Young researchers strengthen their writing and grant application skills

This year the meeting was titled “Enhancing Academic Writing and Grant Applications Skills for Early-Career Researchers” with daily workshops designed to provide the participants with essential competencies for their academic careers, preparing them to navigate competitive environments, highlight their strengths, and tackle their tasks with confidence. This meeting was designed by Jessica Hargreaves from MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, postdoc in the Priority Programme’s coordination, with the help of the Gender & Diversity Consulting of the University of Bremen. “The meeting was designed in line with the DFG diversity dimensions to promote advancement of diversity in science, focusing on promoting equality” explains Jessica Hargreaves, with the meeting funded by the Priority Programme’s standard allowance for gender equality measures (Pauschale für Chancengleichheitsmaßnahmen). The meeting consisted of two major workshops from external trainers, Dr. Karin Bodewits and Professor Inger Mewburn, and a third day delivered by Dr. Jessica Hargreaves.

Guest speaker Karin Bodewits from NaturalScience.Careers traveled to Bremen to highlight the importance of scholarships, travel grants, and fellowships. She explained that these not only provide academic support but are also key to success in various sectors, including academia, industry and non-governmental organizations. In addition to this in-person session there was an online workshop from Professor Mewburn at the Australian National University on How to Write Logically Coherent Sentences. Professor Mewburn showed the ECR participants how to structure their research findings to enhance clarity and readability, and emphasized the importance of precise language and logical transitions in scientific communication to ensure engagement and comprehension.

“One aspect of the meeting was to encourage in-depth discussions on complex topics related to academic writing while also providing opportunities for information exchange and networking”, explains Jessica Hargreaves. In the evenings, participants engaged in further debate over provocative statements such as, “Citations and journal impact factors are meaningless—real academic success should be measured by public engagement and policy influence” and “The best academics are not necessarily the smartest—they are just the most persistent”. These informal opportunities to discuss thought-provoking topics are rare in an academic environment where networking is often undervalued. This makes ECR meetings, which foster an informal and safe atmosphere, incredibly important," suggests Jessica.

“The DFG Priority Programme “Tropical Climate Variability & Coral Reefs” (SPP 2299) is strongly committed to the promotion of gender equality and diversity. Equity and diversity measures were comprehensively integrated into the Priority Programme as a cross-sectional topic”, emphasizes Thomas Felis from MARUM, coordinator of the programme.

SPP 2299 aims to improve our understanding of tropical climate variability and its impacts on coral reef ecosystems in a warming world. The programme brings together over 40 researchers from 15 institutions across Germany (10 universities, 3 Helmholtz Centres, 1 Max Planck Institute, 1 Leibniz Centre) using novel geochemical and isotopic tools applied to coral skeletons, along with advanced statistical methods and earth system modelling to not only understand past and future tropical climate but also coral responses to past and future heat stress. The unique interdisciplinary nature of the participants and the ability to focus on different scales in time and space will help broaden our perspectives and better prepare for the warmer future we are entering into.

The Priority Programme (SPP 2299) has been running for two and a half years, with the first phase of the programme coordinated by Thomas Felis from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen. In addition to the coordination, MARUM is involved with 4 scientific projects and a total of 8 researchers.