The majority of events of the RMU Postdoc Career Weeks will be held online. An in-person event will be held on 18 June 2024 (5 pm), where Prof. Sandra Ciesek, Director of the Institute of Medical Virology at the University Hospital Frankfurt, will take part in a panel discussion to speak about her own experience as a science communicator. Following the panel discussion, all participants are invited to network over food and drinks. The event will be held on Campus Westend of Goethe University Frankfurt.

The full program is available right here on the RMU website, where you can also register for the event: RMU Postdoc Career Weeks 2024 | Rhein-Main Universitäten (rhein-main-universitaeten.de). If you have any questions, please contact the organizers of this year’s Postdoc Career Weeks Emine Şahingöz or Eva Noller of Goethe University Frankfurt (ecr@uni-frankfurt.de).

The online keynote „Exzellenz! Aber welche? Denkanstöße zum Verhältnis von Exzellenz, Gleichstellung, Sichtbarkeit – und guter Wissenschaft“ by Prof. Dr. Ute Klammer, University of Duisburg-Essen, will be held from 4 pm to 6 pm on Monday, 10 June 2024. 

The event is open to the public, registration is not required. It is held on Zoom and can be accessed via the following link: https://uni-frankfurt.zoom-x.de/j/65262028544?pwd=KzhxQ0VidXpzd2Jod3VLUFY3aU5VQT09 (Meeting-ID: 652 6202 8544 | Kenncode 396940).

The programme for this year’s RMU weeks of equal opportunities for research associations is available under “Downloads” below (in German).

When the human immune system recognizes and attacks infected or abnormal cells, it does so in highly complex, multi-stage processes. Biochemist and structural biologist Robert Tampé from Goethe University Frankfurt's Institute of Biochemistry has already uncovered parts and sequences of these mechanisms. For his project “Unraveling the Supramolecular Architecture of Molecular Machineries in Adaptive Immunity“ (in short: “ImmunoMachines“), he is awarded an ERC Advanced Grant in the amount of 2.5 million euros, enabling him to build on his successful research into the molecular architecture and mechanisms of the cellular immune response.

The consortium of Prof. Dr. Maarten Boonekamp (spokesperson, Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay), Prof. Dr. Jens Erler (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) and Prof. Dr. Frank Maas (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, GSI/FAIR and Helmholtz Institute Mainz) is awarded an ERC Advanced Grant for their “Zeptometry” project. This project aims to combine new precision measurements at the highest LHC energies at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN with challenging new precision measurements at very low energies with the upcoming MESA accelerator in Mainz in connection with the theory interpretation of the experimental results.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hasse from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University of Darmstadt has also been awarded a prestigious Advanced Grant for this „A-STEAM“ research project. Renewable energies will need to be stored in huge quantities over longer periods in order to achieve the energy transition. Over the last few years, there has been an increasing amount of research into the use of metals – especially iron – as carbon-free chemical energy carrier. The A-STEAM project focuses on the use of the metal aluminum as an alternative energy carrier and will receive funding of around 2.5 million euros over a period of five years.

ERC Advanced Grants are awarded to researchers in all scientific fields by the European Research Council. The target group for ERC Advanced Grants are established, active researchers who have a track record of exceptional research achievements. In the latest round of funding, the European Research Council selected 255 projects of leading cutting-edge researchers among 1,829 applications submitted from 19 Member States and associated countries. This means that approximately 14 percent of the applications were successful. Among the winners were 50 German researchers, 31 French researchers, 28 British researchers, 22 Italian researchers and an additional 28 researchers from other nations. 

In the Fishbowl opening event, Prof. Dr. Tanja Brühl, President of Technical University of Darmstadt, participated in a discussion with parliamentary state secretary Jens Brandenburg and Bundestag members Prof. Stephan Seiter and Holger Mann, among others.

As part of the Fishbowl discussion on the topic “The Communication Code: Dialog gestalten mit Politik und Verwaltung”, Tome Sandevski, Goethe University Frankfurt, presented the Rhine-Main Universities’ policy fellowship programmes. Over the past two years, more than 200 representatives from federal and state agencies, the European Commission, international organizations, the media and non-governmental organizations have visited the Rhine-Main area to hold over 2.600 talks with more than 700 research scientists in the region.

In the lecture series “The Origin of Matter – How are Elements formed in the Universe?”, scientists from the ELEMENTS Research Cluster will investigate the question what processes take place in extreme states of matter and what conditions lead to the formation of heavy elements. The event is led by Prof. Dr. Luciano Rezzolla and Prof. Dr. Dirk Rischke of Goethe University Frankfurt.

The lecture series 

“The Origin of Matter”

will be opened by

Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch
on 21 April at 2 pm

in the Audimax lecture hall at Goethe University Frankfurt 
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 5, 60323 Frankfurt am Main

Harald Lesch is a professor of theoretical astrophysics at LMU Munich and professor of natural philosophy at the Munich School of Philosophy. He has been a TV host for 25 years, with current programs including „Leschs Kosmos“ and „Terra X“ on ZDF.

The number of seats for the event is limited, so please make sure to register at https://tinyurl.com/ursprungmaterie. The lecture will be translated into German sign language. 

Further dates in the lecture series:

15 May: Prof. Dr. Camilla Juul Hansen (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Das Universum vom Urknall bis heute
SKW Campus Westend - 1

22 May: Prof. Dr. Laura Sagunski (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Die dunklen Mächte des Universums
Physikalischer Verein - 2

5 June: Prof. Dr. Hans-Thomas Janka (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics)
Das spektakuläre Ende eines Sternenlebens
Physikalischer Verein - 2

19 June: Prof. Dr. Michael Kramer (Max Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy)
Alles relativ, oder was?
Casino Campus Westend - 3

3 July Prof. Dr. Luciano Rezzolla (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Einsteins außerirdisches Laboratorium
Casino Campus Westend - 3

17 July Prof. Dr. Almudena Arcones (TU Darmstadt)
Auf der Jagd nach Neutronen
Casino Campus Westend - 3 

24 July Prof. Dr. Tetyana Galatyuk (TU Darmstadt)
Kosmische Materie im Labor
Physikalischer Verein -2 

The lectures will start at 6:30 pm. Entry to all lectures is free, prior registration is not required.

Event locations:

1 Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften (SKW), Lecture Hall B, Campus Westend, Goethe University Frankfurt, Rostocker Str. 2, 60323 Frankfurt am Main

2 Physikalischer Verein, lecture hall, Robert-Mayer-Str. 2, 60325 Frankfurt am Main

3 Casino Building, room 1.811, Campus Westend, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 2, 60323 Frankfurt am Main

Additional information is available in the press release linked below (in German).

INSPIRE-PNRM+ is being funded by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) with a total of around 5.6 million euros over a period of three and a half years. The project was launched on 1 August 2023 and is currently in the preparatory stage. Overall, around 1,300 patients with Parkinson's from Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are set to take part in the project.

The University Medical Center Mainz is the consortium leader of the research project. Consortium partners are Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung e. V., Catholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz (KH Mainz), Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, the University Hospital Frankfurt as well as the Techniker Krankenkasse and DAK-Gesundheit health insurance funds. In addition, the research project also cooperates with professional associations and specialist clinics.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in Germany after Alzheimer's disease. Around 400,000 people are currently affected. Parkinson's disease is characterized in particular by motor disorders. These include the very typical rest tremor (Parkinson's tremor) as well as slowed movement and increasing muscle stiffness. In addition, non-specific symptoms such as sleep disorders, mood swings and pain can also occur. The chronic progression of the disease can severely impair the quality of life of those affected. A particular challenge in Parkinson's treatment is that the disease does not progress the same way in all patients.

Additional information is available in the press release linked below (in German).

This networking and inspiring event for research group leaders and advanced postdocs, interested in an academic career, of TU Darmstadt and the Rhine-Main-Universities will be opened by Prof. Dr. Franziska Lang, Vice President for Academic Careers, followed by an Appointment Ceremony for the Athene Young Investigators, who joined the AYI-Programme – TU Darmstadt’s own independent junior research group leader-programme in 2024.

The ceremony will be followed by an exchange on what is needed to effectively communicate scientific knowledge to the public. Prof. Dr. Nina Janich (German Studies and Applied Linguistics at the TUDa), expert in science communication research, TUDa’s Chief Communication Officer Dr. Patrick Honecker, and a journalist by profession with great expertise in communicating scientific results through different types of media will be welcomed as guests.

Finally, participants can interchange ideas during the informal Get Together and establish networks with their colleagues from TU Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

Further information can be found in the invitation below and on the Homepage, where you can also register for the event until Tuesday, 7 May 2024.

The Ingenium team organizes this type of event for research group leaders and advanced postdocs once a year as the “Young Investigator Appreciation Day”.

Below is a selection of events that will take place:

• How to Rock Your First DFG Proposal: Grant-Writing Do’s and Don’ts For ECRs
• Prof@HAW: Voraussetzungen, Zugänge & Benefits einer Professur an Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaften
• Johanna Quandt Young Academy at Goethe (JQYA): Supporting your Pathway to Professorship
• Karrieregespräch: Als Diplomat im Auswärtigen Amt

Some events will be in German, others in English.

Throughout the two weeks, Early Career Researchers (ECRs) will also have the opportunity to direct their individual questions to established researchers and other ECRs who already have experience with a specific career path or funding line.

The Postdoc Career Weeks are an online event. Please note: There will be a networking event in person. It will take place at Campus Westend of Goethe University Frankfurt on 18 June after 5pm.

Registration information and the full program will be uploaded to the RMU website shortly. If you have any questions, please contact the organizers Emine Şahingöz (Sahingoez@em.uni-frankfurt.de) or Eva Noller (Noller@em.uni-frankfurt.de).