Online & face-to-face courses

REaCh - We promote young scientists!

Online seminar "Viva Defense - Preparing for the disputation"

[Translate to English:] Doctoral candidate climbs up the tassel of a doctoral hat sitting on a light bulb.

This workshop is offered in cooperation with the High Performance Center Simulation and Software based Innovation.

 

When and where?

03.12.2026, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. online via zoom.

The arrangement of breaks will be agreed with the participants in the course.

There are 3 alternative dates for this course in 2026:

18.06.2026 (in German)

25.06.2026 (in English) 

16.11.2026 (in German)

 

What it is about? 

Finally done! The doctoral thesis has been submitted, now the final task is to master the disputation. The disputation tests how clearly you present your own research performance and how convincingly you can »defend« your results in a discussion with experts.

The seminar aims at preparing you for the thesis defense by honing your presentation skills so that you can argue your points convincingly and think on your feet during the question and answers session. Responding to typical questions which may come up during the defense will also be practiced in simulated scenarios.

 

Content

  • The Presentation: Using your key results as the focus for your presentation
  • The Presentation: Making it interesting and understandable
  • The Q&A session: Typical questions and how to deal with them
  • The Q&A session: Practice run
  • Presenting and discussing online

 

Target group & course language

The seminar is aimed at doctoral students who are about to submit or have already submitted their dissertations

Quantity of participants: 6

Course language is English.

 

Technical requirements

  • PC or laptop with Internet connection.
  • Powerful internet with a current browser.
  • A quiet workplace.
  • The online seminar takes place via zoom

 

Trainer

Dr. Jan Stamm, Impulsplus

Jan Stamm, who holds a doctorate in philosophy, is a coach & trainer for self- and project management in science. 

 

Registration

Participation is limited.  Please register bindingly via this online registration form by 17.11.2026. You will be informed about your admission to the course only after the registration deadline! 

When you register, please note the (expected) date of your disputation in the comment field.

The workshop is open to all young scientists at RPTU and of Fraunhofer ITWM and IESE. Participation is free of charge. Please note our information on the conditions of participation and on registration.

If you have any questions, please contact reach-info[at]rptu.de 

[Translate to English:] Doctoral candidate climbs up the tassel of a doctoral hat sitting on a light bulb.