Doctoral Supervision at TUM

The Technical University of Munich strives to play a leading role in supporting and developing its personnel. One key element of the support the university provides for junior scholars and scientists is good supervision for doctoral candidates. TUM offers a number of qualification options to achieve this.
Doctoral Supervisor Training
The Doctoral Supervisor Training offers support for the supervision of doctoral candidates on an academic and personal level. In cooperation with qualified trainers, various aspects of supervision, such as my role as a supervisor, leadership through communication, mental health, etc., are examined with best-practice examples in individual sessions. The training will provide you with a holistic overview of how you can best support your doctoral researchers from recruiting to career development.
Through the cooperation with scientists from different fields and institutions, the offer also provides a platform for professional exchange.
The jointly developed training is aimed specifically at professors, junior research group leaders and postdocs (with supervision responsibilities) at TUM, the two Max Planck Institutes for Biochemistry and Biological Intelligence and Helmholtz Munich. The training is useful for both experienced supervisors and postdocs who are starting to guide doctoral researchers on a day-to-day basis.
The structured program consists of eight modules taking place between February and April 2025. The kick-off as well as the conclusion of the training are designed in a face-to-face format, while the other six content modules take place online via zoom. The modules are linked by an exchange of experiences and practical applications.
The next training will take place from February to April 2026. Registration will open on November 3, 2025.
Please note that for the online modules in 2026 we will have 2 groups running in parallel. The first group will have the online sessions on Wednesdays, the second group on Thursdays.
Program outline
Date / Time | Organizer / Trainer | Topic | Content / Learning Outcomes |
February 26, 2026, 1pm-6pm, in person at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry | Dr. Monika Beer, Dr. Camila Hernández Frederick, Dr. Vera Kaulbarsch, Dr. Neele Meyer | Module 1 | Kick-Off: Essentials of Supervision |
|
March 4/5, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Dr. Ulrike Schneeberg | Module 2 | Self-Awareness, Emotional Intelligence & Non-violent Communication |
|
March 11/12, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Dr. Martin Fladerer, Clarissa Zwarg | Module 3 | Basics Leadership: Giving and receiving Feedback, Clarification of Expectations |
|
March 18/19, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Dr. Martin Fladerer, Clarissa Zwarg | Module 4 | Recruitment & Onboarding |
|
March 25/26, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Dr. Ulrike Schneeberg | Module 5 | Intercultural Communication |
|
April 14/15, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Judith Bergner | Module 6 | Mental Health |
|
April 22/23, 2026, 9am-1pm, online | Dr. Ulrike Schneeberg | Module 7 | Leading Difficult Conversations / Focus on Negotiation |
|
April 30, 2026, 3pm-6pm, in person at TUM Graduate School | Dr. Monika Beer, Dr. Camila Hernández Frederick, Dr. Vera Kaulbarsch, Dr. Neele Meyer
| Module 8 | Looking back & future vision as a supervisor
|
|
Ulrike Schneeberg, PhD is a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and systemic business trainer with a focus on caring and honest communication to improve (self-)leadership in research systems. Website | LinkedIn
Judith Bergner is a licensed psychologist and holds an Executive Master´s degree in business engineering. She founded skillfactors in 2000. Her focus is currently on mental health of employees and the correlation with working conditions and superior interactions. Website | LinkedIn
Dr. Martin Fladerer is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Chair of Research and Science Management at the TUM School of Management. He is also the Academic Director of the “Perspektivenlabor” at the House of Competence at KIT. Website
Clarissa Zwarg is a research associate and doctoral candidate at the Chair of Research and Science Management at the TUM School of Management. She is part of the DFG-project “Does the place make the people? The role of leadership and work climate for moral and prosocial socialization in the workplace”. Website
Dr. Monika Beer is Head of Scientific Talent and Career Development, Strategy, Programs, Resources and Director of the Helmholtz Graduate School Environmental Health (HELENA) at Helmholtz Munich.
Dr. Camila Hernández Frederick is Head of Career Services & International Max Planck Research School for Molecules of Life (IMPRS-ML) at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich.
Dr. Vera Kaulbarsch is Project Manager Qualification Program at the TUM Graduate School.
Dr. Neele Meyer is Postdoc Coordinator as part of the Scientific Training and Career Development Team at Helmholtz Munich.
TUM Supervisory Award

The Supervisory Award recognizes excellence in the support of next-generation academic talent since 2018 and is awarded by the Graduate Council of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the body representing the university’s doctoral candidates. The Bund der Freunde der Technischen Universität München e.V. funds the 5,000 Euro prize money, which must be channeled to the benefit of the doctoral candidates.
Additional Offers
In order to support you professionally in your successful activities, you will also find a range of courses tailored specifically to your needs at other continuing education providers at TUM.
As part of your leadership position, you are confronted with a variety of challenges such as establishing and expanding your research unit, supervising doctoral students, and effectively leading teams. Faculty@TUM, the evidence-based continuing education program for professors offered by the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning, supports you in mastering your interdisciplinary leadership tasks.
In addition to Leadership & Mental Health or Coaching Basics, for example, there is also a compact course called Supervising Doctoral Candidates.
The TUM Tenure Track Academy is a cross-faculty platform to promote networking and integration of TUM Tenure Track Professors. Many of the seminars and workshops offered teach skills relevant to doctoral supervisors. In this context, inspiring key notes and impulse lectures, practice-oriented workshops and networking events are offered to support you in successfully shaping your tenure track phase. You will have the opportunity to choose the events that are right for you, to exchange ideas with colleagues and instigators from research and practice, and to expand your network at TUM.
Alongside excellent research, excellent teaching is a fundamental component of our university's profile. As a professor, your teaching makes a significant contribution to the training of young scientists. The TUM ProLehre | Medien und Didaktik team supports you with programs in the areas of university didactics, education technology and media production.