A dialogue on policy making for Postdocs

Dr. Georg Winkens (HAPN), Dr. Heike Küchmeister (PNB), Dr. Katharina Lüning (PNB)

Postdocs are a crucial pillar of German academia, yet they are mostly overlooked in the broader context of policy making and politics. In this interactive dialogue, we will explore two experiences in policy making for postdocs:

Dr. Georg Winkens from the Helmholtz Association PostDoc Network (HAPN) is one of the coordinators for joint efforts in providing postdoc perspectives to the amendments of the WissZeitVG, i.e. in lawmaking on a nation-wide level. Due to the fixed-term employment as postdoc in Helmholtz and spokesperson in HAPN, these involvements are of transitory nature by default, and restricted to the perspective of a non-university research association.

Dr. Heike Küchmeister from the Postdoc Network Brandenburg (PNB) has been involved in federal state politics for several years already and was able to establish the PNB as serious stakeholder in Brandenburg’s academic system. With a continuous funding, also long-term projects can be planned and carried out for the support of postdocs.

We will discuss the differences in short- and long-term planning of postdoc advocacy and policy making, their benefits and drawbacks and the differences in state and nation-wide efforts. This is an interactive dialogue moderated by Dr. Katharina Lüning (PNB): The audience is invited to share their thoughts and questions in the chat during the event to be included in the discussion.

When: Wed, 23/09/2026 | 10:00 – 11:00

Additional information: English | online | no registration required

Event link: https://zoom.us/j/95083510047?pwd=4NwntLrfj8bKQLSdJUXnPnyyVPQMsm.1