Postdoc Appreciation Week

The HRA Postdoc Network is excited to host its annual event on 23 September 2026 during Postdoc Appreciation Week!

Let’s turn your research into a story your audience will actually want to hear. In this Postdoc Appreciation Week session, we focus on the topic of science communication and the question: "How can I communicate my research effectively and in a way that is tailored to my target audience?"

To this end, we invite you to a workshop-style lecture and a moderated poster session. In the lecture by a speaker from the creative studio for science communication 'Zum Staunen*', you will gain an overview of how to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a non-specialist audience – including theoretical background, insights into different formats, dos and don’ts, and practical examples. Your individual prior experience will be discussed beforehand and incorporated into the lecture. In the subsequent poster session, you will present your research and receive feedback on your poster and presentation from your fellow students and the lecturer. The feedback will be guided by the insights and methods introduced in the lecture.

Afterwards, we will continue the evening with a social gathering with food and a pub quiz, providing space for informal exchange and networking.

Registration

Program

2:00 – 5:15 PM Workshop on "From Posters to Posts: How to Make Your Research Visible to a Broader Audience" by Simon McGowan

We invite you to a workshop-style lecture and a moderated poster session. In the lecture by a speaker from the creative studio for science communication 'Zum Staunen*', you will gain an overview of how to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a non-specialist audience – including theoretical background, insights into different formats, dos and don’ts, and practical examples. Your individual prior experience will be discussed beforehand and incorporated into the lecture. In the subsequent poster session, you will present your research and receive feedback on your poster and presentation from your fellow students and the lecturer. The feedback will be guided by the insights and methods introduced in the lecture.

Trainer profile – Simon McGowan

German communicating scientiest Simon McGowan has been researching bioplastics for 20 years and is passionate about resource efficiency and circular economy. For the past decade, he has performed as a science slammer across Europe and is a favourite at children’s universities and a popular trainer, speaker and moderator nationwide.

5:30 – 6:00 PM Election of new Postdoc Network spokespersons

Get to know our initiatives, goals, networking opportunities and elect your new representetants!

6:00 – 8:30 PM Pub Quiz, Finger-Food and Postdoc Networking

Note: For the Pub Quiz, there will be teams of 3-5. If you already know your team, please mention the names of your team-members during the registration process. If you don’t have a team, please also let us know while registering. We will find you a team during the event.