Eument-net Expert Exchange:
Mentoring helps navigating fast-paced science

On December, 3, 2024 from 10:00 to 11:15 am (CET) eument-net invites
all interested parties to the expert exchange

Many researchers in untenured academic positions experience the tension between the drive for rapid, high-volume publishing and the need for thoughtful, in-depth research. In this talk we will discuss ways to support an academic culture that challenges the prevailing “publish-or-perish” paradigm and to foster a more welcoming and productive environment for researchers.

Beyond summarizing key developments of recent discussions, we will spotlight two unique perspectives. Insights will be shared into Anna Lena’s academic journey. Through participation in Kiel University’s mentoring programme via:mento specifically designed for women postdoctoral researchers, and through broader networking initiatives, she has found support and direction, enabling her to realign her work with her scientific values. This will be complemented by reflections on Ruth’s experiences as the coordinator of the mentoring programme, illustrating how mentoring initiatives can not only foster participants’ career development but also renew postdoctoral researchers’ commitment to scientific inquiry.

Keynotes and authors: Anna Lena Bercht and Ruth Kamm

Anna Lena Bercht is a human geographer with a background in psychology. She works in the Department of Geography at Kiel University and is an associate member of the Disaster Research Unit at Freie University of Berlin. From 2015 to 2018, she was a visiting researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) at Stockholm University. Her research lies at the intersection of geography and psychology focusing on human-environment relationships, climate justice and psychological barriers to behaviour change. Using qualitative research methods, she has conducted fieldwork in China, Norway and Germany. Her most recent funded research projects examine barriers to climate adaptation and explore effective climate communication strategies. Anna Lena is also a former mentee of the via:mento mentoring programme at Kiel University.

Ruth Kamm has been with Kiel University’s Central Office for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunity & Family since 2010, where she coordinates the mentoring programme via:mento for women postdocs pursuing their academic career after their doctorate. Before taking on the additional task of consulting the university’s collaborative research project consortia on their gender equality activities, she has been working for different collaborative project networks in the field of marine sciences in Kiel. Here, she has also dedicated herself to supporting women in non-tenured positions in their career development and advocating for more equality within the academic system. Ruth has a background in political sciences with a focus on higher education research.

The talk is based on the recent publication: Bercht, Anna Lena, Ruth Kamm (2024): How mentoring and a shift in mindset and practices can help navigate fast-paced science, in: ICES Journal of Marine Science, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae121

Please apply to participate for free till November 29, 2024.

You are welcome to invite your interested colleagues to the meeting.