Early Career Support and Graduate Center
We are a central service for information on doctoral degrees, postdoctoral research, habilitations, heads of junior research groups, and assistant professorships (equivalent to the EU research profile categories R1 to R3). The Graduate Center coordinates all structured doctoral programs and supports doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers and habilitation candidates, as well as supervisors of doctoral degrees and habilitations at FAU.
Information on Early Career Support
Moving Knowledge. Encouraging talent.
FAU has adopted principles for supporting researchers in the early stages of their careers, which provide guidance for attracting, supporting, and assisting outstanding scientists from around the world in the early stages of their careers, and establish a culture of appreciation, independence, and responsibility.
FAU principles for supporting researchers in the early stages of their careers
Steering committee and contributors
Early Career Support: Management and team
Click on the tabs to receive further information about the Early Career Support management and team.
Chairperson
Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch
Head
Contact
Faculty representatives
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Achtziger
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr. rer. nat Christoph Bert
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Knut Graichen
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Knut Graichen
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr. Nicole Koschate-Fischer
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Leven
Professors
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dominik Müller
Professors
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Prof. Dr. Heinrich de Wall
Professors
Contact
Research staff representatives
Nicolai von Schroeders
Research associates
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Doctoral candidates’ representatives
Kian Schmalenbach
Research associates
Contact
Timo Schwall
Research associates
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Director of the Graduate Center
Dr. Christian Schmitt-Engel
Head
Contact
Our motivated team includes members from business and economics, the humanities and social sciences, the sciences and engineering.
We are always here to help, regardless of which subject you are pursuing an academic career in.
Dr. Christian Schmitt-Engel
Head
Contact
Dr. Henriette Müller-Ahrndt
Deputy
Contact
Dr. Silke Schnurbusch
Postdoc support, FAUnext, Coaching
Contact
Dr. Elena Zeißler
Doctorate Counselling and Binational Doctorates
Contact
Kerstin Puls
Seminars and workshops
Contact
Christa Schmidt
General concerns
Contact
Athanasia Pliakogianni
FAUnext, ETI, Blog,
Contact
Dr. Christopher Kearney
Counselling on doctorates, docDaten, Graduate Center
Contact
Julia Drafz
Counselling on doctorates, docDaten, Graduate Center
Contact
Office of Doctoral Affairs at the Graduate Center
Silke Brownlie
Admission to a doctorate for Dr. med., Dr. med. dent., Dr. rer. biol. hum., Dr. rer. nat.
Contact
Irene Deger
Doctoral examination procedure Dr. rer. nat.
Contact
Naemi Wagner
Doctoral examination procedure Dr. med., Dr. med. dent.
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Helge Weiland
Doctoral admission and examination procedure Dr. phil.
Contact
Dates
- 05DecDecember 4, 2025, 9:00 am – December 5, 2025, 1:00 pm
Online
- 08Dec9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Online
- 10Dec
- 10Dec12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Please register here: https://fau.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/RaTLxkBERVW6CUAxiMb1Fg
- 11Dec