A first challenge at a new university is to arrive in the subject and the faculty, to enter into personal and professional cooperation and to build up networks in order to position oneself well for the interim and final evaluation.

Junior professors (with and without tenure) newly appointed to the University of Tübingen are therefore offered three individual career coaching sessions. The 1st coaching at the beginning of the junior professorship, the 2nd coaching after about two years and the 3rd coaching in the fourth or fifth year or after the interim evaluation of the junior professorship.

Goals of the coaching sessions:

• Successful interim and final evaluation
• Tenure position at own or another university.

Contents of the coaching sessions:

• Staff recruitment and leadership, keyword: How do I find good staff?
• Career development: How do I plan my next steps? How do I go about applying for a tenured professorship in a timely and successful way?
• Networking: How do I network well and early in the local, professional and international context in order to be well positioned for third-party funding and publications?
• How do I set my priorities with regard to a successful interim and final evaluation?
• Plan B: Exiting academia: what other career options are there?

The program applies to all newly appointed female junior professors at the University of Tübingen from January 2020.

Background

The goal of Athene Advanced, as well as of Athene Grant and Athene Mentoring, is to support women on their path to science and later to professorship, starting with their studies and ending with a junior professorship.

Taking up a junior professorship is associated with high and, in some cases, new requirements. In addition to the expected research/publication performance and the acquisition of third-party funding, the development of own courses, teaching and supervision of qualified students and tasks in the academic self-administration as well as further training (e.g. university didactics) have to be done. All this against the background of very few (professionally divergent) material resources. In addition, this biographical phase often includes starting a family or already having family responsibilities.