TT-Interviews

Prof. Dr. Angela Ittel, President of the Technical University of Braunschweig

From your perspective, what is the significance of the tenure-track professorship in Germany’s scientific system?
The tenure-track professorship is an important tool in making Germany internationally attractive as a science location. It requires an important cultural shift, binding young talent to our institutions early on and giving them opportunities to realise their strong scientific performance.

When you consider the scientific culture at your university, would you say the introduction of the tenure-track professorship caused a cultural change?
The significance of the tenure-track professorship is generally recognized and highly valued at TU Braunschweig. We are increasingly advertising tenure-track professorship outside the tenure-track programme as well. All of this indicates that a cultural change is under way. The stated goal is to integrate young talent with their independent performance into our research infrastructure early on.

What influence does the introduction of the tenure-track professorship in Germany have on the international attractiveness and competitiveness of your university?
We have successfully appointed several international scientists to tenure-track professorships. What’s more, we were able to bring some post-docs of German origin who were working abroad back to Germany by offering a tenure-track professorship. This speaks for the high degree of attractiveness and competitiveness of the model at our university.

What opportunities does the tenure-track professorship offer for scientists in an early career phase?
The tenure-track professorship offers talented young people the opportunity to develop themselves early on at an institution, to build networks, and to utilise and shape research infrastructures. All of these are very important prerequisites for the successful design of the early career phase. Naturally, the tenure-track professorship also provides scientists with greater certainty in the early career phase regarding the future location of their scientific career than a post-doctorate with a limited term.

In your opinion, what’s important in designing the evaluation procedures? How are professors supported in preparing for that?
The transparency and fairness of the procedure and a balanced selection of evaluation criteria are important. TU Braunschweig is a member of the Coalition on Research Assessment (CoARA) and has prepared an action plan to review its own research evaluation procedures. This means that the evaluation procedures for the tenure-track professorship will also be subject to review and further development going forward.

In the course of the evaluations, the faculties are closely supported by the corresponding bodies and, for example, informed in a timely manner about the start date of the interim and final evaluations. A corresponding guideline has been developed regarding the structure and content of the report on the interim and final evaluation, including recommendations and general requirements, and provided to the faculties for support. tenure-track professors are provided with a corresponding guideline on the structure and content to help them prepare the required self-evaluation report. Within the framework of the professorship programme, an onboarding programme for newly appointed professors at TU Braunschweig, we offer presentations on the evaluation procedure that provide information and answer questions. Professors also receive support in course preparation and applying for third-party funding through systematic advice and workshops/information events (EU application, ERC application). A career development workshop that is currently being designed is part of the programme as well.

What support is offered at your university to promote work/family balance? How does this address the needs of scientists in an early career phase?
Specific measures can be financed out of the tenure-track programme’s strategy supplement for all tenure-track professors who do care work (childcare and/or caring for family members).

In order to design support programmes for tenure-track professors that are tailored to suit their needs, the family office and the equal opportunities staff unit conducted a needs survey. Their questions were answered in personal consultations and their individual feedback was solicited for the further development of the following four measures:

1. Expansion of the family-friendly infrastructure, for example, additional parent/child rooms in the building and child-friendly furnishing of the own office (e.g. with a travel cot, toys, reclining chair etc.)
2. Childcare with the local Braunschweiger Bündnis für Familie or at the place of residence, e.g. for up to 10 hours per month
3. Additional student/scientific assistants to provide support/relief for own teaching/research activities
4. Financing of a teaching assignment for compensation (in the first two semesters)

The early career phase of tenure-track professorship is also extended with justification, e.g. by the parental leave or periods of reduced working hours (by at least one-fifth) due to caring for family members or children under 16 years of age (establishment in the tenure-track policy).