Finding the Right Fit: Strategies for Attracting PhD Candidates
In an exciting development for 2024, our colleague Dr. Birte Seffert embarks on a nationwide tour to meet with the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund Fellows across Germany. The Keeping Up with the Boost Fellows series aims to shine a spotlight on the journeys, challenges, and achievements of our Fellows.
Birte visited cognitive neuroscientist and Boost fellow Deniz Kumral in Freiburg. Deniz moved there from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig to join the Imaging Memory and Consolidation Lab of Monika Schönauer at the Department of Psychology of The University of Freiburg.
Deniz researches slow-wave sleep disruption and its potential role in the clearance of metabolic waste products and its impact on memory consolidation. Her goal is to clarify mechanisms underlying age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
In her research, Deniz relies on participants sleeping in the sleep chambers and doing tests. You can imagaine that she can need the help of other researchers such as PhD students – but how do you find suitable candidates?
You recently got additional funding from the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung to hire a PhD student. What is important when selecting a PhD student for a research project?
I would like to stress three aspects:
First, the person you are hiring should fit into the project – and they should find the project attractive so that they also keep on when it gets hard. I look at whether they read the call – and not just write random, generic stuff. I also make it simple: write up to 500 words, send a motivation letter plus a CV – not more.
Secondly, the person should fit into the group. I care about diversity and inclusivity, e.g. international background, gender, underrepresented groups.
The third aspect is skills and creativity. It’s interesting to test creativity with questions such as what they do if things go wrong. How do they deal with difficulties? There are no wrong or correct answers to that.”
Three aspects to consider when hiring are:
1. Project fit
2. Group fit
3. Skills and creativity
We often hear that it´s increasingly difficult to find good PhD students and postdocs – but you received more than 100 applications. What do you do differently?
My first PhD hire is like my first baby, and I want the best out of everything. So I distributed the call to all the Max Planck Schools, to LinkedIn, to X advertisements, to my previous universities, and forums and lists for people in Cognitive Neuroscience. Most applicants received the call from these forums and lists. Some have up to 10,000 followers.
Summing up Deniz’s strategy to disseminate calls for open positions:
Address your target audience where they are and try various, different, new channels!
The KT Boost Fund is a joint program of GSO and the Klaus Tschira Foundation for postdoctoral researchers in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science. It offers flexible funding for risky and interdisciplinary research on the way to academic independence. Funding can be used to hire staff, buy equipment, or build collaborations – tailored to the research project.
