Career Insights for Early Career researchers

"It's important to me to pass something on to young people who are at at the beginning of their careers," says Prof. Peter Post. For many years, he was Head of Research and Innovation Management at Festo SE & Co. KG and worked as a Corporate Technology Advisor until entering semi-retirement. He was also a member of the German Science and Humanities Council in the Science Policy Advisory Body of the Federal and State governments. He has been involved as a group mentor in the ExploreScience group mentoring program for six months. Post says, he is very happy to be involved. His group consists of eight doctoral students from different disciplines. One of them is Jonathan Kießling, research assistant at the Institute for Engineering Design and Industrial Design at the University of Stuttgart. "I'm in the middle of my doctoral degree. Of course, this also raises the question of my professional goals in the future. I think it's great that I can tap into some of Peter's life experience." As a mechanical engineer, Kießling also benefits professionally from the program: "Pneumatics plays a major role in my research - a field that Festo is also very much involved in. I am researching hand grips that are printed using a special 3D process. The hand grips can change their shape and adapt to the hands that use them. In the future, this could make life easier for patients who are dependent on a walking frame, for example, but have little strength in their fingers to hold the hand grips." 

Peter Post's and Jonathan Kießling's mentoring group will meet regularly for six months. "At the first meeting, we clarified what our joint interests are. This resulted in more specific topics for further meetings," says Post. So far, the topics of discussion have ranged from career skills and career goals to the distribution of roles in teams, job interviews and salary structures. A visit to Festo was also on the agenda. Post invited colleagues from Festo to talk about their career paths as doctors of engineering. "It was fascinating for me to see how diverse the job profiles are in practice," says doctoral student Kießling. "Mentoring gives mentees the opportunity to broaden their professional horizons. This vision remains important throughout your entire professional life," says Post.

Mentor: Prof. Peter Post. Post, former Corporate Technology Advisor at Festo and member of the German Science and Humanities Council.

Mentee: Jonathan Kießling, Research Assistant at the Institute for Engineering Design and Industrial Design at the University of Stuttgart

[Photo: University of Stuttgart]

Having already completed his doctoral thesis, Markus Hofer from the Institute of Nuclear Power and Energy Systems is now embarking on his scientific postdoctoral phase. This places the environmental engineer within the target group of the two-year AdvanceScience Mentoring Program. "I know how research works at university. Mentoring offers me a good opportunity to gain some experience in industrial research."

Markus Hofer researches the simulation of thermodynamic cycles and wanted a mentor who would be able to give him both technical and professional tips. GRADUS introduced him to Dr. Philipp Kotman, Senior Research Manager at Robert Bosch GmbH in Renningen. "He is the perfect mentoring partner for me. We get on very well and Philipp is great at helping me with specialist topics, such as control engineering, and non-specialist topics. Some of the mentoring meetings take place in-person, while others are conducted online. Thus far, the focus has primarily been on professional matters: "He provides guidance on navigating challenging situations in everyday work life, for example." And as Philipp and I both have children, we also talk a lot about work-life balance: Which working models work well, how to organize family life and career, and so on." Markus Hofer recommends that all early career researchers take part in the mentoring program. He advises: "To maximize the benefits, it's crucial to carefully consider your goals for mentoring beforehand. At the outset, I created an agenda outlining the topics that were important to me. We are now working through these step by step."

Mentor: Dr. Philipp Kotman, Senior Research Manager Robert Bosch GmbH

Mentee: Markus Hofer, Research Assistant at the Institute of Nuclear Technology and Energy Systems at the University of Stuttgart

[Photo: University of Stuttgart]

When Junior Professor Philipp Rothemund took up his post in September 2023, he, like all junior professors at the University of Stuttgart, was offered the opportunity to take part in the Live Science Mentoring Program. Rothemund accepted the opportunity and will now be accompanied by a mentor for the next two years. This mentorship will include guidance from experts both within and outside his field. Prof. Michael Saliba, Head of the Institute of Photovoltaics, is involved as a mentor from outside the field. Prof. Holger Steeb, Head of the Institute of Applied Mechanics and Director of the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science (SC SimTech), will provide expert support.

"I lead the research group Functional Soft Robotic Matter. We are working on developing intelligent robot systems with soft, flexible structures," says Rothemund. "Holger Steeb researches functional and multifunctional materials. His knowledge is needed in robotics. As a mentoring team, Holger and I are a perfect technical match." "The exchange is really fun, we discuss technical issues or brainstorm research ideas together," says Holger Steeb. Steeb has already mentored several mentees. "Mentoring is different every time - it is important to adapt the content and topics to the individual needs of the other person. "Phillipp and I don't have a fixed agenda; we just see where the conversation takes us and then determine where I can provide support," says Rothemund. He particularly appreciates that his two mentors can assist him with questions about the university. "I studied abroad and have only worked abroad so far," he explains. How a German university works, how it is structured and who has what role - this is new territory for me. My two mentors are always on-hand to answer my questions."

Mentee: Junior Professor Philipp Rothemund, Faculty 7: Engineering Design, Production Design, and Automotive Engineering at the University of Stuttgart

Mentor: Prof. Dr. Holger Steeb, Head of the Institute of Applied Mechanics and Director of the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science (SC SimTech) at the University of Stuttgart

[Photo: University of Stuttgart]