What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Sakshi Khosa: >>My passion towards unravelling inquisitive discoveries in search of scientific answers.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Sakshi Khosa: >>Leading a research team to achieve a scientific breakthrough.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Lutz Schmitt: >>What I like about Sakshi – curiosity, knowledge, and determination paired with scientific leadership and a deep sense for responsibilities.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Ana Yara Postigo Fuentes: >>I am a person full of curiosity and willingness to learn and work. I found a postdoc position within a team that not only allows but encourages those qualities. Continuing my academic career gives me the opportunity to keep learning with and from many brilliant professionals. Being a postdoc also brings with it many responsibilities that I take on with great enthusiasm as they help me to develop professionally and personally.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in five years?
Ana Yara Postigo Fuentes: >>I guess I see myself in a version similar to the present but with 5 years of experience, my habilitation completed and taking the next steps in my academic career.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Rolf Kailuweit: >>What I appreciate about Ana Yara is her incredible commitment and organisational skills, as well as her ability to get to the heart of the matter.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Laura Bechtold: >>I enjoy the mix of learning, teaching and higher-level contribution as a postdoc. I am motivated by the opportunity to learn new things (and be humbled by everything I do not know). Another motivator is the possibility to pass on knowledge and the trust my students have in me as a supporter on their way. Finally, I am motivated to work for insight and not to make money (for companies). The job as a postdoc, and especially working with my supervisor Christian, allows me to develop in all three areas, find synergies between them, and stay true to my values on a daily basis.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in five years?
Laura Bechtold: >>The future is a tricky thing for a postdoc on a fixed-term contract. In five years, I will either have found my ‘happy ever after’ at a German university or I will have left the academic system to follow my passion elsewhere. As much as I love my job, it’s still a job and I am not willing to sacrifice my home and social environment to follow a call abroad. <<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Christian Bellebaum: >>I appreciate Laura's passion for her work, which is reflected both in her innovative research and her excellent teaching.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Tomasz Sulka: >>The postdoc phase emerged as a natural next step in my academic career. Compared to my doctoral studies, as a postdoc I have (even) more freedom in deciding what projects to focus on, more time to dive deeply into topics that excite me, and also a bit more teaching responsibilities. I find both aspects of the job quite important and fulfilling. I believe that through well-executed research, academics are in a unique position to contribute to public debate and eventually policy-making. In my own work, I study how specific behavioural biases and cognitive limitations can negatively affect people's financial preparation for retirement, and I hope to contribute to our understanding of how targeted policies and concrete market mechanisms can help them achieve better outcomes. In addition, I see teaching as a complementary way to have a positive impact. I give lectures on different topics in microeconomic theory and my aspiration is to teach our students how to "think like an economist" and conceptualise different trade-offs and market forces through that lens, besides the mathematical techniques that we develop along the way.  <<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in five years?
Tomasz Sulka: >>Given that academia is an extremely competitive field, I am trying to not be too bold when formulating my plans for the future. In an ideal scenario, that is if my research gains some traction, I hope to be employed at a research-oriented university as a lecturer. This would allow me to continue doing what I find meaningful and also enjoyable, while hopefully giving me more stability and security than the initial career stages. Alternatively, there are many exciting opportunities to do and apply research on individual decision-making, both in the public and in the private sectors, and I am definitely not ruling those out. <<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Paul Heidhues: >>Tomasz adds a unique set of skills to our group, and through these skills and his communicative nature significantly contributes to the intellectual environment at DICE.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Benedetta Fazari: >>My profound passion for advancing scientific knowledge in the field of neuroscience, particularly in the areas of aging and chronobiology, has been the driving force behind my decision to forward my career as a postdoctoral researcher. This exciting journey has been realized through a valuable opportunity within my current research group. Here, I have not only honed and expanded my research expertise but also cultivated essential professional skills, such as teaching and mentoring emerging scientists. The collective aspiration of the scientific community to force the boundaries of knowledge, by fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and mutual inspiration, enriches the challenging yet stimulating job of the researcher.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in five years?
Benedetta Fazari: >>I aspire to continue making meaningful contributions to the advancement of science, by engaging in captivating research projects focused on addressing neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Whether in the private or public sector, my goal is to play a pivotal role in these projects, either actively participating in the scientific community with my own team or taking on responsibilities within science coordination.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Charlotte von Gall: >>What I really appreciate about Benedetta is that she has established a new and complex method at my institute in a very determined and persistent manner and that she is also very committed to teaching at the same time.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Patricia Strohmaier: >>After completing my PhD, I was enthusiastic to work on a new research project, to dive into a new topic and acquire knowledge about another era of art history.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Patricia Strohmaier: >>The Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act #WissZeitVG doesn’t offer young researchers secure and predictable employment perspectives, so it’s hard to tell where I’ll be in 5 years.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Julia Trinkert: >>What I appreciate about Patricia is that she is open to new topics, enjoys always finding new questions and then explores them very carefully.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Thirulogachandar Venkatasubbu: >>My profound interest in plant stem cells brings me to the Institute of Plant Genetics at Heinrich Heine University.
Apart from getting an opportunity to learn the different facets of stem cell regulation in the cereal crop barley, I was drawn to the University to practice teaching and associated activities, guiding students, learn closely from my supervisor how to efficiently run a research group, and develop other necessary skills to start an independent team soonish.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Thirulogachandar Venkatasubbu: >>I would like to be a leader of a research team that drives excellence with progressing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Further goals are to equip me with project and team management skills for developing successful young scientists and gain proficiency in teaching courses in the German language.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Maria von Korff Schmising: >>I appreciate Chandar's interest in and dedication to research on barley spike development.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Sabrina Bennstein: >>I am passionate about my research and science, in particular human immunology. I am fascinated by the human immune system, especially the development, and hope to contribute with my research to a better understanding of the immune system and maybe in the future treatment option for patients.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Sabrina Bennstein: >>I would love to stay in academia and if I am lucky, would love to have my own junior research group.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Markus Uhrberg: >>That she is always positive about her work, no matter what! That she is absolutely fearless in taking on new scientific and technical challenges! That she is following her own ideas even if her boss is skeptical!<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Ana Krajinovic:>>My motivation for doing research in linguistics comes from my curiosity about how language and human cognition work. Even as a child, I always approached the world through critical thinking, and science allows me to do exactly that: Gain knowledge by asking questions. What I like about linguistics is that it unites many different levels of scientific reasoning, from micro perspectives on individual phenomena in specific languages to macro perspectives on human populations and deep history. On a day-to-day basis, my motivation is fueled by discussing science and collaborating with my colleagues and our amazing team.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Ana Krajinovic: >>Research is a creative process and it can take you to places you can’t always predict, but I am pretty sure I will be doing something interdisciplinary I currently know nothing about. I am looking forward to it, but I know myself and I really can’t tell you what or where it's going to be. I also like not knowing because this approach allows my curiosity to go to where the fun is, which makes the potential for big discoveries that much greater.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Kilu von Prince: >>Ana is a brilliant and highly innovative thinker, as well as a passionate teacher. Through her multinational background and exceptionally broad expertise, I constantly learn new things from her. She is also an excellent communicator and I enjoy working with her very much.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Okka Scholz: >>A postdoc position is a good chance to expand my research skills, and also helps me to further improve professional skills that are relevant for later positions and my future career.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Okka Scholz: >>I would prefer to work on an interesting project in a company, possibly together with my small team. Until then, I would like to meet new challenges and expand my knowledge.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Eckhard Lammert: >>Okka is an excellent scientist as well as excellent lab citizen, thus highly appreciated by my lab members and me.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Daniel Kamhöfer:>>There is great potential for evidence-driven policies to make people’s everyday lives better. For instance, when entering adolescence, individuals face an array of challenges such as peer pressure, temptation, and impulsive decision-making. Schools that offer specialized lessons focusing on children’s social and emotional development, in addition to the core subjects, can help to mitigate these challenges. In these lessons, children learn how to manage their emotions, achieve their goals, and have supportive relationships with others.
As a postdoc at the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics, I have the time, freedom, and means to analyze such changes in education and how they affect people’s lives. By applying statistical methods to large datasets, I assess how educational interventions may affect individuals’ cognitive and socio-emotional skills, their preferences, and how they make decisions. I am also interested in how this shapes people’s economic outcomes and their physical and mental well-being. Understanding which features of the educational system constitute promising policies can guide the design of future reforms and ultimately foster individual prosperity and reduce social inequality.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Daniel Kamhöfer: >>One of the things I like most about being a researcher is that it allows me to do something worthwhile, something that has the potential to make a difference. As a postdoc, I learn new things every day and, at the same time, contribute to the scientific process – albeit on a very small scale. I would like to have a job that allows me to continue to do so, while also providing economic security. A job that offers me the perspective to gain new competencies, for instance, in management and leadership, and that allows me to shoulder more responsibility. This might be a professor position or a job in a research institute or a public agency.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch: >>Daniel is a great colleague and coauthor. On top of his excellent skills in data analysis and visualization, he is critical towards own work, open and constructive in discussions, and an independent thinker, always striving to deliver the best possible empirical research. I also appreciate his good humor.<<

What is your motivation for doing a postdoc?
Jasmin Pfeifer:>>I want to stay in academia and become a professor, so doing a postdoc was the next logical step.<<

Where/In which position do you see yourself in 5 years?
Jasmin Pfeifer: >>Hopefully as a PI at the end of the first funding period of the CRC that we are just applying for.<<

What do you appreciate about your postdocs work/ skills/ talents?
Ingo Plag: >>Jasmin is very dedicated and a hard worker. She has excellent organizational skills, and is highly enthusiastic about her work.<<