Berlin Postdoc Day 2026 day 1

Berlin Postdoc Day 2026 brings together postdocs and final-year PhD researchers from Berlin and the surrounding research community for a day of scientific exchange, career development and networking.

The event creates space for conversations that often do not fit into a regular conference programme: What comes after the postdoc phase? How do researchers navigate moves between fields, institutions or career paths? What lessons, challenges and opportunities shape the postdoc experience?

Participants can expect a varied programme with talks, career counseling, practical workshops and networking opportunities designed around topics relevant to early-career researchers. The event also includes a poster session with a twist: researchers will have an opportunity to present their work in a way that is accessible to a non-specialist audience. The strongest posters will be selected by both the audience and a committee.

Whether you are at the beginning of your postdoc, approaching the end of your PhD or considering your next career step, Berlin Postdoc Day is an opportunity to connect with the wider regional research community and take away practical insights, new contacts and fresh perspectives.

The event is open to postdocs and final-year PhD researchers from all disciplines and institutions in Berlin and the surrounding region.

Programme for day1:

08:30–09:00 Registration

09:00–09:05 Welcome & Icebreaker by Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine

09:05–09:20 Welcome by Berlin University Alliance

09:20–09:50 Talk: Postdoc Career Paths – what can you plan and act on in an uncertain world? – Dr. Philippa Cook

09:50–10:20 Talk: From Lab Bench to Laptop: finding my place in the scientific ecosystem – Dr. Giulia Glorani

10:20–10:50 Talk: Professional Networks and Career Trajectories – Anita Knappe

10:20 - 16:25 Carrer counseling (each session is 30 minutes long. Sessions run in parallel with talks and workshops)

10:50–11:10 Coffee break

11:10–12:10 Talk: What a Career in Sci Comm Actually Means – Dr. Olga Vvedenskaya

12:10–12:40 Talk: Academic Freedom in the time of artificial intelligence - Dr. Jean-Yves Tano

12:40 - 13:00 Talk: Career in Cancer Drug Discovery at Bayer Pharmaceuticals - Dr. Christoph Schatz 

13:00–14:00 Group photo, Lunch, booths and posters

Workshops will run in parallel sessions:

14:00 - 15:30 Academic Freedom in the time of artificial intelligence: impact of my Postdoc and future career (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine)

14:00 - 17:30 Lego® Serious Play for Career Development (Anita Knappe)

14:00 - 17:30 Building a Sci Comm Career Toolkit (Dr. Olga Vvedenskaya)

14:00 - 17:30 From Reflection to Narrative: Mapping and Communicating Your Postdoc Profile for Career Exploration (Dr. Philippa Cook)

17:30 - 18:30 Poster session, booths and networking with snacks and drinks

Check our programme for day 2 here:

Berlin Postdoc Day 2026 - day 2