Postdoc Perspectives & Picnic
MaP is hosting a new event series aimed at postdoctoral researchers. The events will take place about three times per year at irregular intervals.
Past events
How to master the faculty interview – tips and tricks from MaP professors
8 April 2024, 12.00-14.00 | ETH Hönggerberg, HCI J 498
As a postdoc or senior scientist, you might be thinking about the next step in your academic career: applying for a faculty position. As our short survey for the "How to start your own lab" workshop has shown, the faculty interview and how to master it is a topic many of you are interested in.
MaP has therefore asked three MaP professors to talk about their interview experiences and answer your questions.
If you would like to stay for lunch (offered by MaP) afterwards and network with the presenters and fellow postdocs and senior scientists, please let us know in the registration form.
Prof. Kjell Jorner, Digital Chemistry, D-CHAB
Prof. Kjell Jorner is an Assistant Professor of Digital Chemistry in the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. He received his PhD from Uppsala University on the photochemistry of aromatic compounds. Postdoctoral studies at AstraZeneca UK focused on reaction prediction using computational chemistry and machine learning. Further postdoctoral studies at the University of Toronto focused on molecular design of catalysts and organic electronic materials.
Prof. Wenchao Xu, Experimental Quantum Engineering, D-PHYS
Prof. Wenchao Xu is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Physics Department. She currently is also a group leader at Paul Scherrer Institute. Before joining ETH Zurich, she worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 2018 and 2022. She received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018. Her research interests are centered on quantum simulation, quantum computation, and quantum nonlinear optics with experimental platforms based on neutral atoms.
Prof. Arkadiy Simonov, Disordered Materials, D-MATL
Prof. Arkadiy Simonov is an Assistant Professor of Disordered Materials in the Department of Materials. Arkadiy Simonov’s research focuses on the generation, characterisation and control of disorder in crystalline materials. He has developed a novel method of characterising the structure of materials, which he will use to investigate the effects of electronic disorder in quantum materials. By making this appointment, the department is expanding the field of solid state physics beyond the traditional methods of crystallography and strengthening its links with research institutions such as the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).
This workshop aims to show you all the tools you need to start your own academic research group. It is highly interactive and mostly based on discussions and interactive exercises.
The workshop consists of one full day of in-person training and a half-day webinar.
Content & topics
Your trainer will adapt the workshop based on your wishes and needs. It may include (a selection of) the following topics:
- How to manage your projects
- How to select your co-workers
- How to lead your team
- How to secure funding
- How to communicate your research
- How to master the Faculty interview
Your trainer
Prof. Dr. Max von Delius (PhD) is a W3 Professor for Organic Chemistry at the University of Ulm. He´s a highly successful group leader since 2013. He received funding from the Emmy-Noether programme of the DFG as well as an ERC starting grant. His research interests encompass the synthesis of functional organic materials and the investigation of complex chemical networks. As young professor (born 1982), he´s aware of all the challenges that young group leaders in the natural sciences face and addresses these in an interactive setting.
Dates & Location
- Thursday, 29.02.2024 | 9.00-17.00 | ETH Zentrum
- Thursday, 14.03.2024 | 9.00-12.30 | online
The course is for postdocs and senior scientists from MaP member groups only. It is fully booked (15 people).
If the feedback from the participants is positive, MaP may offer it again at a later date.
For this workshop, MaP collaborates with naturalscience.careers.
Applying for ETH and SNSF grants – tips and tricks from fellow postdocs
5 September 2023, 12.00-14.00 | ETH Hönggerberg, HCI J 498
SNSF Ambizione Grant, SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowship, ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship, … Applying for funding grants can be very bureaucratic and unnerving. MaP asked three ETH postdocs to talk about their experience with the application procedure and the interview. They shared tips and tricks and answered questions.
Dr. Tanner Jankins received his PhD from the Scripps Research Institute in 2022. He received the SNSF Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in July 2023. His research focuses on reversible catalytic reactions for chemical waste valorization at the Department of Chemistry (D-CHAB), where he works under Prof. Bill Morandi. He is currently applying for independent positions in the USA and Europe.
Dr. Minghan Hu recently received the SNSF Swiss National Science Foundation Ambizione grant. He will focus his future research on microrobots at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), where he will soon start his own junior group under Prof. Brad Nelson & Prof. Salvador Pané i Vidal. Until July 2023, he was a postdoc in Prof. Lucio Isa’s group (Soft Materials and Interfaces).
Dr. Alexander Henkes received his PhD from the Technical University of Braunschweig in October 2022. He received the ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2023, starting in September. His research focuses on artificial neural networks and neuromorphic computing for physical simulations at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), where he works under Prof. Dr. Laura De Lorenzis.
A recap and some pictures can be found in the event news article.
Would you like to suggest a topic for one of the following postdoc workshops? Or do you need interdisciplinary input on a research problem that you’d like to present to fellow postdocs? Contact us!