Opportunities across Institutions
To provide you with the best possible support for your career development, Leuphana is expanding its support services through collaborations with other universities. This means that you get the opportunity to gain further qualifications from a wide range of workshops and training. By participating in activities across institutions, you can develop your skills individually while also building a network with postdoctoral researchers from other institutions.
The Junior Academics Underway to Merit a Permanent Professorship (JUMP2) programme is a joint initiative organised by the universities in UA11+ to support R3 researchers. It features three key elements:
- Future Leader Mentoring
- Peer coaching and networking formats as well as
- Workshops and training courses.
The Future Leader Mentoring programme pairs R3 researchers with experienced professors who can provide guidance and insights to support your strategic career planning. These professors are not necessarily from Leuphana but come from one of the participating universities. This gives you access to a larger pool of potential contacts from your own field and opens opportunities to build professional relationships beyond your own institution. If you are interested in taking part in the Future Leader Mentoring programme, please contact the programme coordinator (see below) to plan your next steps.
Through peer coaching, networking and reflection formats, we connect R3 researchers from Leuphana with peers from other universities and disciplines who are at the same stage of their academic careers. Peer coaching takes place online and in small groups. Together, you can develop solutions and strategies for challenges that may arise during academic profiling and career advancement. The sessions can be moderated. Do you have topics you would like to discuss with colleagues? Please contact us (see below) with your suggestions.
During the R3 phase in particular, you should further develop your key skills and refine your academic profile. Through JUMP2, you can attend workshops and information sessions not only at Leuphana but also at partner universities. These events focus on three topics: pathways to tenure (e.g. applying for and being appointed to professorships, appointment negotiations), effective (self-) leadership (e.g. managing staff, chair management) and navigating everyday university life (e.g. excellent university teaching, university law, committee meetings). The current programme and registration details are available here.
The annual Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) honours the work and achievements of postdoctoral researchers. With an extensive event programme, most of which takes place online, PAW offers a special opportunity for professional development and networking. The initiative began in the USA in 2009 and has been organised in Germany since 2022.
The most recent PAW took place from 15 to 19 September 2025, with Leuphana hosting three events. Once the next PAW is being planned, you will find information about the dates and programme here and on the PAW Germany website.
The German Postdoc Network (GPN) supports postdoctoral researchers at German universities by providing opportunities for exchange and collaboration as well as compiling and sharing information. Its aim is to give postdocs a voice to ensure their views are heard in political decision-making.
Among other activities, the GPN organises virtual (networking) events on topics such as legal and formal frameworks, visibility during the postdoctoral phase, and the pathway to becoming a professor. It also facilitates regular exchanges with former postdocs who have pursued careers outside of academia, offering you additional perspectives. All events are held in English.
The GPN supports the creation of local networks, provided committed postdocs volunteer to manage them. Since early 2025, Lower Saxony has been home to a regional network, the Lower Saxony Postdoc Network (LSPN). In this network, you can participate in discussions and share ideas with fellow postdocs from across Lower Saxony. In this network, you can gain more detailed knowledge of fellowship programmes and support structures at the universities of Lower Saxony as well as set a common agenda for important postdoc issues. Online meetings take place once a month and the network has started with face-to-face meetings for more intensive exchange.