New board „HZB Succeed“ has been founded
Members of the board "HZB succeed": The founding meeting showed how important the further development of our early career researchers is.
To support the development of young scientists at HZB in the best possible way - this has been a long-standing goal of the HZB. Now this task will be pursued even more strategically. To this end, the new board “HZB Succeed” has been founded in January 2022.
What does “HZB Succeed” stand for?
The members of this strategically oriented board provide impulses for high-quality support of scientists in the qualification phase, which is oriented towards the latest international standards and also meets the future scientific challenges of the HZB.
The name “HZB Succeed” stands for: HZB support, competence and career advice (for early career researchers development).
“With the strategic board, we have another important building block for optimally setting up and further developing the support of our early career researchers. The first meeting of the board was very motivational and I am looking forward to the lively exchange”, says Bernd Rech, scientific director of the HZB.
What are the goals of “HZB Succeed”?
The goal of this collaborative effort is to connect the scientific needs of the research areas at HZB more strongly to personnel development measures, and to check the current offers from the Graduate Center and the Postdoc Office for their future viability. In addition to academic career paths, non-academic career paths and the respective requirements for early career researchers will be given greater consideration in the HZB offers.
The board meets twice per year. “It is a milestone for the career support of early career researchers. With this, HZB once again makes clear how important it takes its responsibility for temporarily employed scientists”, says Christoph Scherfer, contact person of the Postdoc Office. His colleague from the HZB Graduate Center Nicole Schmid: “The new perspectives on the support of early career researchers at the center will directly benefit our target groups.”
Who is part of the board?
- Bernd Rech, scientific director
- Representatives of the scientific departments: Klaus Habicht, Atoosa Meseck, Roel van de Krol, Renske van der Veen
- On early career researchers support: Nicole Schmid (Graduate Center), Christoph Scherfer (Postdoc Office), Cécile Dufloux (HZB Stab, young investigator groups)
- On Information Technology: Ants Finke (department head IT)
- On Technology Transfer and Innovation: Paul Harten (department head GF-TTI)
- An external member from industry (planned)
- Postdocs at HZB: Crucial for research, innovation and diversityAt HZB, 117 postdocs from 29 countries are employed. They play a crucial role in driving the main research activities, fostering creativity and innovation. To honor them, the Postdoc Appreciation Week was first organised in the USA in 2009 and has in the meantime become a regular event in Germany as well in the third week of September every year.
- Green hydrogen: MXenes shows talent as catalyst for oxygen evolutionThe MXene class of materials has many talents. An international team led by HZB chemist Michelle Browne has now demonstrated that MXenes, properly functionalised, are excellent catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in electrolytic water splitting. They are more stable and efficient than the best metal oxide catalysts currently available. The team is now extensively characterising these MXene catalysts for water splitting at the Berlin X-ray source BESSY II and Soleil Synchrotron in France.
- 13 trainees start their careers at HZBA new phase of life began for 13 young people on 2 September: HZB welcomed five new trainees, six students on dual study programmes and two participants in a Voluntary Year of Science. They all are starting their careers with great anticipation.