Project detailed view

Each year, the University of Cologne welcomes an increasing number of female scholars from abroad. Yet women in academia, like women in the working world generally, face many challenges. They are underrepresented, especially at the top-tier levels, and often bear a disproportionate share of the responsibility for childcare. As a result, many women abandon their academic careers. The University of Cologne is pleased to announce the fourth year of the IFS Mentoring Program. It is the first such program in Germany designed especially for female academics from abroad. It matches PhD students and postdoctoral fellows with experienced professors in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Through this system, mentees learn strategies for individual career planning, gain insights into the informal rules and structures of university life in Germany, and grow their networks. The program is accompanied by a variety of workshops and individual coaching sessions, the so-called framework program. This framework program as well as the one-to-one mentoring take place in English. The University of Cologne pursues policies that promote active human resource development and gender mainstreaming. The Mentoring Program for International Female Scholars is an innovative initiative that encourages women to pursue and advance careers in academia, whether at the University of Cologne or at their home universities. In particular, by providing support for work and family, the program aims to reduce the high attrition rate for women in academic professions.