BIOME - Soft Skills
Soft Skill Workshop Attendance Sheet
Candidates at the Faculty of Biology (Dr. rer. nat.) have to attend a minimum of 3 workshops in 3 years. MD candidates at the Faculty of Medicine should attend a minimum of 2 workshops during the BIOME year.
Workshops organised by BIOME have an attendance list which should be signed and then the participation is noted in the BIOME data bank. Attendance at non-BIOME workshops can be noted on and countersigned by the trainer on the Workshop Attendance Sheet which can be downloaded below or can be proved by the submission of a certificate issued by the hosting organisation.
The soft skill requirement is waivered for ELAN candidates (who receive similar training in modules 1, 3 and 4 of the ELAN programme). Similarly, participation in the intensive one-year DiMento programme fulfils the BIOME soft skill requirement entirely. Nevertheless, these members are welcome to register for any workshops of interest they may wish to attend.
Soft Skill Workshop Attendance SheetRuhr University Collaborations
Soft Skill Programmes - Overview
Ongoing Graduate Center Plus
The soft skill programme at the University of Duisburg-Essen is provided by the Graduate Center Plus. For regular feeds about soft skill courses, please subscribe to the GC Plus mailing list!
Ongoing Research Academy Ruhr
The Research Academy Ruhr pools and develops qualification and support offers for advanced master students, doctoral researchers and postdoctoral researchers within the University Alliance Ruhr.
Ongoing RUB Research School
Further courses of interest may also be found in collaboration with the Ruhr University Bochum. To register for RUB workshops, please contact Dr. Ursula Justus.
Current Workshops of Interest
Selected Choice
Ongoing(Home) Training Days
Within the (Home) Training Days series, GC Plus offers compact online workshops for doctoral researchers of all disciplines at the UDE. These workshops allow you to further develop your personal and academic skills either through face-to-face coaching or remotely.
Host: GC Plus
Venue: Varies between in-person or online training
Language: English or German (as indicated by the workshops' titles)
Registration: Via GCPlus website. Begins three weeks before the workshop date and runs for seven days.
| Date | Time | (Home) Training Days Workshop |
| 23&30.04.2025 | 09:00–13:00 | Storytelling für Wissenschaftler*innen (Online) |
| 19.-20.05.2025 | 10:00–13:00 | Identity and integrity as a researcher (Online) |
| 21.05.2025 | 09:00-17:00 | Stress-free and goal-oriented through the doctorate: Stress competence for doctoral researchers (In person) |
Outlook 2025
To allow you to plan better, you will find below an overview of the workshops already scheduled in this series. GC+ reserves the right to make changes and, above all, additions. You will find further information on the workshops on the GC+ (Home)Training Days page well in advance.
- 05.06.2025: Academic Writing
- 20.+25.06.2025: Effective project management
- 09.07.2025: Selbstbewusste Kommunikation in schwierigen Situationen für Doktorandinnen
- 28/29.07. + 04/05/06.08.2025: Secrets of impactful academic poster design and presentation
- 12.09.2025: KI und kompetente Autorenschaft im wissenschaftlichen Schreiben
- 27.10.2025: Wissenschaft als Beruf: die Universität als Arbeitsplatz
- 12.+13.11.2025: Good Research Practice
- 09.12.2025: Academic Writing
Programme Summer 2025Publication Days
The online workshop series for doctoral researchers in the summer semester. UDE doctoral researchers from all departments will receive compact and practical information and tips on publishing research results securely and professionally. In a total of ten lectures and workshops, all of which are offered online, experts from the University Library will provide information on topics such as open science, publication channels, copyright, research data management or literature management and answer your questions. Registrations are usually accepted up to one week before the respective event date. Participation is free of charge and possible immediately. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The workshops/lectures will be held in German.
Host: GCPlus/Universitätsbibliothek
Venue: Online training
Language: German
Registration: Via GCPlus website. Begins three weeks before the workshop date and runs for seven days.
| Date | Time | Publication Days Workshop |
| 15.04.2025 | 10:00-12:00 |
Die Dissertation veröffentlichen - Möglichkeiten und Stolpersteine am Ende eines langen Weges |
| 24.04.2025 | 10:00-11:30 |
Frei zugängliche wissenschaftliche Suchsysteme - mit und ohne KI-Unterstützung |
| 09.05.2025 | 10:00-12:00 |
Der professionelle Umgang mit dem Literaturverwaltungsprogramm Zotero |
| 07.06.2024 | 10:00-12:00 |
Alles Open rund um das Publizieren? |
| 13.05.2025 | 10:00-12:00 |
Der professionelle Umgang mit dem Literaturverwaltungsprogramm Citavi |
| 15.05.2025 | 09:00-11:00 | Step by step: Forschungsdaten managen und publizieren |
| 20.05.2025 | 09:30-11:30 |
Wissenschaftliche Artikel in (Open-Access)-Journals veröffentlichen: von Submission bis Peer Review |
| 28.05.2025 | 10:00-12:30 |
Dasselbe nochmal in grün? Verbessern Sie den Impact Ihrer Forschungsergebnisse mit Open-Access-Zweitveröffentlichungen |
| 04.06.2025 | 10:00-12:00 |
OER – offen, frei und fair: Open Education & Open Educational Resources |
| 05.06.2025 | 10:00-12:00 |
Ein Bild sagt mehr als tausend Worte: Tipps & Tricks für eine effektive Datenvisualisierung |
| 23.06.2025 | 10:00-12:00 | Plagiat und Plagiatsprävention |
| 09.07.2025 | 10:00-11:30 |
Ich bin mehr als mein h-Index: Bewertungsmechanismen in der Wissenschaft |
2025BIOME Statistics and Data Visualisation Workshops
Our graduate school is delighted yet again to offer the popular annual BIOME concept workshops on biostatistics and data visualisation taught by Prof. Andreas Stang, the highly-experienced director of the Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry und Epidemiology (IMIBE) at Universitätsklinikum Essen.
Target audience: BIOME members
Host: IMIBE and BIOME
Venue: Hörsaal der Verwaltung, 2. OG, Universitätsklinikum Essen
Trainer: Prof. Andreas Stang, IMIBE
Language: English
Participants: Open
| Date | Time | Workshop | Link |
| 02.07.2025 | 16:00-18:30 | BIOME Statistics I: Principles of descriptive and inferential statistics |
Registration |
| 22.10.2025 | 16:00-18:30 | BIOME Statistics II: Definition of the p-value Fisher’s significance testing and Neyman-Pearson null hypothesis testing |
Registration |
| 12.11.2025 | 16:00-18:30 | Data Visualisation: Simplifying raw data for a clearer understanding Detecting hidden trends, patterns and relationships Identifying discrepancies, anomalies and outliers |
Registration |
Please note: For members of BIOME's Clinical Research core, these three workshops are part of the regular lecture curriculum.
OngoingCounselling and Individual Coaching
Host: Graduate Center Plus
Individual support during your doctorate. We will support you during all stages of your doctorate with interdisciplinary counselling and coaching. Do you face a challenge in your career planning or have questions about pursuing a PhD? Make an appointment with us! We offer individual advice according to your needs: on-site, by telephone, or via Zoom in German or English.
Counselling and coaching – what’s the difference? Our counselling services provide you with information that is crucial for your individual planning before or during your doctoral studies, e.g., on how to find a supervisor or how to finance your doctorate. In addition, our coaching opens up a complementary space for self-reflection. Professional guidance will help you look at personal challenges and questions, e.g., Do I want to stay in academia after my PhD? How can I deal with pressure and multiple expectations? How can I resolve conflicts?
GC Plus Counselling Offers:
- Individual advice on all questions regarding the doctoral process
- Career counselling for female early career researchers
GC Plus Couching Offers:
- Together - Peer group coaching for (international) doctoral researchers
- Coaching Hour
- Coaching on competence development, competence profile, and career planning
OngoingYoung Entrepreneurs in Science
The aim of this programme is to open up new career and development perspectives for highly qualified scientists during or shortly after their doctorate. Through design, thinking, and interdisciplinary teamwork, the participants are encouraged to discover their existing skills and potential. Personal contact with founders and intrapreneurs from innovation-oriented companies also enables a practical examination of the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurial thinking doesn't start with the business plan. The approach is rather playful: "How much start-up is in your doctoral thesis?"
Format: Online workshops
Further Recommended Training Programmes
01-12.2025 DiMento for BIOME Doctorates
This collaboration project with UDE’s Career Service (ABZ) is aimed at all doctorates who wish to pursue a career in the German industry after their PhD. The one-year programme is open to both genders, with a focus on candidates with a diversity background.
Language: German (C1 or higher)
Venue: Universitätscampus Duisburg
Registration deadline: 31.10.2024
Contact: mechthild.budde@uni-due.de
2025 UME's Training Programme
Seminars within the categories 1, 3, 4 and 5 (specifically management and communication skills) of the further training programme at the Universitätsmedizin Essen are considered to be equivalent to other soft-skill workshops.
Ongoing UDE's Career Service (ABZ)
Some of the wide-ranging workshops offered by UDE's Career Service may be of great interest and use to BIOME members. For regular feeds about these workshops, please subscribe to the Career Service's mailing list!
Ongoing Recommended Online Tutorials
The following online courses have been recommended by fellow BIOME members:
Biostatistics/Data Analysis
Writing in the Sciences
Focus on Peer Review
Elsevier Researcher Academy
Recommended article:
A Gentle Introduction to the p-Value (English)
Eine sanfte Einführung in den p-Wert (German)
Survival Language Courses
Ongoing German for Guest Scientists/Visiting Researchers
German language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) courses at different levels are offered to guest scientists and visiting researchers by the University of Duisburg-Essen's Institute for Optional Studies.
Contact and Registration: sprachkurse@uni-due.de
Ongoing German for International Medical Doctors
The Universitätsklinikum Essen offers a German course tailored to meet the needs of local international medical doctors. Aspects covered in this language course include:
- Conversations with patients
- Medical German for doctors
- Themes and contents considered relevant by the participants in their professional day-to-day lives.
Ongoing University-Level English
The UDE PE programme provides university employees with the opportunity of attending English language courses to apply and improve their existing English language skills. The aim here is to acquire the foreign language at a higher level. The three levels of the individual courses (A2 to C1) correlate to those of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Contact: claudia.hobe@uni-due.de or fortbildungsteam@uni-due.de