Documents and publications of the Graduate Academy

Based on the postdoc survey in 2012, the Jena postdocs were asked again in 2016 about how they perceive their working situation, their qualification conditions, and their career paths. The survey was conducted within the project "House for young researchers" which has been funded by the Mercator Foundation. More than 400 postdocs from FSU Jena and other non-university research institutes in Jena provided information about their career goals within and outside of the academic system, about their assessment of future career opportunities, the support they received from their supervisors, and about the compatibility of family and career.

The study "Analysen zu Arbeitssituation, Qualifizierungsbedingungen und Karrierewegen von Jenaer Postdoktorandinnen und Postdoktoranden" was published in 2018 and can be downloaded herepdf, 5 mb · de (in German).

The conference proceedings show how researchers can become more familiar with a critical reflection of their own research. Therefore, it connects different topics and players and thus enables the transfer of knowledge from science philosophy, ethics and science sociology into graduate supporting structures as well as qualification structures for young researchers. The authors not only prove the necessity of a reflexive academic education but also offer content-related and methodic starting points to implement it.

The proceedings are based on a symposium called "Profound Research" ("Fundiert Forschen. Wissenschaftliche Bildung für Promovierende und Postdocs"), which took place in December 2014, when over 70 scientists discussed these questions.

There is very little data available on doctoral candidates in Germany. Reliable figures exist only with respect to the number of enrolled doctoral candidates as well as the number of PhDs completed. However, German universities generally do not know how many young researchers are currently working on their PhDs. At Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the situation did not look any better than elsewhere. Therefore, it was decided to develop a PhD management and administration system, with which it is possible to manage the doctoral process online.

This system was presented at a conference of the GraduateCenter of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2012. In 2013, the conference proceedings were published including the contribution on "Doktorandenerfassung an der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität".

Often, being a postdoc means showing strong commitment at low pay and existential uncertainty for young researchers. Universities which are supposed to win the cleverest minds for academia, quite often lose talented and highly qualified young researchers. Yet, how can the interests of science on the one hand and the career demands of postdocs on the other hand be compatible? Which courses of action do the different actors in the economic system have in order to improve the general conditions of the postdoc phase?

These questions were discussed at the symposium in Jena which was organised by the Graduate Academy of Friedrich Schiller University in November 2012. The conference transcript concerning the symposium has been released in 2013 by the university press Webler. It gathers the presentations and findings of this symposium as well as some thoughts of participants that were expressed afterwards. The transcript can be ordered via university press Webler and costs 24.80 Euro.

In order to develop quality standards for the postdoctoral training phase, the University set up a working group in autumn 2010. With the aim to provide empirical facts to support the committee's work, a survey was conducted among postdocs to assess their actual conditions of work and research and their professional perspectives. The results of this survey are summarised in the postdoctoral report titled "On the Situation of Postdoctoral Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena." It formed the basis for the "Recommendations for Improving the Professional Situation of Postdoctoral Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena". You will find the full report herepdf, 2 mb · de (in German).

The yearbook "PhD graduates" is published annually on Schillertag (Schiller Day) and contains all doctorates completed at University of Jena in the previous academic year. A doctorate is considered as completed only if the doctorate was finished (decision by the Faculty's Board) and deposit copies of the dissertation have been handed in at the library.

Until 2023, the yearbooks were handed out to doctoral candidates in printed form. Since 2024, the yearbook has only been produced digitally as a PDF and made available to doctoral candidates in this form. All texts of the yearbook are written in German and English.

To the Yearbooks