Impulse talks “REACHing Goals”
What is it about?
You can expect short (30-90 minute) lecture sessions on various topics that are relevant for early career researchers and for which a full workshop is not necessary.
When and how often?
Approximately once a month - the day of the week and time will deliberately change from time to time, as the perfect date is very individual and does not exist. As soon as a date is finalised, we will publish it on this page - and of course inform you in advance via our mailing list and the newsletter.
Which format?
Basically online and in English - but we don't want to rule out the possibility of exceptions.
Why is the series called ‘REACHing Goals’?
The title refers to the aim of the series: to support you in reaching your personal and professional goals step by step. At the same time, ‘REACH’ symbolises the broadening of your own horizons - be it through new impulses, ideas or perspectives.
In short: REACHing Goals is designed to pick you up exactly where you are right now - and accompany you with compact input on the way to your next milestones.
Do you have ideas for a keynote speech?
Let us know! We look forward to every suggestion and will check whether it is suitable and feasible!
Contact: nwr-info[at]rptu.de
The next dates:
When?
20.08.2025; 11 a.m.- 12 a.m.
What is it about?
What do career paths in applied science look like? And how can researchers turn their ideas into real-world innovations?
In this joint talk, Fraunhofer IESE and Fraunhofer ITWM will provide insights into diverse career opportunities at Fraunhofer – from PhD programs to project leadership and scientific management roles.
The session will begin with a presentation about the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and our two institutes, offering a clear overview of our research focus areas, working environment, and career entry points.
You'll also meet two inspiring role models who will share their personal journeys at and with Fraunhofer – highlighting experiences, challenges, and the impact they've made through applied science. Two "insiders" will report how they joined Fraunhofer after completing their PhDs and how they’ve continued to pursue successful careers within the organization.
Join us to learn how you can shape your career while shaping the future!
Speaker
Isabelle Dieckhoff works in the Human Resources department at the Fraunhofer ITWM. She is responsible for recruiting, personnel marketing and employer branding. She studied business psychology in Mannheim and has been working at the ITWM for 2 years.
Jasmin Awan is a staff member in the Corporate Communications and Technology Marketing department at Fraunhofer IESE. On the one hand, she is responsible for the institute’s external representation (e.g. via Social Media) and on the other hand, she is in charge of HR-Marketing, Employer Branding and Recruiting. Since 2022, she has also held the position of the Equal Opportunities Officer at Fraunhofer IESE. Jasmin completed a Bachelor's degree in "International Business Management Trinational." She also earned a Master's degree in "Integrative Social Sciences" at RPTU in Kaiserslautern and an additional part-time Master's degree in "Organizational Development" at the DISC of RPTU in Kaiserslautern.
Jun.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Wolf is a junior professor for control and perception architectures for off-road robot systems at the Department of Computer Science at RPTU Kaiserslautern. His research focuses on behavioural intelligence and self-adaptive architectures for autonomous robot systems. After studying applied computer science at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, he worked as a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the Chair of Robot Systems at RPTU from 2016 to 2023. During this time, he conducted intensive research on autonomous commercial vehicles and received his doctorate with honours in 2022. He then worked as a senior safety engineer at Fraunhofer IESE from 2023 to 2025, where he dealt with the safety of autonomous driving and approaches to situational risk management of autonomous systems. During this time, he was also a lecturer at RPTU, where he taught the course ‘Off-road Robotics,’ which was awarded the VLU Prize for outstanding commitment to teaching on several occasions. Since July 2025, he has been a junior professor in the Department of Computer Science at RPTU and continues to work as an expert in ‘autonomics’ at Fraunhofer IESE.
Dr. Henrike Stephani applied for a position at Fraunhofer ITWM in Kaiserslautern. This is where her journey began in 2008 with her doctorate, leading to a permanent position in 2012 and, in 2014, to the position of deputy head of the ‘Image Processing’ department. She is also the contact person for experts and users of artificial intelligence in Rhineland-Palatinate as a consultant for ‘AI pilot’ Prof. Dr. Anita Schöbel.
Registration
Register via our online-form below on this site.
Please note our Our conditions of participation and on registration apply with the following deviation: As the number of places is not limited, the no-show rule is suspended. In addition, we will only send out certificates of attendance for this series of events on demand.
When?
24.10.2025; 10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.
What is it about?
This lecture provides an overview of what is meant by research management, why it is attractive to work in this field and which aspects you should be aware of before applying.
Speaker
Dr. Oliver Grewe
Dr. Oliver Grewe holds a doctorate in neuroscience. After his post-doc, he embarked on a career in research management. He initially worked at the German National Academic Foundation and later at the Scientific Commission of Lower Saxony. He is currently a scientific advisor at the Volkswagen Foundation. There he has already supervised various funding initiatives and designed and is now responsible for the early career support program “Freigeist Fellowships.” This enables early career researchers to set up their own working group at an early stage. He has also been working as a coach and trainer at since 2015.
Registration
Registration will be open approx. 4 weeks before the lecture.
Please note our Our conditions of participation and on registration apply with the following deviation: As the number of places is not limited, the no-show rule is suspended. In addition, we will only send out certificates of attendance for this series of events on demand.
Previous topics/ talks
What was it about?
You do research at uni and love your work. However, you don´t want to run into a dead-end street, being kicked out of the ivory tower in your early forties. Can you prepare for a possible exit strategy, increasing your market value while working in academic research?
With this presentation, we want to look at how you can make the most of your time at uni. What is it actually that makes the employers out there keen to get to know you?
We´ll take a look at activities which not only increase your market value but which give you personal growth and which you will enjoy!
And your professor? She´ll be happy with your extracurricular activities if she profits from having skilled staff. And if not? Then we can look at a couple of “sales strategies.”
Speaker
Dr. Karin Bodewits comes from the Netherlands where she studied Biology. After spending some time at Puleva Biotech in Spain and Unilever in China, she completed a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh. In 2012, she founded the successful company NaturalScience.Careers, a seminar and talk provider for natural- and life scientists. In this function, she became book author, short story writer, speaker and seminar leader and published a wide range of career and soft skills related articles in magazines like Chemistry World and Naturejobs.
What is it about?
AI is increasingly being used in companies, including in recruitment. But why should only recruiters use AI? This seminar will familiarize you with AI-based tools and show you practical use cases for your application phase. Expand your understanding of this innovative technology in general and your expertise in dealing with AI in the application context in particular.
Content
- Presentation of AI tools and use cases for applicants
- Tips for formulating prompts
- Problems and undesirable results of AI tools
- Use of AI on the recruiter side
In the first part, you will get to know various AI tools and see practical examples how to use them as an applicant. This will not only save you time in the future, but also improve your impression on the recruiter. You will then be given tips on how to optimise the wording of prompts so that you get the right result quickly. Possible problems and undesirable results that can occur when using AI tools are also highlighted. Finally, we focus on the use of AI on the corporate side. Find out how AI tools are used in recruiting and what you should consider as an applicant so that you can optimally adapt to them.
Speaker
Heidi Störr, Push Your Career - Career Consultancy
After her graduation in business studies with focus in Human Resources she worked as a Recruiter for several companies. Since 2012 she offers application trainings for German and international academics. With her trainings, she provides concrete guidance for all steps of an application phase to start a career in Germany´s industry.
Further trainer details: www.push-your-career.com/about-heidi-storr