The postdoctoral research phase is the phase in the academic career following the doctorate. It serves to gain further research experience and to acquire and consolidate qualifications for an academic career. The postdoctoral research phase is a demanding and at the same time decisive stage, in which the course for a successful academic career is set.
The postdoctoral research phase is characterized by the following features, in particular:
- Autonomy in research: Following their doctorate, postdocs are expected to develop more autonomy in their research activities. This means that they do their research work increasingly independently, develop new research ideas, possibly lead research projects themselves, and acquire external funding.
- Profiling: In their postdoctoral research phase, researchers develop a specific research profile, which is reflected, in particular, in their publications, appearances at conferences, and external funding activities. It is the phase in which researchers establish their place in the academic community and present and consolidate themselves as experts on certain topics and methods.
- International mobility: Changing your research location and leaving the institution where you have obtained your doctoral degree is part of the postdoctoral research phase – not only to gain new impetus in a different environment and thus develop new research ideas. Spending time abroad also expands the academic network and opens up opportunities for new collaborations.
- Preparation for the professorship: In the later postdoctoral research phase, in particular, postdocs are expected to attain what is referred to as “eligibility for a professorship”, i.e. to have all the qualifications required to take on a lifetime professorship or other management position. In addition to outstanding academic achievements, this also includes leadership and management skills as well as experience in the university’s self-governance processes.
- Term: Postdoctoral research positions are usually limited to two to five years. The exact duration may vary depending on the subject area, institution, and type of funding. The legal basis for fixed-term employment contracts with academic and artistic personnel at higher education and research institutions is the German academic fixed-term contract act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG).
Who is considered a postdoc?
There is not (yet) a generally accepted definition of the term “postdocs”. At the University of Mannheim, we use the definition of the German University Association of Advanced Graduate Training (GUAT):
Postdocs sind promovierte Wissenschaftler*innen, die unterhalb der W2-Professur wissenschaftlich tätig sind und die entweder mit dem Ziel einer Weiterqualifizierung an Universitäten oder außeruniversitären Forschungseinrichtungen beschäftigt sind (WissZeitVG § 2 Abs. 1) oder die unabhängig von der Art und dem Ort ihrer Beschäftigung daran arbeiten, sich für eine Universitätsprofessur zu qualifizieren (zum Beispiel wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter*innen mit Qualifizierungsabsicht auf Dauerstellen oder auf Stellen für Wissenschaftmanagement oder Lehre, Stipendiat*innen oder externe Habilitand*innen).
(Postdocs are academics holding a doctoral degree who have not yet been appointed to a W2 professorship and who are either employed at a higher education institution or a research institution outside the university with the aim of acquiring further qualification (cf. section 2 subsection 1 WissZeitVG) or who are working on qualifying for a professorship at a university regardless of the type and location of their employment (e.g, academic staff members intending to qualify for permanent positions or positions in research management or teaching, scholarship holders or external habilitation candidates).)
Hanna Kauhaus and Evelyn Hochheim (eds.): Qualifizierung in der Postdoc-Phase. Handreichung zur Planung und Umsetzung von Angeboten (UniWiND-Publikationen volume 5), Jena 2015, p. 7.
The different stages of the postdoctoral research phase
The postdoctoral research phase can be divided into three successive stages: It starts with the early postdoctoral research phase, which serves orientation purposes. You will familiarize yourself with the new requirements and upcoming tasks and learn about the various career paths to a professorship. This is also the phase in which you complete the wrap-up phase of your dissertation project and identify new academic projects. This stage is followed by the advanced postdoctoral research phase, in which you hone your academic profile and establish yourself as an expert on specific topics and methods in your discipline. At this stage, you will typically produce a lot of publications, acquire new external funding, and expand your network during lecture tours and research stays abroad. You will also acquire interdisciplinary key competences, for example leadership or academic communication skills. The late postdoctoral research phase is dedicated to applying for a professorship or comparable management position.
Academic career paths following the doctorate
There are various career paths leading to a professorship in the German academic system. Which path is right for you depends on many different factors, including your field or subject, your personal circumstances, your individual skills and interests and/
Habilitation or equivalent
The habilitation is the “typical” path to a professorship in German-speaking countries and is still common in the humanities, in law and in medicine, in particular. Those who successfully complete their habilitation have reached the end of their academic qualification phase and are allowed to call themselves Privatdozent (PD). Holders of a habilitation receive the so-called Venia legendi and are allowed to hold lectures and examinations and supervise doctoral students. A habilitation generally requires candidates to submit a habilitation thesis or equivalent publications and to hold a public lecture in which they present their research findings and answer questions from the examination committee. Often, a demonstration lesson or proof of didactic qualifications is also required. The requirements for the habilitation, the examinations to be completed, and the habilitation procedure in general are regulated in the regulations and procedures governing the habilitation. The University of Mannheim has general regulations and procedures governing the habilitation for all schools.
Junior research group management
A junior research group manager should enable early-stage researchers in the phase following their doctorate to focus on their research projects, manage their own project teams with doctoral students and student and/
or research assistants, and establish themselves as recognized researchers in their discipline. Such positions are particularly common in mathematical and scientific disciplines and at research institutes outside of the university. Junior research group managers are generally appointed for five years and may have a teaching workload in addition to their research activities. As they are financed by external funding, there is usually a generous budget available to cover material costs, travel expenses, and publication fees that the junior research group managers can dispose of themselves and in a dependent manner. The most important funding programs for junior research groups are the Emmy Noether program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and regular calls for proposals from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Anyone who successfully completes a period as junior research group manager is considered eligible for a W3 professorship. Junior professorship
Junior professorships were introduced at German universities in 2002 to offer a further qualification path to a professorship alongside habilitations and/
or junior research group management. So-called W1 professorships enable the holder of such a professorship at an early stage of their career to research and teach independently and to manage staff on their own responsibility. Their duties are comparable to those of lifetime professors, but they have a smaller teaching load. Junior professors are employed as temporary civil servants at a higher education institution, usually for six years. They will be evaluated after about three years. If the evaluation is positive, the employment relationship will be extended for another three years. However, there is no entitlement to continued employment after that period. In the case of junior professorships providing a so-called tenure-track option, the final evaluation determining whether the position will be transferred to a lifetime professorship (W2 or W3) takes place in the sixth year. The applicable evaluation regulations set out which requirements must be met for a successful interim and final evaluation. The University of Mannheim regulates the procedure in tenure track statutes that apply to all schools.
