11:00–12:30   Navigating academic career paths. Challenges and strategies

Input and discussion; seminar room 11, OGO1, Kolingasse 14–16, 1090 Vienna

An academic career path can be challenging to navigate, with many complex factors impacting success. In this session, experienced colleagues from the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences share their experiences of starting a career in academia. Two doctoral candidates are invited as discussants to facilitate a broader discussion about how to best find and navigate academic career paths as an early stage researcher. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, effective networking, developing a strong research program and publication strategies, successful collaboration, balancing teaching and research demands and finding your personal work-life-balance.

with:

• Francesca Croce, doctoral candidate in Art History
• Börries Kuzmany, assistant professor at the Department of East European History
• Silvia Ruiz Rodríguez, doctoral candidate in Political Science
• Annie Waldherr, professor at the Department of Communication

13:00–14:30   Against the odds. (In)equality in academic careers

Panel discussion; seminar room 11, OGO1, Kolingasse 14–16, 1090 Vienna

How to succeed in academia, a field in which women and minorities rarely make it to the top positions? What challenges do you face as a woman, as a person of color or as someone who is experiencing discrimination based on other identity markers? This session focuses on sharing experiences and best practices for navigating academic life from a marginalized position. Experienced researchers and doctoral candidates discuss topics, such as gender discrimination and white privilege and share strategies of overcoming impostor syndrome and building a support network. They explore the impact of (in)equality in academia on research, teaching and university structures, and they discuss how we can develop research agendas that promote diversity and inclusion.

with:

• Dominique Bauer, doctoral candidate in development studies
• Ayse Dursun, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science
• Elisabeth Röhrlich, Vice Dean for early career affairs and gender equality and associate professor at the Department of History
• Rogelio Toledo Martin, doctoral candidate in Byzantine Studies

15:00–16:30   Communicating your professional value: Application documents and job interviews

Workshop; seminar room 11, OGO1, Kolingasse 14–16, 1090 Vienna

This session focuses on preparing effective application documents and succeeding in job interviews in and beyond a university context. A coach provides tips on how to write compelling motivation letters, CVs, research and teaching statements and other application materials. We discuss how to prepare for (academic) job interviews, including the types of interviews and questions to expect. Participants will receive practical advice on how to present themselves effectively and how to make a good impression during the application process.

Trainer:

• Clara-Maria Köck, Uniport

17:00–18:30   Career paths beyond academia: Meet and greet with alumni*ae

World café; HS-A, 4th floor, NIG, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna

In Austria, a doctoral degree is considered a pathway to an academic career, but reality is different. The majority of graduates work in other sectors. Join us in this session and talk with alumni/alumnae from the doctoral programmes in the social sciences and the humanities who transitioned from academia to companies, government and non-profit organisations, among other fields. They give advice on how to leverage academic skills in non-academic contexts, highlight key qualifications essential to succeed in their professional field, and talk about how career trajectories of PhD graduates beyond academia often include staying connected to academic networks and research institutions.

with:

• Myriam Gaitsch, researcher at FORBA, Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt
• Dominic Hagmann, archaeologist at ARDIG – Archäologischer Dienst GesmbH and principal investigator at kärnten.museum
• Daniele Karasz, co-founder and Director of Search and Shape, Institute for Applied Social Research
• Stefan Krause, Ronald S. Lauder Director, Imperial Armoury, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
• Claudia Macho, writing coach
• Florian Oberhuber, senior consultant, public relations at SORA, Institute for Social Research and Consulting
• Deniz Seebacher, associate partner at Timmermann Group
• Monika Sommer, Director of the House of Austrian History

Registration: via e-mail to dshcs.hkw@univie.ac.at until 30 May 2023