TU Hamburg supports female doctoral candidates
“Autumn School” program aims to strengthen gender equality
10.12.2024
What career opportunities does a doctorate offer? How can you achieve a good work-life balance during your doctorate? What strategies are successful for starting research and writing a dissertation? These questions were addressed in November 2024 in the "Autumn School", a program of the Equal Opportunities Office and the Graduate Academy of TU Hamburg. Under the title “Doctorate - Your next step?”, the initiative was aimed specifically at women from STEM fields who are interested in doing a doctorate, in order to support them on their individual path.
Astrid Kroschke, Head of the Equal Opportunities Office at TU Hamburg, explains: “The Autumn School is an important building block in motivating women to pursue an academic career, making their potential visible and building the relevant networks.”
The President of TU Hamburg, Andreas Timm-Giel, says: “TU Hamburg is committed to promoting female scientists. Diverse teams achieve demonstrably better results, in both science and in business. We therefore welcome all innovative talent that we can inspire for our mission - engineering to face climate change - in order to work together on a more sustainable future. Equal opportunities are a fundamental prerequisite for developing the full potential of all talents.”
For three days, the "Autumn School" participants received valuable input and practical guidance from external female speakers and trainers. The participants were also able to gain insights into various research areas at the TU Hamburg and to network with former female doctoral students.
Hamburg's Science Senator Katharina Fegebank says: “Especially in the STEM field, the proportion of women between university and doctorate is decreasing significantly - although there are many highly qualified young women. The 'Autumn School' for female Master's students has shown how our University of Technology is leading the way in promoting women: with information and knowledge exchange, support and dialog. The participants are strengthened as they take the next steps in their academic careers. This is a benefit for them personally, the TU and our science location Hamburg.”
About the funding
The Autumn School is part of a funding initiative by the Ministry of Science, Research, Equality and Districts (BWFGB). In 2024, the BWFGB supported pioneering Hamburg projects with around 125,000 euros to strengthen gender equality.
The BWFGB funding kicked off in spring with the “Equal Care Day Festival” organized by the Landesfrauenrat Hamburg e.V., among others, with the aim of creating more public appreciation and visibility for the topic of equal care and contributing to a discussion about a fair distribution of care work in Hamburg. Over the course of the year, the Landesfrauenrat and experts also investigated the different mobility behavior of women and men in Hamburg. The Pinkstinks e.V. association aims to raise awareness of gender stereotypes with a new website and accompanying campaign, while the Verband für Turnen und Freizeit e.V. (Association for Gymnastics and Leisure) offers further training opportunities for female managers in sport as well as further training for female coaches with a focus on “menopause”.
The selection of projects was based on the funding guideline “Funding of innovative projects related to the Gender Equality Policy Framework Program (GPR)”.
TUHH - Public Relations Office
Kaja Weber
E-Mail: kaja.weber@tuhh.de
