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Research Explorer Ruhr

Explore your Postdoc Opportunities in the Ruhr Area

Research Explorer Ruhr (RER) is a program for international early postdoctoral researchers (to-be) interested in exploring the research landscape of the University Alliance Ruhr.

Benefit from workshops on postdoc funding schemes and research career options in Germany! Networking events and excursions will help you become acquainted with the thriving Ruhr Area as a potential place to work and live.

When? 22 June 2025 (arrival) to 5 July 2025 (departure)

Who? Doctoral researchers in the final stage of their PhD & early postdoctoral researchers (<1 year after receiving their doctoral degree)

Flyer Research Explorer Ruhr 2025

Call for Applications 


© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

Call for applications (2025)

Apply from 6 January 2025 for a spot in this year's Research Explorer Ruhr! Join in to work out research compatibility with a professor of your choice and explore possibilities to come back for a longer postdoc stay with your own funding. The deadline for applications is 16 February 2025. You can download the call for applications (PDF) here.

How to apply?

There are two possibilities for you:

1) Apply to a professor’s profile by 16 February 2025
Our professors are registering as hosts for RER 2025 in November/December 2024. From 6 January 2024, you will find the profiles of the participating professors, sorted by subject groups, here:

​​STEP 1

From 6 January 2025, we will also provide you with a link* to apply here. Fill out the registration form completely.

STEP 2

You will find a link to upload your file here from 6 January 2025 as well. Upload your academic CV and a publication list (in one file!) via the sciebo service**. Please use the following specification for naming the file: last name_first name

Upload your file. (The information on the site is unfortunately only available in German. You will be asked to select the file after clicking in the box or to drag them in the box for uploading. When your upload was successful you will see "Hochgeladene Datei" and the name of your uploaded file below.)

Please note: Applications without these documents cannot be considered! 

2) Unsolicited application

We accept unsolicited applications as of now. In case you would like to work with a researcher at Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, or the University of Duisburg-Essen, who has not uploaded a profile, please take the following steps to apply so that we can get in touch with the respective professor.

STEP 1

Find a potential host, e.g. by informing yourself about your research area on the websites of Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

​​STEP 2

From 6 January 2025, we will also provide you with a link* to apply here. Fill out the registration form completely.

STEP 3

You will find a link to upload your file here from 6 January 2025 as well. Upload your academic CV and a publication list (in one file!) via the sciebo service**. Please use the following specification for naming the file: last name_first name

Upload your file. (The information on the site is unfortunately only available in German. You will be asked to select the file after clicking in the box or to drag them in the box for uploading. When your upload was successful you will see "Hochgeladene Datei" and the name of your uploaded file below.)

Please note: Applications without these documents cannot be considered! 

 

Further important notes:

  1. Do NOT send any kind of application to a professor directly.
  2. We will not look for a potential host for you, this is your task.
     

*In order to provide you with a comfortable application process, we use registration forms of our service partner eveeno®. eveeno® works in compliance with the European Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO). After submitting the registration form, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt by e-mail. Please note that this is not the final confirmation of your placement. We will inform you in good time whether you have received a place in the program.

**Sciebo is a german non-commercial cloud storage service from universities for universities and works also in compliance with the European Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO).


Helpful Information

International doctoral researchers, who have already submitted their doctoral thesis, and early international postdoctoral researchers, who have recently finished their PhD, are invited to apply for a spot in Research Explorer 2025. If you are thinking of doing a postdoc in the Ruhr Area, but are not sure if it is the right fit for you, Research Explorer Ruhr is the right program.

Our professors offer to host one guest at their institute. During this time, you can work out cooperation opportunities, research compatibility and possibilities to come back as a postdoc with your own funding.

Research Academy Ruhr funds your stay (travel, visa, accommodation) and will offer a program of workshops on funding options and cultural activities to round off the experience.

A preliminary schedule will be published here in good time.

Research Explorer Ruhr gives you the opportunity to invite interesting international early postdoctoral researchers (to-be) to a two-week stay at your university. Research Academy Ruhr will cover travel and accommodation costs.

In addition to an introduction to the German research system, the accompanying program will also include a workshop to successfully raise funds for a postdoctoral position. If these guests wish to return as postdocs, the candidates themselves are responsible for obtaining the appropriate funds and scholarships.

All organizational questions and planning with the guests are handled by Research Academy Ruhr so that you can concentrate on joint research questions or projects. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Jörn Benzinger.



Kontakt Foto Dr. Jörn Benzinger

Contact for organizational questions

Dr. Jörn Benzinger
RUB Research School
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Universitätsstr. 150, FNO 01/133
44801 Bochum
Phone: +49 (0)234 32-27124
E-Mail: research-explorer@rs.rub.de

For scientific questions please contact the professors directly.


Feedback from some of our Research Explorers in 2023


Success Stories



Impressions


© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Simon Kresmann/Research Academy Ruhr

© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Simon Kresmann/Research Academy Ruhr

© Daniel Sadrowski/Research Academy Ruhr

© Simon Kresmann/Research Academy Ruhr