BioMove provides a state-of-the-art program in modern scientific theory and methods to prepare its graduates for academic work in the fields of movement, behavioural and evolutionary ecology, conservation biology, biodiversity research and related topics. An important goal of the doctoral program in BioMove is to broaden the interdisciplinary competence of young researchers, enabling them to develop projects that bridge methods, concepts and disciplines, uncompromisingly pursuing the primacy of the research question. This will be achieved by group-based, goal-oriented scientific synthesis (‘bottom-up’-research teams) rather than only by classical top-down knowledge transfer.
In particular, doctoral training concentrates on interdisciplinary workshops and scientific exchange with research fellows and international guest scientists (‘MoveScientists’ program), linked to an exchange program for doctoral researchers (‘PhDMove’ program), and summer schools. Additonally, the PhD students visit at least four soft skills courses at the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) or in similar institutions during three years (more details below). Furthermore, workshops on the general rules of "Good Scientific Practise" as well as "Gender related Workshops" are conducted (more). During the yearly retreats, the status quo of the single projects are reported and plans and goals for the future are defined. At the end of the first PhD cohort, we organised a BioMove Conference to summarise and share the results of the first three years of BioMove with the research community and the new PhD student cohort. All workshops and activities are arranged according to the needs and wishes of the PhD student cohort.
Workshops:
1) Concepts in movement ecology and biodiversity research
(Oct. 15 – Apr. 16; 19.10. & 14.12.18)
2) GIS basics (10.-12.02.16 & 21.-22.02.19)
3) Advanced Statistics (29.02.-04.03.16; 15.02. & 22.03.19)
4) Ecological Modelling (14.-18.02.16 & 16.11.18)
5) GIS & Remote Sensing (01.-04.11.16)
6) Biodiversity (28.-29.09.17)
7) Genetics (30.11.18)
Summer Schools:
Telemetry: Animal tracking methods and advanced data analyses - Station Gülpe (Havelaue) (10.-14.10.16 & 07.-11.10.19)
Retreats:
Kick-off 1st cohort – Huberhof Seehausen (Uckermark) (05.- 06.10.15)
One year BioMove – Burghotel Bad Belzig (09.- 10.11.16 )
Retreat 2017 - Seminarhotel Paulinenhof Bad Belzig (10.-11.10.17)
Retreat 2018 - Seminarhotel Paulinenhof Bad Belzig (05.-06.04.18)
Kick-off 2nd cohort – Research Station Gülpe (11.-12.10.18)
Retreat 2019 (November 2019)
Soft Skills & Good Scientific Practise:
A) Data management (05.02.16 & 02.11.18)
B) Animal Protection Laws & Permissions for Animal Experiments
(10.06.16 & 11.01.19)
C) Scientific Writing (21.-22.02.17)
D) Science Communication (26.-27.04. & 16.10.17)
E) Proposal writing (24.11.17)
Gender Related Workshops:
a) Culture meets Gender (22.-23.10.2015)
b) Rhetoric empowerment for women (30.-31.01.2017)
c) Career Day: Scientific Life Balance (20.10.2017)
d) How to supervise PhD students successfully? (17.11.2017)
e) Almost there: Preparing for the viva defense (19.-20.12.18)
BioMove Conference:
26. -28. September 2018 @ UP
MoveScientists
2016
Dr. Kamran Safi, Germany
Prof. Justin Calabrese, USA
Prof. Ran Nathan, Israel
Dr. Allert Bijleveld, Netherlands
Prof. Bram van Moorter, Norway
Dr. Simon Ripperger, Germany
Dr. Marc Wehrhahn, Germany
Dr. Carsten Neumann, Germany
Dr. Jannes Münchow, Germany
Prof. Alexander Brenning, Germany
Prof. Klaus Fischer, Germany
Prof. Steven Declerk, Netherlands
Dr. Emiel van Loon, Netherlands
Prof. Ulrich Brose, Germany
2017
Prof. Franz Bairlein, Germany
Dr. James Turner, Germany
Prof. Yaron Ziv, Israel
Prof. Janne Soininen, Finland
Dr. Greta Bocedi, UK
Prof. Kirk Moloney, USA
Prof. Raymond Klaassen, Netherlands
Torsten Blohm, Germany
Dr. David Jacobi, UK
Dr. Robin Freeman, UK
2018
PD Dr. Robert Ptacnik, Austria
Prof. Dr. Joel Brown, USA
In addition to the scientific curricula, one- and two-day workshops on diverse topics are frequently offered to enhance professional skills for career development by the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) and the Dahlem Research School (DRS). Workshop topics include performing presentations, leading discussions, time and self-management, grant writing, job application training, team-management, PhD thesis defence training, scientific career strategies as well as social, personal, leadership, communication, and intercultural skills. Workshops on topics, that are interesting for the majority of PhD students, like scientific writing or science communication, are organised in addition.