Past events
- 2025-09-30T11:00:00+02:00
- 2025-09-30T12:30:00+02:00
30
TuesdayDaring: The Art of Failing Gracefully
This workshop is part of the IRENE Workshop Series "Surviving to Thriving in Academia". "The physics of vulnerability. It's pretty simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. Daring is not saying, "I'm willing to risk failure." Daring is saying, "I know I will eventually fail, and I'm still all in." During this workshop take 3-steps towards failing gracefully and increase your resilience exponentially. • The Reckoning: Discover the pivotal successes and failures throughout your life and what you can learn from the nature of your failures over time. • The Rumble: Use an alternative CV of failures to become more resilient in your approach, separating success and failure from your self-worth. • The Revolution: Leave with the leadership to address failure positively. Specifically learn how to give and receive candid feedback without taking it personally and use failure to drive innovation.
- 2025-09-19T09:00:00+02:00
- 2025-09-19T13:30:00+02:00
19
FridayNonviolent Communication
Easy and appreciative interaction in challenging encounters In the professional environment, we encounter many different people, decisions need to be made quickly, numerous conflicts must be resolved, and diverse tasks often have to be managed simultaneously. In such situations, it is helpful to maintain an appreciative approach toward all parties involved while also treating oneself with kindness. Do you sometimes wonder: - How could I have expressed myself better? - How can I communicate my own concerns more effectively? - How can I remain appreciative, centered and confident in a challenging conversation? Lydia Kaiser will guide you through the principles of Nonviolent Communication, give you tools to approach challenging conversations and work with practical examples and situations.
- 2025-06-26T11:00:00+02:00
- 2025-06-26T12:30:00+02:00
26
ThursdayThe Psychology of Selves: Beyond Imposter Syndrome
This workshop is part of the IRENE Workshop Series "Surviving to Thriving in Academia". Many people are torn - afraid to speak up, be seen, or minimise their achievements and at the same time, are frustrated that they are getting in their own way. Feeling like you will be exposed to not know enough and being your own worst critic is a toxic combination. It can result in procrastination, individualism, and ruminating thoughts. • Learn the three layers of imposter syndrome, where these thoughts and beliefs originate from to build awareness of your behavioural pattern. • Discover your unique stress team of 'selves' and how to move beyond imposter syndrome by separating from their agendas and regaining real choice in your behaviour and actions. • Break the cycle of pre-empting, overthinking, and ruminating to catastrophe to unlock your true potential.
- 2025-05-27T09:00:00+02:00
- 2025-05-27T17:00:00+02:00
27
TuesdayMental Clarity and Decision-Making for Academics
Which project should I do next? What would be the best next move? Where should I focus my efforts? Should I look for another academic position or leave academia? Is this abstract I’ve written good enough? The path of the academic is full of decisions, and they all seem crucial. However, many of the hurdles we face in our decision-making stem from the way we think about the decisions themselves and several documented cognitive biases. In this workshop, we will work on emotional and psychological aspects of decision-making such as worry, procrastination, regret, and decision paralysis. We will also review the most common biases affecting our decision-making process as academics and practice some useful tools and strategies to reduce their impact.
- 2025-05-22T11:00:00+02:00
- 2025-05-22T12:30:00+02:00
22
ThursdayAllyship & Self-Advocacy
This workshop is part of the IRENE Workshop Series "Surviving to Thriving in Academia". Allyship involves understanding the imbalance in opportunity for underrepresented groups and working to change it. • Discover three simple, yet effective ways you can be an ally and change someone's life significantly. • Learn how to advocate for yourself using non-confrontational conversation templates. • Master saying no, setting and maintaining boundaries, and asking for what you need.
- 2025-04-03T08:30:00+02:00
- 2025-04-03T14:30:00+02:00
3
ThursdayGirls' Day 2025
Du bist circa 12-14 Jahre? Wolltest schon immer einmal wissen, wie es im Leben einer Forscherin aussieht? Im Labor arbeiten und richtige Experimente machen? Dann bist du bei uns genau richtig! Du wirst zum Beispiel die Möglichkeit haben, menschliche DNA (dein Erbgut) zu isolieren und auch einen richtig spannenden Versuch mit bakterieller DNA durchführen. Wir freuen uns auf dich!
- 2023-09-12T10:00:00+02:00
- 2023-09-12T13:30:00+02:00
12
TuesdayUniversity, a safer space?
Do academic spaces exist outside of power relations? We offer a place for participants to reflect on what gives people power (or not) and how the oppressive systems we live in shape our means of researching, teaching and learning with one another. The urgency for these conversations to happen is backed up by a recent survey (2022) that revealed high rates of discrimination reported by students. The workshop holds space for personal experiences in academia, but also perspectives on what needs to happen for uni to be antiracist, antisexist, anticlassist and antiableist.
- 2023-06-16T09:00:00+02:00
- 2023-06-16T10:30:00+02:00
16
FridayImposter Syndrome – Why your brain is lying to you
In the lecture, possible causes of the so-called imposter syndrome – the recurring thought that one is simply not good enough for the current position and cannot fulfill the associated tasks – will be presented. The main thesis is that the imposter syndrome is based on 'thought errors'. 'Thought errors' are thoughts that appear helpful and benevolent on the one hand but produce a negative effect on closer inspection. The aim of the lecture is to give the audience a deeper understanding of how the imposter syndrome develops and to share strategies on how to deal with it.
- 2023-06-02T09:00:00+02:00
- 2023-06-02T10:30:00+02:00
2
FridayCoping with stress, anxiety and self-doubt
Academic life can be stressful, overwhelming and frustrating: lots to do, rejections, revisions, teaching, fixed-term contracts plus grant and job applications. Against the backdrop of cognitive and neuroscience research, we explore what causes these negative emotions. In a second step, we consider options for dealing with and handling negative emotions. Sounds touchy-feely – so why bother? Because the greater your capacity to handle negative emotion, the greater your levels of success – in academia and beyond.
- 2023-05-24T11:30:00+02:00
- 2023-05-24T15:00:00+02:00
24
WednesdayDiversity Days 2023 - Fair of Opportunities
To commemorate the German Diversity Day on May 23, 2023, the Vice Rectorate for Equal Opportunity and Diversity, in collaboration with the staff unit of the same designation, is proudly hosting the University of Bonn's second edition of Diversity Days. During the "Fair of Opportunities," approximately 20 initiatives and contact points focused on diversity will be showcasing themselves in the Arkadenhof of the main building on May 24, providing a wealth of information on their diverse projects and engaging in exciting hands-on activities. Visitors will have the chance to interact with representatives from these initiatives, actively contribute their perspectives, and engage in meaningful conversations. The IRENE network would also like to introduce itself here with a poster. Come by and learn more about our work (May 24, 2023 at 11:30 a.m.)