Eleven Max Planck Directors are part of the scientific network in the Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kolleg. They meet with the female scientists twice a year. [more]

Alumni

Alumni of the Schiemann Kolleg

Former fellows stay connected with the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg as Alumni. [more]

Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg

Mentoring network for women in the natural sciences

Within the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg scientiﬁc members of the Max Planck Society foster the careers of excellent female scientists after their postdoc phase, helping them to succeed on their way to an appointment as a tenured professor or as a director of a research institution.

The Schiemann Kolleg supports activities which help its fellows successfully establish themselves in the scientiﬁc community. Additionally, the Kolleg offers a platform for transdisciplinary scientiﬁc exchange. The support of the Elisabeth-Schiemann-Kolleg is of non-material nature; the fellows are not supported financially.

The Kolleg is named after Elisabeth Schiemann who was appointed as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society in 1953. She already conducted research in the former Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Kulturpflanzenforschung since 1943 and was not only an excellent scientist, but also a courageous woman and a person of integrity who openly resisted against the Nazi regime.

What we offer

The main program includes mentoring, networking, scientific exchanges and regular plenary meetings. Within this framework, the young fellows have a significant influence on the shaping of the contents. A centerpiece is the hierarchy-free interaction of the members in the Kolleg. Present activities in the Kolleg comprise:

intensive rounds of introductions with focus on the previous career, personal experiences and expectations
in-depth discussions of topics that develop during the meeting, e.g. appointment procedure or organising a research group
the offer to contact the directors at any time for specific questions
the opportunity of extended visits at a director's group (job shadowing)
scientific talks of the fellows
time for the fellows to talk to each other
leadership coaching by an external moderator

Your profile

The ideal Elisabeth Schiemann Fellow has excelled in research after her PhD as a postdoc in chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science or a technical discipline. She is about to start supervising PhD students independently. She is at the end of her postdoc phase or at the beginning of her phase as a group leader, junior professor or working towards her habilitation. Her current place and status of employment are not relevant. Only tenured researchers are excluded.

How do I join?

Every year, a call for nominations for the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg is published. All professors and directors of research institutions worldwide can nominate candidates. A nomination includes the candidate’s résumé, a letter of motivation, and a brief summary of her scientific activities, as well as two recommendation letters: one from the nominator and one from another professor. One of the letters should come from a German research institution or university.

The Schiemann fellows are selected by the members of the Kolleg. Usually, five new fellows are admitted every year. The first female scientists joined the Elisabeth Schiemann Kolleg in 2013. The membership of the fellows normally expires after five years. Obtainment of a permanent job automatically leads to termination.

Our fellows

Karen Alim
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen
Maria Bergemann
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg
Katrin Domke
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz
Julijana Gjorgjieva
Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung, Frankfurt
Elena Hassinger
Max Planck Institute for chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden
Saskia Hekker
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen
Franziska Lautenschläger
Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken
Nicole Megow
Technische Universität München
Ursula Neu
Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung, Potsdam
Nadine Neumayer
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg
Kirstin Petersen
Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, Stuttgart
Ruzica Piskac
Yale University, New Haven (USA), Computer Science Department
Viola Priesemann
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen
Nina Rohringer
Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL), Hamburg
Max Planck Institute for Physics of Comlex Systems, Dresden
Sabine Storandt
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Seraphine Wegner
Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung, Mainz