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Would you like to become a professor? During this two-day workshop, we introduce you at an early stage to the key requirements for becoming a professor. We cover the entire process – from potential career and qualification paths, through the written application, the trial lecture, and the interview with the appointment committee, to the appointment negotiations themselves.
Through interactive exercises, subject-specific input, self-learning videos, and exchanges with experienced coaches and professors, you gain a practical overview of which path offers you the best prospects.
You will find out about the legal framework as well as the dos and don’ts of putting together an effective written application. You will also take a closer look at the requirements of the appointment procedure — in particular, the trial lecture before the appointment committee and the interview with the committee. We will likewise cover how to prepare for appointment negotiations.
On the second day, you will practice short presentations in a group setting and receive individual feedback from your peers. In addition, throughout this module, you will benefit from discussions with experienced professors at FAU.
To allow more time for the short presentations on the second day, some of the purely informational content is delivered in advance through self-learning videos on qualification paths to a professorship and appointment negotiations. You will receive the link to these videos before the module begins. Please allow enough time to watch them (two sessions of 60–70 minutes each), so that you can raise any questions about the content during the face-to-face sessions.
This module also gives you the opportunity to benefit from the expertise and experience of successful FAU professors.
FAUnext module on “Professorship as a career goal”
- Date: January 29 and February 5, 2026, 9 am to 5 pm
- Location: in person
- Places: 6
- Registration period: until December 1, 2025
Complete the picture you have of a career as a professor by talking to an expert for university, public service and labor law from the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV). During this session, you will have the opportunity to raise any specific questions you may have. We also offer you the opportunity to hear from excellent professors and benefit from their experience, particularly with regard to appointment negotiations.
The coaches will get in touch with you directly before the module starts to pass on details about what will be covered in the modules and to let you know if there are any documents which you should submit beforehand.
Module contents
- Questions about the self-learning video on qualification paths
- The selection process
- Writing an effective application
- Interview with appointment committee
- Questions about the self-learning video on appointment negotiations
- Brief presentation by participants with individual feedback
- Discussion with experienced professors from FAU
Date
January 29 and February 4, 2027, 9 am to 3.30 pm
- Location: in person, Freyeslebenstrasse 1, Erlangen
- Places: 6
- Registration period: until December 1, 2026
Coach
The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) helps shape education policy in Germany, particularly with respect to institutes of higher education. It represents university lecturers to the state and society in all matters relating to university policy, legal issues and economic interests. It is particularly concerned with supporting early career researchers.
Katharina Lemke has been head of the legal and advisory department at the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV)) since January 2025. Since 2017, she has been advising members of the DHV on matters regarding university, public service law and labor law, provides one-on-one coaching to researchers and also works as a speaker and author. In addition, she is state director of the DHV in North Rhine-Westphalia. Before working at the DHV, she was employed in third-party funding management at an extramural research institution. She studied law at the University of Cologne.
In this module, you also benefit from the expertise and experience of successful FAU professors.
FAU Postdoc Day
FAU holds a Postdoc Day every year. On the day, postdocs can take part in a simulated interview with the appointment committee in the auditorium and benefit from the experience and advice of professors and experts at FAU. The content of the ‘Professorship as a career goal’ module and the Postdoc Day have been coordinated, allowing us to prevent duplication of the contents and giving you the opportunity to take part in two comprehensive FAU events that support you on your path to becoming a professor.
Please contact the Postdoc Day coordinator Dr. Silke Schnurbusch if you have any comments or questions.