The Graduate Center Plus is a multidisciplinary service facility that bundles information on all aspects of doctoral and postdoc activities. Here you will find information on the wide range of support and qualification opportunities for young researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The GC Plus also offers individual counseling and a varied program of workshops, information and career events for doctoral students and postdocs.

The Graduate Center Plus has offers in the following areas:

• Good scientific practice
• Interdisciplinary qualification
• Funding and promotion
• Career advice for women
• Career perspectives and networking

Contact persons:

• general inquiries to gcplus@uni-due.de
• individual contact persons can be found here

DokForum is a cooperative project of the departments of education, humanities and social sciences to support doctoral students in the respective disciplines. In this context, the individual departments have set different focuses. Possible services include, for example, advice on questions relating to doctoral studies, workshops on scientific research methods, networking opportunities and support in acquiring key competencies.

Contact persons:

• Education Sciences: Dr. David Tobinski, dokFORUM.FFB@uni-due.de
• Social Sciences: Dr. Jutta Wergen, jutta.wergen@uni-due.de
• Humanities: Dr. Jan Podacker, dokforum.geiwi@uni-due.de

The ABZ's psychological counselling service is addressed to students and PhD students of UDE. In times of crisis or personal problems, it can help you to identify individual resources, use them positively and develop solutions. In a personal conversation with the counsellor (in German or English), you can deal with topics such as excessive demands, stress, conflicts or personal problems.

Contact person:

• Mr Thomas Interbieten (Essen), thomas.interbieten@uni-due.de
• Mr Christian Hoverath (Duisburg), christian.hoverath@uni-due.de
• Ms Esther Wessel (Essen), esther.wessel@uni-due.de (currently on maternity leave)

You can find alternative contact points which provide help in situations of crisis here.

The International Guides are contact persons in the university administration who help international researchers with questions that go beyond the expertise of the Welcome Service. The International Guides can support and advise you in both German and English on questions of the respective department or staff unit.

Contact persons:

• follow the link under "Read more about the International Guides"

The Science Support Centre (SSC) is a central facility at the University of Duisburg-Essen. It helps researchers at the university to apply for and acquire third-party funding and also provides professional support in transferring research results (e.g. through event support, research publications etc.) and marketing knowledge (inventions and patents).

Contact persons:

• general inquiries to ssc@uni-due.de
• individual contact persons can be found here

The Family Service Office (FSB) is a consulting and service point for employees of the University of Duisburg-Essen. The university runs this service in order to help its staff combine scientific careers and employment with having a family. If you bring family with you to Germany, the FSB provides advice on topics such as childcare options, maternity leave, parental leave and parental benefits. University employees (with employment contract) have the opportunity to take advantage of FSB's childcare services.

Contact person:

• Ms Mahdesta Knauf, familienservice@uni-due.de

The Equal Opportunity Officer strives to fulfil the legal mandate to ensure equality of opportunity, supporting the university in promoting gender equality. She represents the interests of all women at the university, be they members or employees. In this capacity, the Equal Opportunity Officer advises all stakeholders on matters of gender equality and supports female employees and students individually as needed.

In addition, the individual faculties have individual equal opportunities officers who deal with equal opportunities related questions from members within their department.

Contact person:

• for the whole university: gleichstellungsbeauftragte@uni-due.de
• contact persons in the individual faculties can be found here

The Diversity Management of the University of Duisburg-Essen considers diversity as an essential strength and potential of an academic institution. In this context, the Diversity Portal serves as an information point on diversity topics, diversity research and diversity management at UDE. Here you will find comprehensive information on topics such as

• Disability and chronic illness
• Migration and interculturalism
• Study grants and doctoral scholarships
• Compatibility of family and career/study
• Continuing scientific education and lifelong learning

In addition, projects and programmes are carried out as part of the Diversity Management and events are organised on the various diversity topics. The individual diversity contact persons in the faculties and administration are available to answer your questions on diversity.

Contact persons:

• the contact persons in the faculties can be found here

The social contact persons offer employees a point of contact in case of problems and conflicts and intend to develop solutions together with those affected in individual counselling. The discussions between the employees and the social contact persons are subject to the obligation of confidentiality. Several of the contact persons also offer counselling in English.

Contact persons:

• all contact persons can be found here

The UDE Representative for severely disabled employees represents the interests of severely disabled persons, employees who are on equal terms with severely disabled persons and employees who have applied or intend to apply for recognition. Conversations with the representative body for severely disabled persons are confidential.

Contact person:

• representative: Ms Silvia Mölders, schwerbehindertenvertretung@uni-due.de
• secretary’s office: Ms Stefanie Langenberg, stefanie.langenberg@uni-due.de

The Centre for Higher Education Development and Quality Enhancement (ZHQE) offers a rich development and counselling programme for teaching and learning at UDE: teaching staff and researchers have the opportunity to enhance their skills in module-based professional development programmes. All coaching services for teaching staff can be found on the ZHQE website.

Contact persons:

• on the website of the ZHQE under the respective offers
• or here

UDE would like to take account of dual career partnerships when conducting appointment negotiations. Therefore, the Dual Career Service provides information for dual career couples and offers support and assistance in finding an adequate position for the partner of the professor to be appointed.

Contact person:

• contact persons can be found here