Get ahead in your career

Young researchers will benefit from thinking strategically about their career options. A good place to get advice is AU’s Junior Researcher Development Program (JRDP). The program is for young researchers with fixed-term employment such as postdoc or assistant professor.

“The aim of JRDP is to make the future less uncertain by charting possible career paths. The JRDP also support the development of skills needed to reach the next step on the career ladder,” says Lise Wogensen Bach, Vice-dean of Talent Development at Health.

The JRDP is a university wide initiative developed to address the fact that a career as a tenured researcher has become harder to obtain.

“A variety of career opportunities is available to young researchers and they are sought after in the global job market. At Aarhus University, we focus on career development and the main responsibility lies with the research leader. JRDP supports this by providing access to tools for career plans and competency profiles, and information about the job market for academics with research skills”, says Lise Wogensen Bach.

On October 31 and December 3, the faculty hosts information meetings about JRDP. In addition to presentations on JRDP, there will be presentations by associate professor Søren Smedegaard from Center for Educational Development and Digital Media at CUDIM, and by associate professor and deputy director Nikolaj Zinner from AIAS. The presentations will address issues such as matching of expectations, job satisfaction, and career development in practice. Lise Wogensen Bach strongly recommends participating if you are a postdoc or assistant professor, or yourself a research leader for a young researcher.

“At the meetings we will present what JRDP can offer, but also listen to what is needed. We want the offers to fit our young researchers and their needs”, says Lise Wogensen Bach.

The information meetings will take place:

• On October 31, 2019 at 8.30-10.00 am at the Department of Public Health (room 118). We will serve coffee, tea and breakfast rolls.
• On December 3, 2019 at 11.30-13.00 at AUH Skejby (room G206-124). Bring your lunch.

There are around 30 available places and they will be assigned on a first-come-first served basis.

Sign up by mail to tanja.hansen@au.dk before – respectively – October 28, 2018 and November 28, 2019.

See also: https://talent.au.dk/junior-researcher-development-programme/