Early Career - R3 Groups
Research groups led by early career researchers, i.e. postdocs at a relatively early career stage (R3), are an important instrument for promoting innovative research and scientific careers. At Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, R3 groups are currently funded by the following sponsors.
Emmy Noether Junior Research Groups (DFG)
The Emmy Noether Programme of the German Research Foundation offers outstandingly qualified scientists in early career phases the opportunity to qualify for a university professorship by independently leading a group over a period of six years.
Faculty of Law
- Dr. Ruth Weber, Faculty of Law, Mehrebenensystem, 04/2024-03/2027 (from 12.02.2025 at the Deutsche Universität für Verwaltungswissenschaften Speyer)
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Dr. Stefanie Alisch, Department of Musicology and Media Studies, Sound Epistemologies, 07/2024-06/2027
Faculty of Life Science
- Prof. Dr. Tsu-Wei Chen, Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Phenotypic Plasticity, 10/2020-09/2026
- Gita Naseri, Ph.D., Department of Biology, COMprehensive PLATform for sustainable biosynthesis (ComplatN), 04/2024-03/2027
- Dr. Torben Ott, Department of Biology, Cortical Neuromodulation, 01/2022-12/2027
- Dr. Thomas Christophel, Department of Psychology, Adaptive kortikal Organisation im Dienste der verteilten Arbeitsgedächtnisspeicherung, 01/2021-12/2026
- Dr. Fritz Günther, Department of Psychology, Computational Modeling | Was ist ein Name? 12/2021-11/2027
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Dr. Alberto Pérez-Bitrián: Organoxenon Compounds as Versatile Oxidizers in Organometallic Chemistry (OrgXeMet), Institut für Chemie, 05/2025-04/2031
- Dr. Michael Kathan, NanoMECHs, Department of Chemistry, 10/2023-09/2026
- Prof. Dr. Alan Akbik, Eidetic Representations of the Representationen Natural Laguage, Department of Computer Science, 07/2021-06/2025
- Dr. Sebastian Heeg, Department of Physics, Carbin für Optoelektronik/Optomechanik
- Dr. Nakib Protik, Dragonics, Department of Physics,
Faculty of Humanities
- Dr. Hamid Taieb, Department of Philosophy, A Sensible World. The Problem of Secondary Qualties in and around the School of Brentano, 09/2020-08/2026
Junior Research Groups within the framework of Clusters of Excellence (DFG)
As part of the clusters of excellence, R3 groups were set up as independent units within the alliances to enable the leaders to further develop their own profile and leadership skills.
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Dr. Aswin Kannan, Math+, Data-Driven Optimization, Department of Mathematics, 01/2020-12/2025
- Dr. Fabian Telschow, Math+, Statistical Inversion and Quantification of Uncertainties, Department of Mathematics, 01/2020-12/2025
Heisenberg Fellowships (DFG)
The DFG's Heisenberg Programme is aimed at excellent researchers who meet all the formal requirements for appointment to a permanent professorship. It enables them to further develop their own research profile in a targeted manner and to prepare for an academic leadership position.
Faculty of Life Science
- Prof. Dr. Tilman Brück, Heisenberg-Professur Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und Ernährungssicherheit, Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, 07/2022-06/2025
- Dr. Sven Ohl, Sehen und Gedächtnis bei Handlungen, Department of Psychology, 04/2024-03/2027
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Dr. Gretchen Bakke, Soziokultureller Wandel am Ende der fossilen Brennstoffe, Department of Geography/IRI THESys, 10/2022-09/2025
- Dr. Burkhard Eden, N-Punkt-Funktionen und integrable Systeme, Department of Physics, 04/2024-03/2027
- Dr. Valentina Forini, Heisenberg-Professur Quantenstrings und Eichfelder bei beliebiger Kopplung, Department of Physics, 09/2023-08/2026
Faculty of Humanities
- PD Dr. Felix Römer, Neue Historische Ungleichheitsforschung: Wissen, Diskurse, Praktiken in Westeuropa und der Welt im 20./21. Jh., Department of History, 04/2023-03/2026
- PD Dr. Stefan Wellgraf, Ostdeutsche Hooligans. Kontinuitäten und Neuformierungen rechter Subkulturen von den 1970er Jahren bis zur Gegenwart, Department of European Ethnology, 04/2021-02/2027
Faculty of Language, Literature and Humanities
- PD Dr. Beatrice Trinca, Produktive Kommunikationsbarrieren in der Literatur des Hoch- und Spätmittelalters, Department of German Literature, 10/2021-03/2027
- PD Dr. Lothar Willms, Eleutheria: Geschichte des griechischen Freiheitsbegriffs: Archäologie einer europäischen Leitidee, Department of Classical Philology, 06/2022-05/2025
Faculty of Theology
- Prof. Dr. Hartmut von Sass, Hope’s Ecstasy: Existence, Possibility and the Non-Correspondence to Future, 01/2020-06/2026
Junior research groups funded by Federal Ministries
The funding of junior research groups by federal ministries is aimed at excellent postdoctoral researchers in the early career phase. They can develop their own research project as group leaders within the framework of the funding programme. In contrast to the Emmy Noether Groups (DFG) funding programme, which is open to all topics, the federal ministries call for proposals for groups on specific topics on an irregular basis.
Faculty of Life Science
- Dr. Sarah Hackfort, BIOMATERIALITIES – Natur und Transformationen von Produktion, Reproduktion und Politik in der High-Tech Bioökonomie, Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, 7/2019-06/2025
- Achim Hagen, Ph.D., PECan (The Political Economy of Climate Policy and Finance), Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, 10/2022-09/2027
- Dr. Maria Proestou & Dr. Nicolai Goritz (né Schulz), Bioeconomy Policy Implementation in Bioeconomie States, Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, 03/2023-02/2028
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Dr. Gustav Graeber, Anodenfreie Natrium- und Kalium-Metall-Batterien durch Alkalimetall-Benetzungsstrategien, Department of Chemistry, 03/2023-02/2028
- Prof. Dr. Tim Schröder, Diamant-Nanophotonic for On-Chip Quantentechnology (DiNOQuant), Department of Physics, 10/2018-09/2025
ERC Starting Grants
With the Starting Grant, the ERC supports innovative researchers at early career stages (2-7 years after PhD). In general, up to 1.5 million Euros are available for this purpose. Funding period: 5 years
Freigeist Fellowships (VolkswagenStiftung)
The Freigeist Fellowships are aimed at scientists at early career stages who are moving between established research fields and high-risk research. The aim is to further develop their own research profile as the leader of their own group.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Dr. Saskia Schäfer, Secularity, Islam, and Democracy in Indonesia and Turkey, Department of Asian and African Studies, 10/2018-04/2025
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
- Dr. Nichol Furey, In-Depth Study Into the Algebraic Structure of Elementary Particle Physics, Department of Physics, 02/2020-09/2026
Faculty of Language, Literature and Humanities
- Dr. Anna Izdebska, Visions of History in Greek Philosophy, Department of Classical Philology, 03/2023-02/2028