Onboarding Postdocs
Welcome to FAU
We are very excited to have you join us at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) for your journey as an early career researcher. New beginnings are always challenging – or at least a considerable amount of work. To facilitate the transition and ease settling in, this page aims to provide you with essential information to get the most of your time at FAU. Of course, this can only serve as a starting point; links to further resources will be provided. Let’s dive in!
It is a good idea to break down the process of getting to know your new position and environment into a number of steps. As FAU is a large university that spans the full spectrum of academic disciplines, learning how FAU works may seem like a daunting task otherwise. As a suggestion, this section will cover and guide you through three areas or phases:
- Laying the Groundwork for Successful Work
- FAU’s Services for Early Career Researchers
- Social Aspects
Human Resources has created a comprehensive guide to getting started at FAU. Although it is intended for non-academic employees, it constitutes a highly valuable resource to bookmark and peruse in addition to this overview.
Laying the Groundwork for Successful Work
Your number one priority during your first days at FAU is to make sure you have everything required to take up your position. This includes taking care of all necessary administrative and bureaucratic matters, as well as getting acquainted with your new work environment. While you are probably aware of the latter, do not underestimate the time required for the former.
Familiarize Yourself with Your Department & Your Position
As a first step, familiarize yourself with your immediate coworkers, your superior(s), and the environment in which you will be working. In the unlikely event that your supervisor and/or their secretary have not yet contacted you with details about welcoming you on your first day, you should contact them as soon as possible.
Workplace
Ensure that you have everything you need to do your work. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, the following:
- Have you been allocated an office?
- Do you have access to all the facilities or equipment you need for your research (this will vary greatly depending on your discipline)?
- What will your work duties and responsibilities entail?
Processes
Start asking questions about the internal workings of your organizational unit:
- Does your unit have regular meetings or something similar?
- Who can help you with language problems?
- Who should you ask about organizational or administrative aspects of your unit?
Teaching
If your contract includes teaching obligations, you need to ensure you know what is expected of you and how you are supposed to fulfill them.
- Which types of classes are you supposed to teach and starting from when?
- How do these fit into the overall degree programs of your faculty?
- Can you build on previous (preparatory) work – either by your coworkers or yourself?
- Start making a list of all online resources and portals that you will need to carry out your work. These could include Campo, StudOn, or the video portal (see below).
Take Inventory of FAU’s Most Important Portals
Below are some of FAU’s most important web portals that you may need for your work.
The Identity Management portal not only provides an overview of important personal information the university has (and needs) about you, but also offers a number of self-service options, such as setting up multifactor authentication, configuring FAUdir or your email. If you ever find yourself in a position where you need to request access to a service or portal, there is a good chance that the process can be started from within IdM.
Campo is used for a number of use cases, including managing courses, examinations and grades, room assignments. You may come into contact with it when planning and organizing an exam, entering grades, or when you are tasked to manage teaching modules associated with your institution.
StudOn is the e-learning platform you will use to support your teaching.
CRIS, which stands for Current Research Information System, is FAU’s central hub for presenting and documenting your publications and the projects you are involved in.
Videoportal is a video hosting portal that you can use to host recordings of your lectures or seminars, as a repository for general teaching and instruction videos, and a platform to livestream your classes.
Familiarize Yourself with FAU’s Services for Early Career Researchers
FAU offers a wide range of services to help you succeed and prepare yourself for furthering your career. These include, but are not limited to, advice on research data management, help with funding processes, offers for early career researchers, and communication.
The research tab on FAU’s website bundles all services provided. Be sure to consult it regularly when seeking help, and consider bookmarking it.
Graduate Center and Early Career Support
The main hub for most of the university’s support for research in the early stages of their carreer is offered by the Graduate Center and Early Career Support. It provides a range of services to help you make the most of your postdoc phase. For instance, you will find the following information and services
- An overview of the postdoctoral phase
- Tips on planning a stay abroad
- An extensive seminar program
- Individual coaching and the career program FAUnext
- Postdoc Day – an annual event for all postdoctoral researchers as FAU
- A list of networking programs and events
Faculty-level Research Support
If you need discipline-specific advice on your research, on funding, or similar matters, contact the respective research coordinator(s) of your faculty:
Dr. Cordula Glass
Research associates
Contact
Dr. Robert Fischer
Research associates
Contact
For the School of Business, Economics and Society:
Dr. Dennis Kirchberg
Research associates
Contact
Dr. rer. nat. Anja Goldmann
Staff
Contact
Patrik Stör
Resarch and Internationalisation
Contact
Contact at the Faculty of Engineering (Single Sign-on required)
Further Resources
FAU’s general research support portal lists a number of other resources. Especially if you already know which funding agency you want to apply to, the respective coordinators can help you with targeted advice.
Career Planing
It is of utmost importance that you use the beginning of your postdoc phase to plan your further career and assess which additional skills you might need to pickup to succeed inside or outside of academia, depending on what you chose to pursue. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the German Act on Fixed-term Research Contracts (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) and the different career paths in academia within (but also outside!) Germany. Be prepared to have a Plan B. You can read more about this on the Graduate Center’s website.
Social Aspects
It is a cliché to say that there is more to life than work, but it is true nonetheless. Especially if you have come to FAU alone, without friends, colleagues, or family, do not underestimate the possibility of feeling homesick or isolated. Plus, with a language barrier, finding ways to integrate socially is easier said than done.
Here are some non-exhaustive suggestions to help you start thinking about how to mitigate this conundrum or to pre-empt it entirely:
- Due to the university and global enterprises, there are many expats in the greater Erlangen-Nuremberg area that you can connect with on the social media platform of your choice. Many of them meet in regular groups or pursue different hobbies together. This is a particularly useful avenue if you wish to find people outside of your immediate academic circle, or FAU altogether.
- Connect with like-minded people in similar situations.
- Join a networking group. The Graduate Center offers a monthly Post-Doc Meetup that offers a first low-key opportunity to find peers.
- There are also special platforms dedicated to having people meet for leisure activities, such as Meetup.
- If you’re single, sharing a home with a roommate can be a great choice. It’s not just for students looking to save money — it can make life richer at any age. Having a housemate who already knows their way around life in Germany can help you settle in faster and feel more at home.