NeuroCure Postdoc Training & Continued Education Program
This program was designed to strengthen the communication within the local postgraduate community as well as to help postgraduates tackle the challenges of their positions and to prepare them for upcoming career steps.
We created a postdoc specific e-mail distributor in order to reach everyone directly and inform them about upcoming events, meetings, etc., as well as an internal website for exchange of confidential data and information, discussions, etc.
The Continued Education Program encompasses several teaching and corresponding training opportunities tailored to the needs of postgraduates.
Continued Education Program
The CEP was designed in particular to train and prepare postgraduates for the new responsibilities and challenges which arise with their transition from the status of a graduate student to that of an independent scientist and university lecturer. This training focuses on skills and abilities that are usually not taught in graduate school. It is organized in 4 topics/modules: Supervision and Mentoring, Project Management, Teaching and Communication and Special Topics and Advanced Scientific Methods.
In this module postdocs learn how to supervise the work of younger students, how to guide them through a specific project, and how to address arising problems. They also have the chance to apply their knowledge in practice through supervising short-term lab internships of MSc students and extended MSc-/PhD-thesises.
This module introduces professional methodologies of project management that help planning and executing your projects, while avoiding typical pitfalls. Apart from its immediate effect when applied during the daily working routine, several specialized formats exist in which the newly learned knowledge can be exercised, practised and deepened. This incluedes for example participation in the organization of the Berlin Brain Days and the Berlin Neuroscience Forum. Participation there will also be acknowledged as the practical part of the module content.
In this module, postdoctoral fellows will learn to improve their communication skills, A strong focus are scientific writing skills with an emphasis on grant writing. In addition, they learn especially how to present their research to peers and reviewing boards as well as to non-experts. This is complemented by involving postdocs in organizing conferences, public outreach activities, fundraising, peer reviewing of papers and grants, etc.
CEP participants will improve their teaching abilities by giving lectures to students of the International Graduate Program “Medical Neurosciences”; these supervised lectures occur in “classical” format, suited for interested beginners. Advanced postdocs with a special interest in teaching will learn how to organize lecture series and seminars, plan and compose curricula with exercises and how to develop and grade different exam formats including e-learning supplements. They will also be instructed in advanced presentation techniques, didactics, and mentoring skills. All teaching will be certified and therefore counting towards “Habilitation”. For further information on this topic please contact benedikt.salmen@charite.de or visit www.medical-neurosciences.de.
This module is adjusted to the individual needs of the participants, and therefore requires a strong interaction between the program and its participants to determine the content. This will be done during an annual workshop or retreat. As a result, specific introductions into advanced trainings on special experimental methods or data analysis will be organized depending on the requirements of the students. Additionally, participants will be trained and obtain formal qualifications (where applicable) for a range of scientific ethical issues, e.g. better knowledge of legal constraints and responsibilities (such as dangerous chemicals, work safety, work with genetically modified organisms, animal rights protection laws, patent law and technology transfer, execution of clinical trials) as well as quality control and a responsible research conduct.
Apart from organizing and advertising existing courses (see upcoming events), the CEP also offers ample opportunity to practice and apply the acquired knowledge on small scale training projects, where they will receive supervision and feedback. Fellows who complete both the theoretical and practical requirements obtain the CEP. However, interested postgraduates are also welcome to join only parts of the program.
Who can participate in the program?
All postdocs from NeuroCure labs and postdocs actively involved in the academic teaching of Medical Neurosciences
Are the courses free of charge?
All courses offered by NeuroCure or Medical Neurosciences directly are free of charge for CEP participants. For courses organized by other sources please contact martin.keller@charite.de for more details
Can I only take a few courses from the program?
Yes, all parts of the program are completely voluntary and can be done independently from one another. You can choose just to use the e-mail distributor and the internal area, just to attend the courses or engage in practical work. However, the CEP certificate will only be awarded/ issued after completion of both the practical and theoretical parts of a module.
