Munich Postdoc Night

Showcase your Science

September 12, 2024

In Munich, we have joined forces this year to organise the first Munich Postdoc Night, giving postdocs the opportunity to connect and network across different disciplines and institutions to discuss their research.

The first Munich Postdoc Night is dedicated to recognising and celebrating the valuable contributions of postdoctoral researchers and will take place on the eve of the Postdoc Appreciation Week. Postdocs play a crucial role in the scientific community, driving innovation, fostering collaborations, and participating in outreach activities that shape the future of science. This event is about honoring their hard work, dedication, and achievements, providing postdocs in the Munich area with a space to connect across institutions and disciplines, engage in scientific discussions, and expand their network.

The event will take place on Thursday, September 12th from 5:00-9:00 pm, hosted at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) at Odeonsplatz.

Do not miss the exciting keynote lectures and the poster session. Engage with key actors in Munich, which are shaping and leading involved in outreach activities and collaboration across institutions. These networks will present their opportunities for postdocs and present how science can connect a city like Munich.

What to expect?

We are looking forward to these highlights during the first Munich Postdoc Night:

Poster Walk and Science Slam: Learn more about the research of >50 postdocs in the Munich area! Vote for your favorites & help them to win awards sponsored by the City of Munich and the Deutsches Museum
Meet exciting projects and initiatives engaged in outreach and collaboration
Network with other postdocs over snacks & drinks
Get inspired by our Keynote Speaker Kim Ludwig-Petsch and his insights on Science Communication
Welcome notes by BAdW President Prof. Dr. Markus Schwaiger and the Munich Postdoc Network

Meet our keynote speaker! Kim Ludwig-Petsch

Kim Ludwig-Petsch is an experienced physics educator and has worked in museums and science centres for over 15 years. As a science entertainer, slammer, and communicator, he shares his enthusiasm for science and technology with his audiences. He has been the network coordinator for the MINT region in Freising since 2023 and is co-founder of the non-profit organisation Curiocity gGmbH, which develops an extracurricular MINT programme and science center.

Munich Postdoc Night - Keynote talk:
Enhancing Science Communication: The Power of Hands-On Interaction
In today's fast-paced world, effective science communication is more important than ever. This talk will explore the 'why' and 'how' of science communication, emphasising the importance of bridging the gap between complex scientific concepts and public understanding. We will look at the transformative power of hands-on experiences, illustrating how tactile engagement can demystify science and foster deeper learning. Central to our discussion will be the concept that learning is fun, and how interactive and enjoyable educational experiences can spark curiosity and passion for science.

Postdocs Shine at Munich Postdoc Night

September 12, 2024

Author: Dr. Sahar Hofmann

Our Munich Postdoc Night event took place last month. We began the evening with the President of the Bavarian Academy of Science and Humanities, Prof. Dr. Markus Schwaiger remarking on the importance of supporting and highlighting the amazing work of our postdocs in Munich and beyond. Our Keynote Speaker, Kim Ludwig-Petsch amazed us with his simple physic but effective science experiments, reminding us of the importance of science communication beyond academia. Kim also reminded us that science can be fun, filled with humor and joy – something that we all can use to spark curiosity and passion not just for science.

The evening also gave an opportunity for our community of postdocs to showcase their remarkable and significant research in our poster session in fields ranging from medicine, nano materials, media and communication, pharmacology, engineering, emerging cancer research, molecular biology, physics, quantum computing, epidemiology, genetics, zoology, bioinformatics and psychology.

We awarded the best poster talk with 500 Euros by the City of Munich’s Department of Labor and Economic Development to Dr. Prabaharan Thiruvengetam from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, with the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy for his poster on the “Replacement of Conventional Organic Solvents with BioRenewable Solvents: Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability.”

We were also joined by an amazing group of exhibitors dedicated to networking, collaboration and outreach for our postdocs. By giving a space for us to come together, we were able to meet and connect with a diverse group of individuals, organisations and future new colleagues to discover new and amazing opportunities.

We ended the evening with a science slam from six different postdocs who invited us into their world of science – from Dr. Marie Meyerholz-Wohllebe’s love of dairy farms and bovine fertility, to the dynamic changes in air pollution by Dr. Maximilian Schwarz, how to stop alzheimer's disease by Dr. Amir Marvian, how to build synthetic bacterial cells from scratch by Dr. Nishu Kanwa, to the world of a Jurassic Argentinean Park by Dr. Elena Cuesta Fidalgo. The winner of our science slam was awarded an annual membership to the German Museum was given to Dr. Elena Cuesta Fidalgo with her outstanding talk as she took us into her new world, Jurassic Argentinean Park and revealed her dreams for a new dinosaur, Concavenator corcovatus, to debut in a new Spielburg production and box hit for the Jurassic Park series - bringing the magic of cinema and science together.

We are grateful for everyone who participated and joined us for an amazing night of networking and science collaboration. Our first science slam and poster session were a huge success and a great way to support our postdocs have a platform to share and showcase their amazing work. We would also like thank those who supported our postdocs and their awards, as well as all our wonderful exhibitors who came out to support our postdocs.

FAQs

Is the event in English or German?
To ensure that the Munich Postdoc Night is accessible to all postdocs, the event will be in English.

Who is part of the MPN’s Organization Committee for the Munich Postdoc Night?
The Munich Postdoc Night is jointly organized by Camila Hernández Frederick (Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry), Daria Romanovskaia (Helmholtz Munich), André Lindoerfer (Hochschule München), Corinna Haupt, Nicolas Lutz, Irmak Sah, Serena Schwenkert, Lisa Wimmer (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Tiffany Paulisch, Miriam Schwägerl (Technical University of Munich), Felicitas Schmidinger and Benjamin Schönfeld (Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities).

I am a postdoc, but not based in Munich. Can I participate?
If you want to come to Munich for the Munich Postdoc Night, you are welcome join as a regular attendee. Registrations are binding and we do not cover travel costs. Please note that this target group of this event are postdocs in the Munich area. Hence, the event does not fund external researchers. Emails with related queries cannot be answered.

I am currently looking for a position. Is this the right event for me?
The Munich Postdoc Night is a networking event to bring current postdocs in the Munich area together. However, it is not a recruitment event and we will not provide information on postdocs opportunities at the participating institutions.

How can I join and be involved with the Munich Postdoc Network?
The MPN consists of enthusiastic volunteers and always welcomes new members. You can register for our MPN Newsletter to stay informed about our offers and to join our events. Furthermore, you could also join the MPN Board – just reach out to us by email!

What is the Postdoc Appreciation Week?
Find out more about the Postdoc Appreciation Week on the website. There is a joint and largely open event program that postdocs can join during the third week of September (21-26 September 2026). Last year, more than 100 events on networking, career perspectives, grants etc. were offered. The program for 2026 will released mid-July on the Website and LinkedIn.