth Schiemann (1881-1972) who was appointed as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society in 1953. She already conducted research in the former Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Kulturpflanzenforschung since 1943 and was not only an excellent scientist, but also a courageous woman and a person of integrity who openly resisted the Nazi regime.

What we offer

The main program includes mentoring, networking, scientific exchanges and regular plenary meetings. Within this framework, the young fellows have a significant influence on the shaping of the contents. A centerpiece is the hierarchy-free interaction of the members in the Kolleg. Present activities in the Kolleg comprise:

• intensive rounds of introductions with focus on the previous career, personal experiences and expectations
• in-depth discussions of topics that develop during the meeting, e.g. appointment procedure or organising a research group
• the offer to contact the directors at any time for specific questions
• the opportunity of extended visits at a director's group (job shadowing)
• scientific talks of the fellows time for the fellows to talk to each other
• leadership coaching by an external moderator

Flyer

Our flyer can be downloaded as a PDF.

You can also find a brief description of the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg in German and English on the MPG's careers website.

Eine Kurzdarstellung des Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kollegs auf Deutsch und Englisch finden Sie auch auf der Karriere-Webseite der MPG.