Shaping the Future Together: Highlights from the 1st GPN Annual Conference

Why another conference?
You might say: There are already so many conferences – why add one more?

However, the German Postdoc Network (GPN) Annual Conference is different. It is both a great opportunity – and a unique challenge – to create a two-day event dedicated entirely to postdoc needs, topics, and interests that go beyond specific subject areas.

Whether a postdoc works in law, politics, social sciences, natural sciences, medical sciences, or any other discipline, the GPN welcomes all. Because all postdocs navigate the same boat: a transition phase marked by uncertainty, short-term contracts, and a race against the clock.

On 12–13 March 2026, our first Annual Conference brought together over 100 postdocs from across Germany. We were warmly hosted by Helmholtz Munich.

Day 1 – Establishing a Strong Postdoc Network

The day opened with a warm welcome from Stephan Herzig, Research Director at Helmholtz Munich, who highlighted the value of building strong networks and meaningful collaborations. As he put it: True progress comes from understanding your competitors – and sometimes turning them into collaborators over a simple conversation or coffee.

Next, Tina Scheibe, GPN co-founding member, took us through the story of GPN’s beginnings, followed by Melanie Schippling from the GPN Coordination Office, who shared where the network stands today.

The first keynote speaker, Lydia Repke, raised the fundamental question: “Who is a postdoc? And how many postdocs are there?” Questions too often met with the uncomfortable answer: We don’t know. Lydia shared lessons from the Leibniz Postdoc Network survey – showing that influence comes with visibility, and visibility comes through sharing.

The second keynote speaker, Pil Maria Saugmann, offered a European perspective on representation and engagement of early career researchers. She stressed that change begins with people – supporters at local, national, and international levels – and that Europe-wide improvement must start with local action.

Then it was the postdocs’ turn: six World Café roundtables invited participants to share, engage, and learn on topics such as network building, mentorship, science outreach, postdoc profile development, cross-functional collaborations, and engagement strategy. Working group members summarized the discussions the next morning.

The World Café was followed by an interactive poster session with 26 presenters showcasing their work to a broad audience – an opportunity to strengthen interdisciplinary communication and storytelling skills. Attendees voted for their “fan favourite” poster.

Day 2 – Exploring Career Perspectives & Postdoc Skills

Friday featured six workshops:

• Christina Patel – Self-Care in Academia: The Power of Body–Mind Interaction
• Katharina Lemke – How to Apply for a Professorship in Germany
• Irmgard Mausz & Melanie Vilser – Leadership Essentials for Postdocs
• Iris Köhler – Beyond Research: Discover Your Competencies
• Tiffany Paulisch – Career Clarity: What Comes Next?
• Iris Mencke – Leveraging Interdisciplinarity: Turning Diverse Expertise into Research Strength

The third keynote speaker, Anne Schreiter, introduced the concept of the lucky mindset. Many describe their achievements as “luck” – but what does this mean, and how can we create our own luck? According to Anne, serendipity is not random: it favours those who are prepared and who know themselves. Quoting Louis Pasteur: Chance favours only the PREPARED mind.