World Café organized by Forum Transregionale Studien and the Berlin Research 50 (BR50) initiative’s Interest Group “Third-Party Funding and Career Advice”, in cooperation with GSO – Guidance, Skills and Opportunties for Researchers e.V.
Over the past few years, we have observed within our institutions that international postdoctoral Fellows who wish to stay in Berlin after their Fellowships increasingly pursue careers outside academia. Beyond individual motivations, this tendency is linked to the limited availability and accessibility of academic positions in Germany, particularly for those who do not hold a degree from a German university. Assuming that many international postdocs in Berlin are dealing with similar questions about their professional future, this event invites those interested in exploring career opportunities beyond academia.
In the interactive format of a “World Café”, invited speakers who have transitioned out of academia will share their experiences at four thematic discussion tables, offering personal insights into career paths in journalism, cultural work, education, and policy-related work in NGOs and Think Tanks in Berlin. Alongside addressing the opportunities, challenges, and obstacles encountered on their career paths, the speakers will reflect on how academic skills can be applied in non-academic contexts and how to get access to the structural knowledge and networks necessary for entering alternative professional fields. There will be time for discussion, exchange and networking throughout the event.
Program:
10:00-10:15 | Welcome and introduction
10:15-10:45 | Impulse talk by Anne Schreiter (GSO e.V.)
10:45-11:45 | World Café with four thematic tables:
Journalism
Speaker: Enrico De Angelis (Media Research Consultant)
Culture
Speaker: Kateryna Mishchenko (Writer and Curator)
Education
Speaker: Petra Becker (Back on Track e.V.)
NGOs & Think Tanks
Speakers: Arnisa Tepelija and Nino Tsereteli (both Democracy Reporting International)
11:45-12:00 | Wrap-up discussion
12:00-13:00 | Light lunch
We kindly ask for prior registration until 15 June 2026 via eume(at)trafo-berlin.de.
