Equal Opportunities
At CMFI, we view equal opportunities, gender equality, and diversity as the foundation for cutting-edge research. In order to conduct excellent and outstanding research, the CMFI is dependend on highly qualified scientists. We can only attract and retain scientists in the long term if we offer an equitable environment. We are convinced that an equal opportunity research environment and a diverse team that is open, fair and non-discriminatory towards each other, is essential for successful collaboration at CMFI.
Gender Equality & Diversity
The CMFI specifically supports female postdocs, clinician scientists, and PIs. Therefore, we established an Equal Opportunity Board consisting of a female PI, a female postdoc, and a female PhD student. Special networking grants for female postdocs were created to foster international outreach and networking of young female scientists, preferably with laboratories led by female scientists.
Our common goal is to increase the proportion of female scientists in permanent positions and in leading positions.
We want to help shape a university culture based on equal opportunities and diversity. In it, all members should be able to develop and contribute their individual abilities regardless of gender, ethnic origin, age, social and religious background, disability or sexual identity.
Since 2017 the University of Tübingen holds the “Vielfalt gestalten” diversity audit.
The “Vielfalt gestalten” diversity audit is an initiative of the Stifterverband, designed to increase universities’ awareness of diversity and help them to create appropriate structures as well as to develop measures that take account of the diversity of students and staff. Each university that undergoes the diversity audit develops a diversity strategy specific to its profile and history. With the re-auditing as part of the “Vielfalt gestalten” diversity audit, the University of Tübingen demonstrates its commitment to sustainable diversity management. The measures associated with the re-audit help to raise the profile of diversity in academic life and address disadvantages.
Family & Career
An important issue for young scientists and especially women in science is the coordination of family duties and their career. For this purpose, the CMFI offers support through a Scientific Writer to professors and group leaders with children under the age of 16 in science-related administrative and writing work. Furthermore, the CMFI approved research assistants to pregnant postdocs or postdocs in maternal leave.
Since 2014 the University of Tübingen holds the audit family-freindly university (audit familiengerechte hochschule).
The audit family-friendly university is the special instrument for creating family-friendly research and study conditions in universities. This includes, among other things, flexible working time and work location models, creation of family work rooms if children have to be taken to university when childcare or school is not available, and support for employees who care for relatives. For student parents, family-friendly and flexible study conditions must be guaranteed to compensate for the lack of time resources. The goal is to sustainably support a family-friendly university culture and anchor it in university policy.
Career Support
The CMFI finances positions for cluster researchers in the Athene Grant program of the University of Tübingen. This two-year program aims to support academic work, individual career planning and the acquisition of general professional skills. The target group is scientists (women, trans*, inter* as well as non-binary persons) of the University of Tübingen in the post doc/ habilitation phase or on a junior professorship.
Prof. Dr. Nadine Ziemert
Board Member
CMFI Equal Opportunities Officer
University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen
Applied Natural Products Genome Mining
nadine.ziemert@uni-tuebingen.de