Workshop: Resilience & Well-being in Academia 

Details

Date: Mon, 09 & Tue, 10 February 2026, 09:00–12:30 h
Location: online via Zoom
Target group: Postdocs of all research fields of the UA Ruhr universities (max. 20 participants)
Trainer: Desiree Dickerson, PhD
Registration deadline: 26 January 2026
Contact for organizational Questions: event@rs.ruhr-uni.bochum.de

Description

Academia is an ultramarathon that we try to run as a sprint. We quickly run out of time and energy and can experience waning motivation, burnout, and a sense of failure. Although the environment certainly plays a role, we as individuals can address the way we approach academia to buffer us against stress and burnout, worry and fear. 

A healthier approach to research is possible!

In this workshop: 

• We address the thought processes that underlie perfectionism, imposter syndrome or worry and learn to reframe them.
• We identify maladaptive coping strategies (e.g. avoidance and procrastination) and explore more effective (and healthier) alternatives.
• We discuss the need to fill our bucket and why balance in our lives is essential to creativity, insight, motivation, and our ability to deal constructively with feedback and rejection.

Download Workshop-Description (PDF)

Trainer

Desiree Dickerson, PhD As a a clinical psychologist and former postdoctoral researcher in the neurosciences with research experience in New Zealand, Australia, and Austria, Desiree now helps academics to pursue a healthier approach to research.

* In order to provide you with a comfortable registration process, we use registration forms of our service partner eveeno®. Please note the information on the allocation of places on the program overview page.