Career Opportunities

Our Vision for Future Careers

We intend to found the graduate school “Translational Mental Health Science” that will be largely modelled based on the first excellence school to be established in Thuringia, the Jena School for Microbial Communications. Its hallmarks are training in three pillars of scientific skills, providing each doctoral researcher with a primary and secondary supervisor as well as an independent thesis progress committee. Furthermore, emphasis will be put on transferable skills and mentoring according to a credit-based system, doctoral representation on the executive board and the inclusion of post-docs in the training program as well as in the capacity of junior members of the progress committees. We will seek inclusion into the Jena Alliance of Graduate Schools “Life in Focus” whose mission is to promote interdisciplinary graduate training in the life and optical sciences, which is closely aligned with the identity of C-I-R-C. In addition, the training and practice of future psychotherapists as “scientific practitioners” requires a comprehensive scientific understanding and qualification, which makes a strong collaboration desirable.

We Support Young Scientists

New and unexpected findings are generated through specifically promoted interactions of committed young scientists from clinical disciplines and theoretical institutes. Accordingly, the individual support for determined young scientists with innovative ideas is an essential prerequisite for nationally and internationally visible research achievements.

C-I-R-C partner sites enjoy a long-standing tradition in structured graduate programs:

ESF graduate school “ABINEP” „Analysis, Imaging and Modelling of Neuronal and Inflammatory Processes“
DFG-RTG 2413 “SynAGE”
DFG-RTG 2467 ”Intrinsically Disordered”
Joint DFG-RTG 2155 ”ProMoAge”
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS) graduate program
Graduate School „Molecular organization of cellular communication within the immune system“ within the Collaborative Research Center CRC 854.
Career building programs supported by the Else Kröner Research Colleges (EKFKs) – Magdeburg and Jena
Jena School for Microbial Communication (JSMC)
Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF)

Gender Equality and Diversity

All partner sites have initiated and increased the visibility of women at all academic levels and have established clear guidelines and measures to fulfill this goal. Our aim is to achieve gender equality continued development, implementation and evaluation of orchestrated and target group-oriented measures for gender equality.

Promotion of equal opportunities for women and men as well as support of diversity are major goals at all administrative levels. To address women, men and diverse people with the same fairness and appreciation as each other, all partners are specifically focusing on making w/m/d visible and reachable in written and spoken language.

In addition, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena has been selected by the EU Commission to co-found a “European University”, which is is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual alliance with the goal to create a pan-European campus connected by the common European identity.

In addition, C-I-R-C has special programs like Gender*educates, which aims to embed Gender and Queer Studies in teaching and research and “FEM POWER- Women in the Science“ in Magdeburg and Halle, supported by the European Structure Fund (ESF). The Friedrich Schiller University Jena has been awarded the “Total e-Quality” title in 2008-2011, 2011-2014, and 2015-2017 for outstanding progress in promoting equal opportunities and was an elected member of the best practice club “Familie in der Hochschule (Family in the University)” in 2008.

The Dorothea-Erxleben guest professorship is a good example of a funding instrument to support young female researchers in later career stages at the the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. The Karin-Witte Prize is awarded every two years to outstanding female postdoctoral researchers from the MINT disciplines in Magdeburg.

The Martin Luther University Halle has been successful in the women professorship program for the third time in a row with its concept for the future of equality.

Family Friendly

The task of balancing partnerships, family life, and career for men, women, and diverse people plays a central role in organizational development. All universities have flexible working hours and IT equipment for home office and dual-career opportunities are further measures already in place. Several special measures and programs exist for family friendliness: family offices, child-care rooms on the campus, and facilities for children like kindergartens directly on campus.

As one of the founders of the Jena Alliance for Family, Jena University stands for the compatibility of having children and studying.

Scientists for Future

The young scientists have already proven themselves through their work and research with outstanding results and will have a decisive impact on the future of C-I-R-C. Today, they carry our trust and confidence. Tomorrow, they will carry the future of mental health and scientific excellence.

Excellence is Key.