- Date: 21–22 October 2026
- Venue: IMB-CNM (in person)
- Target audience: 4th-year PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
- Trainers: Tobias Maier and Anna Erb
- Maximum number of participants: 16
IMB-CNM is pleased to offer the professional development workshop Career Development for Scientists: Navigating the Next Steps, a two-day training programme designed to support researchers in planning and managing their career development.
The workshop is intended for 4th year PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, who wish to strengthen their career planning skills and gain practical tools for navigating career opportunities both within and beyond academia.
Through a combination of presentations, guided reflection, and interactive activities, participants will explore key aspects of career development, including the identification of personal strengths, competencies, motivations, and values, as well as strategies for evaluating career opportunities and effectively communicating their professional profile.
Program
The workshop will cover the following topics:
- Skills, interests and values: understanding your professional motivations
- Identifying career opportunities and mapping the academic and non-academic job market
- Developing a competence profile and communicating your strengths
- Decision-making approaches for career planning
- Preparing an effective and competitive curriculum vitae
- Interview preparation and effective self-presentation
- Practical strategies and tools to support career progression
Learning outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants will:
- Gain a clearer understanding of their professional strengths, skills, and career motivations
- Be able to identify and evaluate career opportunities within and beyond academia
- Develop a stronger competence profile and a more competitive curriculum vitae
- Acquire practical strategies to prepare successful job applications and perform confidently in interviews
Trainers
Anna is a Biochemist with a PhD from TU Munich, Germany, and over 8 years of experience as a translational researcher in academia. She has worked at leading institutions worldwide, including Tokyo University of Science, KAUST (Saudi Arabia), CRUK (UK), and IMIM in Barcelona, where she completed her Postdoc in Cancer Immunology. Inspired by her various working environments, Anna is passionate about equipping academic teams with the tools to improve their workflows and advance their careers. In 2026, she joined TPM as Trainer and Training Manager.
Tobias is Head of the Seminars Area at the National Institute for Science Communication in Karlsruhe, Germany. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and has more than ten years of experience in academic research, research funding, and publishing in high-impact journals, including Cell and Science. He has extensive experience delivering professional development workshops for researchers on topics such as scientific writing, science communication, career development, leadership, and other transferable skills.
This workshop is offered as part of the IMB María de Maeztu Program and supports the institute's commitment to the professional development of its research community by providing researchers with practical tools and strategies to make informed career decisions and successfully navigate career opportunities both within and beyond academia.
Attendance
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please complete the registration questionnaire.
As the workshop is limited to 16 participants, applications will be reviewed by the selection committee if the number of registrations exceeds the available places. Selected participants will be notified after the application deadline.