(Crisis) Support for Postdocs

Where to turn to when I'm encountering problems?

As a Postdoc who is employed in a larger project, your first person of contact is always the project or group leader who hired you. If you work at MARUM with your own (individual project), this person would be the leader of the group you are affiliated with. If you encounter work- or research-related problems, we would like to encourage you to ask your project / group leader for an appointment anytime you need it. She / he agreed to guide you through your project – having frequent meetings to catch up and discuss the project is part of her/his duty.

Postdocs in an early stage of their career can be supported by an additional mentor from MARUM. This mentor can act as an additional (independent) advisor in scientific or career aspects. You can ask any MARUM senior scientists to become your mentor. If you are not sure who could be a potential mentor for you, please feel welcome to contact the MARUM early career researcher support. They assist in finding a mentor who matches your needs.

Like all other university staff, postdocs are (or should be) invited for an annual meeting with their supervisor or group leader. These meetings can be used to discuss your project and further career but you can also use it to talk about potential challenges. If your supervisor / group leader forgets to invite you regularly, it is perfectly all right to remind her/him.
The English translation of the annual meetings is annual performance reviews. This term is rather misleading, the meetings are not meant to focus on your performance! See annual meetings

Irrespective of whether you are facing problems or not, it is always a good idea to communicate and exchange with fellow postdocs. They are most likely facing similar challenges and it can be helpful to exchange your strategies to handle them. You are always welcome to contact the postdoc representatives who will be open for your concerns.

In addition, or if communication with your supervisors or mentors is difficult, you can contact the manager of the MARUM Early Career Researcher Support Programme (link).

If you have to deal with a matter where you have the impression that the rules of good scientific practice might be disregarded or if you experience conflicts regarding your supervision that could not be settled otherwise, you can contact the MARUM Ombudsperson. She / he is a member of a different institute to allow for independence.

In case you feel your problem is related to a gender bias, family-related challenges or unequal treatment, you are also very welcome to contact the MARUM women’s representatives (equal opportunity commissioners).

The University of Bremen offers a Social Counselling Service that provides qualified advice from a psychologist for those who have problems at work, in their private life or with health-related issues. Here you can also get advice on how to find a therapist in Bremen.

People who are suf­fer­ing an ad­dic­tion or want to pre­ven­t an ad­dic­tion can contact the Arbeitsstelle Suchtprävention (counselling in German only; if you need counselling in English, you can turn to the Social Counselling Service)