Junior professorships attract women and homecomers in Germany
The German Ministry of Education and Research has confirmed that the introduction of the 'junior professorship' nationally, intended to create an attractive career path for young scientists, has been a success. The positions are attracting a high number of women scientists, and are also encouraging German scientists to return from abroad, Minister for Education and Research Edelgard Bulmahn announced on 10 April. Some 28 of the 850 professorships have been awarded to women, and 14 per cent are occupied by scientists who had been working outside of Germany. Two thirds of these are German. The junior professorship was introduced in 2002. It was intended to enable young scientists, in their early 30s, to carry out independent research and teaching. 'With the introduction of the junior professor we have succeeded in strengthening the ability of German universities to be competitive,' said Ms Bulmahn.
Countries
Germany