This process taught me a great deal about my own work process, cultural sensitivity, and the importance of patience.
Olivia Wohlfart, Module 1, co-host of the Seasonal School on Transformative Learning for Sustainability
▶ Reflections on Organizing a Seasonal School: A Postdoc's Journey
Due to the funding of KHYS, I could visit the guest institutions for a longer time than what would have been possible as normal business trips. Like this, instead of endless Zoom sessions, we could communicate more naturally from day-to-day during the time of the visit, and I could also see the respective working environments of the guest institutions.
KIT postdoc short trip to Lübeck, Germany within Module 1
The Connecting Young Scientists (ConYS) funding program was an excellent opportunity for me to connect and collaborate with leading experts in the field of polymer science. The opportunity to continue my research at the host university was not only a very important factor in advancing one of my research projects, but also provided the opportunity to forge future collaborations. This experience turned out to be so positive also due to the committed and very helpful support by the KHYS team, which was available for all questions during the entire project period.
KIT postdoc short trip to UK within Module 1 and 2
I was granted ConYS funding for two 4-week research stays between KIT and a US university. I really enjoyed the freedom provided through the funding, enabling me to set my own research topics and goals. Advising a visiting PhD student on a simulation tool developed during my PhD gave me new work experiences and helped to improve the simulation tool. The contact and research partnership established through ConYS was enjoyable at all times and is still ongoing!
KIT postdoc short trip to USA within Module 1 and 2
The program allowed me to gain international exposure in such a way I couldn’t do during my doctoral studies. Nowadays, international experience is required to pursue a career in academia (also in the private sector), and not everyone can do in their early career. The scholarship ConYS is a great opportunity for those who want to build international collaborations.
KIT postdoc short trip to UK within Module 1
The ConYS Grant was a great way to implement our idea of having our own conference in a specialized field.
KIT postdoc who organized an event at KIT within Module 3
The Connecting Young Scientists (ConYS) short term (four weeks) travel grant helped me to visit the external collaborators of my ongoing project. This greatly advanced the progress of my current research project with them, and expedited the writing of a new publication and conducting feasibility studies for writing an upcoming joint research project. Altogether, it provided me excellent networking opportunities with scientists from other research groups and scope for future collaborations.
KIT postdoc short trip to Potsdam, Germany within Module 1