Kerstin Dübner-Gee is committed to strengthening how research institutions support the people who work in them. At the Max Planck Society, she leads the department for People Development & Opportunities, focusing on leadership development, career support, and organizational change across the research system.

Before joining Max Planck, she held positions at the Fraunhofer Society and the Technical University of Munich, where she helped develop programs that support researchers and strengthen institutional approaches to leadership and career development.

At GSO, she is particularly interested in how research organizations can create better conditions for sustainable academic careers and responsible leadership in science.

Jacob Eder is Professor of Modern History at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. His research focuses on transatlantic relations, Holocaust memory, and antisemitism. Among other things, he explores how international exchange processes shape cultures of memory.

Teaching plays a central role in his work. At the Barenboim-Said Akademie, he works with students from the Middle East and many other regions — including Arab and Israeli students who learn together there in a unique international environment.

He studied in Germany, England, and the United States and received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a fellow, among other places, at Brandeis University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

At GSO, he is particularly committed to strengthening international networks in academia and improving career conditions for researchers in the humanities and social sciences.

Foto: ©Peter Adamik

Jeffrey M. Peck has dedicated much of his career to international academic exchange, mentoring young scholars, and advancing diversity in higher education. He has held leadership roles at universities in the United States and Europe, including serving as Dean of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and Vice Provost for Global Strategies at Baruch College, City University of New York.

He is currently President of the Friends and Sponsors of the German-American Fulbright Program and remains closely connected to transatlantic academic exchange.

At GSO, he is especially interested in supporting researchers who build bridges across countries, disciplines, and academic communities.

Maxim Egorov focuses on how people grow into leadership roles, translate values in leadership behaviors, and how leadership shapes the culture of organizations. A psychologist by training, he works as a consultant, coach, and trainer with leaders and teams navigating complex situations and seeking to shape transformation processes responsibly.

His work explores how individuals can empower themselves and others while creating a working culture in which value creation is grounded in appreciation.

At GSO, he brings this perspective to conversations about leadership in science and to supporting researchers as they move from excellent scholarship into roles where they guide teams and shape institutions.

Wolfgang is one of GSO’s founders and vice chairman of the board. During his professional life he worked in different positions at Schering AG, later Bayer AG. In 2002, he worked for Schering in the Bay Area in the US. Back then, it was important to him to make it easier for German researchers abroad to return to Germany – and inform them about options in the business sector, specifically.

Today, GSO also supports non-German researchers and Wolfgang contributes to our work as feelance HR consultant.

For many years, Harald has worked as scientist and later as manager at Bayer Pharma. It is important to him to convey the message that researchers can also do research beyond academia. Since 2018 he advises biopharmaceutical companys as a freelance consultant. He shares his knowledge in our webinar about career paths in industry.

In her previous role as head of strategy at Helmholtz Association Stephanie was one of the crucial drivers for our Leadership Academy for researchers. Building on her vast experience in research management, today she is part of the executive board of renowned ifo Institute for Economic Research in Munich. She started her career as personal assistant to the president at the University of Göttingen and holds a PhD in Sociology and Esatern European History.

“German science and business need excellent researchers to develop solutions to the national and international challenges of a globalized society. To this end, it is essential to help foundations, universities and non-university institutions with their talent management strategies and building alumni networks in order to recruit excellent young researchers.

As a GSO member, I want to support this process and promote the conversation between ‘scientific minds’ and potential employers.”

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Dr. Timo Lorenz began his studies in psychology in 2009. It was during this time that his passion for research and life in an academic context was ignited. In 2016, he received his doctorate with a dissertation on “Social Relevance and Sound Methods in Applied Positive Psychology in the Workplace.”

He has been working at the Medical School Berlin since the summer semester of 2018: initially as a research and teaching assistant, and since October 2020 as a junior professor of work and organizational psychology. Here he focuses on his research areas of positive psychology, neurodiversity, and scale development.

His goal is to pass on his love of education to young people and to equip them with a solid methodological training.

“I’m really impressed by GSO’s innovative programs, the way they facilitate interdisciplinary networking and that they are so dynamically close to the realities of young researchers’ working and private lives.”

“GSO is the kind of support among equals I would have wished for at the start of my career.”

Eicke is chairman of the board. During his time as professor at UC Berkeley he noticed that young researchers abroad needed more support in learning about career paths in Germany. As one of the founders of GSO, it is important to him to better advise, connect, and empower researchers – because he belives that there are truly great career opportunities in Germany.

Eicke himself returned to Germany after 23 years in the United States as director of Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and as professor in Freiburg. Besides his engagement for the GSO, he today advocates for rebuilding solar manufacturing in Europe.

Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber: Prof. emerit., UC Berkeley & ALU Freiburg / Chair, European Solar Manufacturing Council ESMC

„In order to find solutions for current challenges, excellent research requires excellent researchers. Since 2003 the GSO has been supporting young researchers launching their careers – I am very happy to support that cause.”

Mridul is a Medical Doctor and scientist and currently working as postdoctoral fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. He is passionate about clinical medicine and translational research in hematology/oncology.

Also, he is co-founder of iuvando, a digital health and precision oncology start-up, building a patient-centric platform with a dedicated team to improve access to clinical trials for cancer patients.

“I am convinced that GSO’s work and engagement for researchers’ careers closes an important gap that exists despite all the science funding from the public and private sectors.”

“For me, progress in science and innovation means the interaction of people at the right time in the right place and under the right conditions. For such connections to emerge, personal skills and potential on the one hand and opportunities to contribute on the other must be recognized and made visible.

With its focus on the people behind science and its view across borders, the GSO contributes to closing this gap and acts as an enabler to shape a sustainable society.”

“Outstanding intellects are the German science system’s fundamental assets. Identifying, retaining and promoting excellent researchers as well as competent staff in science management, administration and the infrastructure sector is part of strategic and systematic talent management. This is something I fight for in both my professional and my private life. GSO does, too. GSO ensures that scientific talents who would like to do research and work in Germany receive professional advice and access to networks. GSO is majorly engaged and successful in this area, as is its innovative approach.”

“I myself decided to go into business while I was still working on my PhD thesis. It was a step based on a fair degree of ignorance, which I certainly don’t regret looking back on it now.

With its advisory expertise on the various options for researchers, GSO plays a very important role, which is why it has my support.”

Find more impressions on René’s career path in our express-interview.

“Scientists are predestined to carry out structured analysis in creative innovation fields, to test precisely, and to make decisions at the factual level. Social scientists have the expertise needed to help people and societies embrace innovations, make innovations acceptable to society and people, and evaluate which innovations we as a society use differently or which one we will not use.

These are precisely the skills that are needed for entrepreneurship, a career in business, and also urgently for government agencies. I passionately support the GSO because it helps scientists to continue their careers also in other fields in Germany. Brain Power is what we need.”

Dr. Katharina von Knop is the founder of Digital Trust Analytics GmbH. The company is the result of her scientific work on the topic of building and maintaining digital trust. She develops and optimizes digital business models to build and strengthen users’ digital trust. Here, she focuses on the decision-making patterns of people and machines. The implementation and experience ability of clearly defined ethical guidelines are essential here.

“Together with the support of major foundations in Germany, the GSO is tackling individual and structural challenges
for researchers with pioneering grant schemes and services. I believe that the GSO‘s mission to gain a deeper
understanding of international brain circulation and to translate this knowledge into programs and individual
support is timely and important. I’m honoured to be a member of the GSO Advisory Board.”