Networking in Academia: Strategies for Building Professional Networks Amid Structural Challenge

Target group: This workshop is for researchers at the MZES facing challenges on their career due to structural barriers.

Networks are essential for your academic career: they can open doors — or close them. But the playing field isn't even. Never being taught the unwritten rules of academic networks, facing time limitations due to care giving obligations, or discrimination due to migratory background aren't personal failures — they are systemic barriers that affect some groups harder than others.

This workshop (9.00am - 1.00pm) is for researchers who want to learn to network on their own terms. We'll unpack how networks work, and how your position in the system shapes the challenges you face. You'll then define what you wish to achieve with your network, analyze the potential of your existing networks and eventually, learn how to further develop them into a valuable resource beyond the prevailing rules. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the workshop helps you to develop your individual approach, building on your strengths and drawing on the group's collective experience. The outcome will be a concrete, actionable strategy to build or expand your network within a system that wasn't designed for you — one you can apply to your daily practice. 

The workshop (9.00am - 1.00pm) will be followed by a panel session (2.30pm – 4.00pm) in which young and established scholars (i.e., Prof. Dr. Yuliya Kosyakova, Prof. Dr. Constantin Wurthmann, and Timon Scheuer) share their experiences and offer advice. Finally, a follow-up online session on 3.11.2026, 11.00am-1.00pm gives you the chance to discuss and refine your strategy with your peers.

Coach: Dr. Sabine Müller, space for change and development, www.sabinemueller-berlin.de