Career & Support

Graduate School EES

PhD students doing their research in the framework of POLiS automatically take part in the Graduate School Electrochemical Energy Storage.

• The GS-EES addresses the full, community-spanning spectrum of electrochemical energy storage and conversion, from fundamental science to processing and application
• The GS-EES offers a comprehensive education and training program in these areas, emphasizing interdisciplinary aspects
• The GS-EES is committed to offer professional skills training

POLiS funds about 60 PhD students.

The GS-EES operates within the Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage CELEST.

Research fields are Li-ion batteries, post Li batteries, fuel cells, etc.

The GS-EES offers:

• An interdisciplinary block course Materials, Funcitoning and Technology of Batteries
• An Annual Summer School
• Workshops on scientific or method-related topics
• Professional skills training in the fields of scientific communication, management, good scientific practice and equal opportunities
• Three-month research stay abroad

Please visit the GS-EES Website for further information.

Important Links

• GS-EES website

The members of the Cluster and the board are strongly committed to ensure equal career opportunity irrespective of gender, age, origin, personal background and religion.

Our aims are:

• Creating an accepting, inclusive and diverse culture, which fosters inclusion and interculturality within the Cluster
• Raising awareness of equality and diversity and the impact of unconscious bias through various programs
• Achieving equal opportunities for women and men at all levels of the Cluster
• Raising the number of women at all qualification levels and especially in leadership positions
• Compatibility of family and career

For doing this, we will implement Cluster-specific measures and at the same time make use of established structures and instruments at Ulm University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT),  such as personnel development and diversity management units, monitoring of hiring procedures, initiatives for reconciliation of work and family life, and various mentoring and coaching programs.

Proportion of women in POLiS

• 16,0 % Female Principle Investigators
• 50,0 % Spokeswomen of Research Units
• 37,5 % Female Representatives of the General Assembly

Nationalities in POLiS

• 15 different nationalities
• 27 % researchers from other countries

Important Links

• Equal Opportunities Unit Ulm University
• Equal opportunities office KIT
• Margarete von Wrangell-Program for women Habilitation program for excellent female scientists at universities in Baden-Württemberg
• Brigitte Schlieben-Lange-Program Program for women with children in the postdoc phase
• Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard-Stiftung Promotion of talented young female scientists with children
• MuT-Mentoring und Training Program for the in-service support and promotion of highly qualified young female scientists
• DFG - Walter Benjamin-Programm Promotion of an own research project following the doctorate
• Childcare at KIT
• Childcare at Ulm University
• United Nations Development Programme - TACKLING SOCIAL NORMS: a game changer for gender inequalities
• Mentoring program X-Ment at KIT

The POLiS Award of Excellence for Female Researchers is given annually to an outstanding female early and mid-career researcher working in one of the scientific topics of the POLiS Cluster. It entails up to 70,000 € for one or several research stays at one of POLiS participating institutions (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Ulm University, the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and University of Giessen) to establish and strengthen international collaborations.

Further information on the application and selection process as well as previous awardees can be found here.