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.
Supervisor Exchange: Sharing Experiences in Doctoral Supervision
What makes doctoral supervision successful? How do we identify promising candidates, foster independence, and support doctoral researchers in preparing for their future careers?
Join us for an open and interactive Supervisor Exchange co-hosted by the Helmholtz Munich Graduate School (HELENA) and the LMU GraduateCenter. This event brings together supervisors from Helmholtz Munich, LMU, TUM, and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry to share experiences, discuss challenges, and exchange practical insights from their supervisory practice.
Designed as a collegial conversation among peers, the event will feature a small panel of experienced supervisors and provide ample opportunity for discussion and exchange with participants. Together, we will explore different approaches to doctoral supervision and reflect on lessons learned from our own experiences.
Topics include:
- Recruiting doctoral candidates with strong potential
- Balancing guidance and independence in supervision
- Developing key competencies for doctoral success
- Supporting doctoral researchers in preparing for diverse career paths
Event Details:
📅 Date: 29 October 2026
🕒 Time: 15:00–16:30
📍 Location: Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Building 31, Room 003
🔗 Registration: Supervisor Exchange: Sharing Experiences in Doctoral Supervision | CaMS
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. 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 2027. Registration will open in the beginning of November.
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 Team Lead Qualification Program at the TUM Graduate School.
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.