The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is presenting the "Career Development Awards" for the first time. Eleven junior researchers from the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and engineering at the universities of the partner institutions will receive the award in the winter semester of 2021/22. The researchers funded are granted leave of absence and will be released from all official duties to enable them to focus on their own research project. In this way, the funding supports the personal profile and further career development of the postdocs.

While some want to use the time to author articles, others plan archival research, studies, or research abroad. Many funded projects also involve cooperation with researchers from another partner institution of the Berlin University Alliance. In this way, the funding line contributes to shaping the common integrated research environment, creates a new culture of cooperation in research, and promotes mobility and cooperation among partner institutions.

"With the Career Development Awards, the alliance strengthens the career development of excellent junior researchers. For the researchers funded, the award is intended as a 'career booster'. They are given time and financial support to reach the next milestones that are important for their individual careers," says Prof. Dr. Søren Salomo, Chair of Technology and Innovation Management at Technische Universität Berlin and spokesperson for the steering committee Promoting Talent.

The researchers funded and their research projects in detail:

• Dr. Mareike Bayer, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, AG Klinische Psychologie Sozialer Interaktion: „Mental health in Autism Spectrum Conditions”
• Dr. Sebastian Bender, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Theoretische Philosophie/Philosophiegeschichte: „Nicht-idealer Liberalismus: die vergessene liberale Tradition“
• Dr.-Ing. Andreas Brück, Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung, Labor K: „Critical Mapping in Municipalist Movements (CMMM) - BOOK“
• Dr. Lars Jenßen, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften, Abteilung Grundschulpädagogik: „Scham und Stolz in Mathematik bei angehenden Primarstufenlehrkräften (PriSMa)“
• Dr. Kira Jürjens, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für deutsche Literatur: „Die Temperatur der Literatur. Physikalisches Wissen und poetische Form in der Moderne“
• Dr. Werner Krause, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Vergleichende Analyse Politischer Systeme: „Chances and Perils of Opinion Polls in Representative Democracies“
• Anna Katharina Kuhlen-Ruber, PhD, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Neurokognitive Psychologie: „Neurokognitive Mechanismen der Sprache in sozialer Interaktion“
• Dr. Susanne Antje Schmidt, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Wissenschaftsgeschichte): „Die Geschichte des Marshmallow-Tests. Psychologie, Bildung und soziale Herkunft in den USA 1950–2000“
• Dr. Daniel Tödt, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Seminar für Afrikawissenschaften: „African Maritime Workers and New Horizons in Transregional History”
• Dr. Nino Vallen, Freie Universität Berlin, Lateinamerika-Institut: „Living Well: World-Making and the Struggle over Natural Resources in Latin America (1830–1910)”
• Dr. Emanuel Viebahn, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Wissenschaftstheorie der Naturwissenschaften und Naturphilosophie: „The philosophy of disinformation”

The Berlin University Alliance

The Berlin University Alliance is a consortium consisting of three major Berlin universities – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin – and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, established to shape research and education in Berlin. The four partners joined forces to further develop Berlin as a research hub with international drawing power. Together the partners explore major societal challenges, increase public outreach, promote the training of junior researchers, address issues of quality and standards in research, and share resources in the areas of research infrastructure, teaching, diversity, equal opportunities, and internationalization. The Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the state of Berlin under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder.

Joint press release from Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin along with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Press contact
Hans-Christoph Keller, acting press spokesperson for the Berlin University Alliance and press spokesperson for Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Email: medien@berlin-university-alliance.de