Proactive Appointment Policy

On December 15, 2010, the Executive Board approved the Guidelines for appointments at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Appointment procedures for university professors and assistant professors under particular consideration of aspects of gender and diversity”, which are continuously being developed and adapted. We aim to act consistently and systematically to make gender and diversity an integral part of all steps in our appointment procedures.

Relevant informations can be found in the document Quality assurance in appointment procedures (PDF).

The University is particularly keen to ensure that gender mainstreaming is taken into consideration during appointment procedures and has thus taken the appropriate steps.

One key aspect of FAU’s appointment procedure is taking a proactive approach and actively recruiting female professors. In addition to the Guidelines for appointments, the Executive Board of the University passed a revised version of the Guidelines on recruiting female professors on May 24, 2017 (German Version only).

The body with the authority to make decisions in the appointment procedure is the appointment committee. It assesses the subject-related and personal skills of candidates and must make a transparent and unprejudiced selection. Gender balance and gender equality must be considered and implemented with a view to increasing the proportion of female professors at FAU. The currently valid version of the Guidelines for appointments forms the basis for appointment procedures at FAU.

The women’s representatives in the appointment committee are entitled and obliged to ensure and demand a gender-sensitive assessment of female candidates.

During the entire procedure, the women’s representatives can turn to the reporting officers, the President, the university women’s representatives and Appointments and Appointment Procedures (S-Ber) for help or advice.

Below you will find a handout for women’s representatives in appointment committees that contains further information.

Interdisciplinary databases

• AcademiaNet – Profiles of Leading Women Scientists >>Database with female researchers from all disciplines, mainly from Germany but has become more international since 2012.
• FemConsult . Die Wissenschaftlerinnen-Datenbank >> Information portal and database. Current qualification profiles of more than 3000 female researchers with doctoral degrees and habilitations in German-speaking countries.
• Database of women holding a postdoctoral academic qualification (Austria) >> Send a copy of the call for applications to akgl(at)uni-graz.at when vacancies arise
• Datenbank des Margarete von Wrangell-Habilitationsprogramm für Frauen >> Scholarship program for excellent female researchers, database of former scholarship holders
• FEMtech female expert database (Austria) >> Users can filter according to various fields, however, focus is on science and engineering
• Femdat female expert database (Switzerland) >> Network for companies and women for entry level positions, higher level positions and career changes with expertise, network and advice
• LaKof BW female professor database >> Job and networking site for professorships at universities of applied science and universities offering dual study programs

 

Subject-related databases

• EMBO-WILS database of women in life sciences >> Database for female researchers in life sciences.
• DPF-Professorinnen in der Physik >> List of all female physics professors including emeritus professors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
• Women’s Engineering Society >> Network of female engineers
• Clio-online Datenbank ForscherInnen für Geschichtswissenschaften >> Database of female researchers of history
• German Association of Women Engineers >> Network, projects, job portal
• German Medical Women’s Association >> Forum for networking, careers, representative body of female physicians in Germany

 

Databases aimed at specific target groups

• Netzwerk Migration in Europa >> Expert Database of the Network Migration in Europe e.V
• Vielfaltfinder >> Database of experts and research tool for media professionals

 

Searches via academic societies

• DFG contacts for academic societies
• Working Group on Equal Opportunities (AKC) of the German Physical Society

 

Academic prizes as suggestions

• Helene Lange prize for women in research and science
• Bertha Benz prize for engineering
• Google Anita Borg Scholarship
• L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards“
• Hertha Sponer award for female physicists

(Prizes awarded exclusively to women)

 

Other

European Platform of Women Scientists >> European network of female researchers

The tutorial is an hour long online course on the StudOn platform aimed at raising awareness of (unconscious) gender biases and how they affect staffing decisions. The course is predominantly aimed at members of appointment committees and managers at FAU. It can, however, also be accessed by anyone interested in the topic, whether they are members of FAU or not. Further information and how to access the course is available here.