Organization
Dr. Ngoc Duyen Tanja Tu (IDS) and Dr. Shyam Krishnan (Leibniz-HKI) who has been elected as spokespersons, along with two coordinators on behalf of each working group, represent the Leibniz PostDoc Network. These spokespersons and the working group coordinators together constitute the Leibniz PostDoc Network Steering Committee.
For the period of 2024-2025, there are seven working groups that focus on current topical issues within the network. They suggest and implement next steps concerning the following topics:
- Survey
- Communication
- Infrastructure
- Work & health
- Career development
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Sustainability
The core topics covered in the working groups may change over time, new topical focuses can be suggested at every annual meeting and will be voted on. Working groups are open to all postdocs in the Leibniz Association. If you want to join a working group, please do so by contacting the spokespersons and the working group coordinators.
Spokespersons
Dr. Ngoc Duyen Tanja Tu
Leibniz Institute for the German Language (IDS)
Tanja is a researcher at the Leibniz Institute for the German Language. She studied German studies and Computer science in Mannheim. Combining her knowledge in both fields, her research focuses on the further development of natural language processing methods to preprocess and analyse linguistic data. She joined the Leibniz Postdoc Network to connect with her peers and to advocate for their needs.
Dr. Shyam Krishnan
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI)
As a medical biochemist from India with academic and industry research experience in stem cells and regenerative medicine, Shyam Krishnan moved to the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Jena, in 2018. During his PhD, he investigated the aging of blood-forming stem cells, the precursors of immune cells, using various models. Currently, he is part of the Microbial Immunology team at the Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) in Jena as a postdoctoral scientist. His research focuses on understanding the influence of microbial infections on immune cells under immunocompromised environments. As a spokesperson at the Leibniz PostDoc Network (LPN), he aims to advocate for postdocs’ professional development and well-being by creating a more supportive and dynamic environment.
Alumni:
Dr. Mine Altinli (BNITM), Dr. Peter Amer Arrabiyeh (IVW), Dr. Rajini Nagrani (BIPS), Dr. Marta-Ferreira-Gomes (DRFZ), Dr. Steve Doo (ZMT), Dr. Sami Ullah (DSMZ), Dr. Gitta Heinz (DRFZ), Dr. Lydia Repke (GESIS)
Financial officer
Alumni:
Malgorzata Kogut-Günthel (LSB@TUM), Marta Ferreira-Gomes (DRFZ), Lydia Repke (GESIS)
Working Groups
WG 1 – Survey
The goal of WG 1 is to collect and provide data on Leibniz PostDocs to get an idea about who Leibniz PostDocs are and how they are doing at their Leibniz Institutes. We regularly administer surveys, analyze and publish the results, as well as present the results in the Leibniz Postdoc Network, at meetings, or conferences. In summer 2020, we administered the First Leibniz PostDoc Survey to examine employment histories, future career plans and training needs, as well as challenges concerning work-life balance or relationships with superiors. Some of the questions were specifically related to the situation of Leibniz PostDocs with an international background. The results of this survey are available on our website (see Resources).
In winter 2022/23, we run the Second Leibniz PostDoc Survey that aims at providing an update on many aspects asked in the first survey. Additionally, we included new topics in the survey, targeting aspects like working remotely or mental health. With all these questions, we hope to provide evidence on topics that currently matter for Leibniz PostDocs.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Paula Torre Zaffaroni
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
Paula is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin. As part of the ODER~SO project, she studies the multivariate interactions between physicochemical, climatic, and hydrological conditions integrating extensive environmental and Earth observation records. She studied Environmental Sciences and got her PhD at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), where she developed a strong interest in the interplay between landscape, regional and global patterns of surface water dynamics. Within the LPN, she hopes to contribute by translating the concerns and interests of postdoctoral researchers into actionable plans within and across institutes.
Group members:
Dr. Altaaf Mechiche Alami | Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
Dr. Theresa Nutz | GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS)
Dr. Emilio Perez-Bosch Quesada | Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics (IHG)
Dr. Paula Torre Zaffaroni | Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
Alumni:
Dr. Mine Altinli (BNITM), Dr. Johannes Breuer (GESIS), Dr. Verónica Díez Díaz (MfN), Dr. Daniela Fiedler (IPN), Dr. Tamara Heck (DIPF), Dr. Gitta Heinz (DRFZ), Dr. Sabrina Hempel (ATB), Dr. Thomas Lösch (DIPF), Dr. Lydia Repke (GESIS), Dr. Lena Roemer (GESIS) and Dr. Gundula Zoch (LIfBi)
WG 2 – Communication
The working group Public Communication and Advocacy develops and communicates a shared denominator for the heterogeneous interest group of postdocs. Our intention is to raise the profile of postdocs at the Leibniz Association (and beyond) inside and outside of academia.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Gregor Kalinkat
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
Gregor is an animal ecologist at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin. He currently works in a project that aims to develop and test street lightings that reduce negative effects on insects funded via BfN (German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Environment).
Dr. Christian Nehls
Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB)
Christian belongs to the division of Biophysics at the Research Center Borstel. Since his physics studies, he has been particularly fascinated by interdisciplinary collaboration on questions with medical relevance. One of his major research interests has been membrane-associated mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity factors and host defense molecules. As a postdoctoral researcher in a current project of the Leibniz Cooperative Excellence, he is investigating the physical basis of bacterial propagation strategies (A risk index for health effects of mineral dust and associated microbes). Christian engages in the Leibniz PostDoc Network to strengthen the scientific mid-level staff, identify blind spots in the system, and address them through communication.
Group members:
Dr. Mine Altinli | Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)
WG 3 – Infrastructure
The general aim of this working group is to conceptualise, set up and maintain the communication infrastructure of the Leibniz PostDoc-Network and to expand the reach of the network. We maintain the website, advertise the communication channels like the listserv, and reach out to the PostDoc representatives at the individual institutes. As Felix describes it, this is the “machine room” of the network. Our goal is to reach every PostDoc within the Leibniz society, so that they can experience the benefit of the network.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Maya Giridhar
Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB@TUM)
Maya moved to Germany in 2014 to pursue her Master’s at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Further, she completed her Ph.D. in Plant Cell Biology from the University of Bonn in 2021. Since then she has been working as a Postdoctoral researcher at LSB@TUM. Her current research is to use spatial transcriptomics to profile the morphological and transcriptional data in crops using high resolution microarrays. As a member of the Leibniz Postdoc Network, she is thrilled to be a part of the “Machine room” and expand the network.
Dr. Bastian Seelbinder
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI)
Bastian currently works as a PostDoc in the Microbiome Dynamics department at Leibniz-HKI. He studied theoretical bioinformatics and applies his knowledge of multi-OMICs integration to the study of microbiomes in different human metabolic diseases as well as different environments.
Group members:
Dr. Peter Amer Arrabiyeh | Leibniz-Institute for Composite Materials (IVW)
Dr. Roxana Cremer | Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung (TROPOS)
Dr. Felix Victor, Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI)
Alumni:
Dr. Johanna Callhoff (DRFZ)
WG 4 – Work & health
The Working Conditions and Mental Health working group has two main aims: First, we want to address and advocate for key issues postdoctoral researchers face when working at Leibniz Institutes, such as mental health and wellbeing issues, contract issues (i.e., WissZeitVG, Einstufung), and working issues that are particularly exacerbated by the pandemic (i.e., care obligations, contract extensions, social isolation). Based on our international experience, we aim to develop new resources for postdoctoral researchers that help them settling in in Germany. This includes developing a welcome package for Leibniz PostDocs and providing an overview of important official documents that international postdocs need (English versions), resources for networking during the pandemic, and beyond.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Judith Boldt
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH (DSMZ)
Judith initially studied bioinformatics and received her bachelor’s degree from the TU München and LMU. She then moved to Paris to combine lab experiments and computational analyses during her master studies ‘Interdisciplinary Approaches to Life Science’ at Université Paris Descartes. During her PhD work at College de France in Paris and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas she focused on coevolution of genes, as well as protein thermal stability. For her postdoc, Judith is back in Germany, working at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig. Her projects revolve around natural products from bacteria and brought her back to her roots in bioinformatics.
Group members:
Dr. Peter Amer Arrabiyeh | Leibniz-Institute for Composite Materials (IVW)
Dr. Malgorzata Kogut-Günthel |Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB@TUM)
Dr. Jacqueline Kroh | Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi)
Dr. Praveen Kumar |Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB@TUM)
Dr. Daniel Felipe Saldivia Gonzatti | Berlin Social Science Center (WZB)
Dr. Axel Schulz | German Rheumatism Research Center (DRFZ)
Alumni:
Dr. Katarzyna Hnida-Gut (IHP), Dr. Jacqueline Malchow (DSC), Dr. Lisa Belkacemi (Leibniz-IWT), Dr. Marlene Mauk (GESIS), Dr. Nathalie Topaj (ZAS), Dr. Gillian Dornan (FMP) and Dr. Mine Altlini (BNITM), Dr. Andreas Weich (GEI)
WG 5 – Career Development
The Career Development working group has one main goal: To offer support for the development of essential skills for postdocs. This includes training opportunities on, for example, grant writing, project management, or communication. Hereby, we want to make use of the size and heterogeneity of the Leibniz Association and establish collaborations to make these courses available to a broader audience.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Razieh Abdollahipour
Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy e.V. (ATB)
Razieh completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2022, specializing in Control and focusing on the consensus of uncertain multi-agent systems. She began her role as a scientist at ATB Institute in 2023, with research interests that span Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, and Control Systems and she is passionate about advancing AI-driven solutions. Razieh is now thrilled to coordinate the Career Development group, where she is dedicated to supporting and empowering her peers in navigating their career paths.
Dr. Thi Huyen Trang Dam
Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy e.V. (ATB)
Dr. Thi Huyen Trang Dam earned a doctorate in Agricultural Economics from Humboldt University of Berlin, specializing in climate change impact assessment. Since 2022, Trang has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) in Potsdam, where she combines project coordination and research work, focusing on advancing the bioeconomy to enhance soil health and sustainability through innovative approaches for sustainable farming practices. Recently, Trang joined the Coordination Team of the Career Development Group and looks forward to contributing to supporting and empowering fellow researchers in their professional growth.
Group members:
Dr. Peter Amer Arrabiyeh | Leibniz-Institute for Composite Materials (IVW)
Dr. Sabrina Hempel | Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
Dr. Yvette Meissner | German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin (DRFZ)
Dr. Rajini Nagrani | Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research & Epidemiology – BIPS (BIPS)
Dr. Agata Olszewska-Widdrat | Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
Dr. Justine Tanoey | Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research & Epidemiology – BIPS (BIPS)
Dr. Tanja Tu | Institute for German Language (IDS)
Alumni:
Dr. Marta Ferreira Gomes (DRFZ), Dr. Sina Fackler (LIfBi) and Dr. Christina Stehle (DRFZ)
WG 6 – Diversity and Inclusion
This working group is dedicated to issues of diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality with regard to the functioning of the Leibniz PostDoc Network and the Leibniz-wide workplace. On the one hand, we want to increase the awareness, acceptance, and importance of the differences between individuals within the Leibniz Association. On the other hand, we want to encourage an atmosphere that enhances mutual respect, active participation, and diverse contributions among Leibniz employees. We plan to implement concrete and sustainable practices of inclusion that will address intersectional inequalities.
WG Coordinators
Dr. Sravanthi Nadiminti
Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP)
Sravanthi obtained her PhD from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India. She started as a Postdoctoral Research at the FMP in Berlin since January 2023. Her research interests are protein trafficking and organelle biogenesis/maturation in neurons. With the Leibniz PostDoc network, she would like to connect with her peers and work with them to help make Leibniz institutes more diverse and inclusive.
Dr. Phoebe Griffith
Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
Phoebe is a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, where she works on the biocultural conservation of freshwater megafauna. Megafauna are the largest animals in inland waters, including crocodilians, large fish like sturgeon, salmonids, pike and catfish, river dolphins, and giant salamanders. These species are important for people and their ecosystems, and Phoebe seeks to understand the cultural and biological settings that lead to their conservation or decline. Phoebe completed her PhD with the University of Oxford and Zoological Society London in 2023, on the conservation of the gharial in Nepal. She would like to use her role in the Leibniz PostDoc network to help create positive change in terms of diversity and inclusion, and contribute to improving social and racial justice (fairness, equality, equity and rights) within the Leibniz institutes.
Group members:
Dr. Mine Altinli | Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)
Alumni:
Dr. Marion Henkel (INP), Dr. Rebea Kleymann (IGB) and Dr. Kingsly Chuo Beng (IGB)
WG 7 – Sustainability
The sustainability working group is a joint group with the Leibniz PhD Network, being coordinated by Kristine Oevel from the PhD Network.
For more information https://leibniz-phd.net/wg-sustainability/
Alumni:
Elif Köksoy (DSMZ)