Careers outside academia

13:00 Welcome + introduction of the invited speakers by Isabell Otto, Vice Rector for Diversity and Academic Staff Development (Data Theater)

13:10 Career Perspectives for Postdocs outside of Academia by Melanie Moosbuchner, Academic Staff Development (Data Theater)

13:30 Career options outside academia: presentation and Q+A session with individual speakers from various sectors (in parallel sessions)

• Start up: Daniel Seebach, Subsequent (13:30, ZT1202)
  
• Editing: Sarah Koch, Springer (13:30, ZT1204)
• Science management: Daniel Piechowski, MPI-AB + Alex Wild, CASCB (13:30, ZT1201)
• Machine Learning: Conor Heins, Verse (14:10, ZT1202)
• Start up: Jens Koblitz, Small Tracking Solutions STS (14:10, ZT1204)
• Community & event management: Nihan Toprakkiran + Alex Wild, CASCB (14:10, ZT1201)
• Data Analyst: Felix Oberhauser, RISC Software GmbH (14:50, ZT1202)
• NGO: Lisa Gill, Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz LBV (14:50, ZT1204)
• Research data + infrastructure management: Lena Dreher, CASCB + Mathias Günther, CASCB (14:50, ZT1201)

15:30 Panel discussion with invited speakers (Data Theater)

16:30 Exchange and networking get-together (Foyer ZT12)

Bio of the invited speakers

Dr. Lena Dreher is a Research Data and Open Science Manager at the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB). She studied Philosophy of Science and economics at the Universities of Heidelberg, Konstanz and Bristol, and earned her PhD in Philosophy of Neuroeconomics in Konstanz. From 2018 to 2022, she was the National Open Access Desk Germany for OpenAIRE, offering support and advice for all EU-funded projects in Germany on all questions Open Science and research data management. Since 2022, in her current role at the CASCB, she supports researchers with data planning and management, FAIR principles, ethical, GDPR and copyright compliance as well as publishing and licencing questions.

Dr. Lisa Gill is a research associate at LBV (Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature). She studied Biology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Glasgow. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen (now the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence). From 2008 to 2016, she held various positions at the institute – starting as a graduate student and field assistant, later as a doctoral candidate and postdoctoral researcher. From 2017 to 2020, she worked as a postdoc at the Center for Advanced Science and Research (CAESAR) in Bonn. Since 2016, she has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals. Beginning in 2020, she worked as a freelance science consultant. In 2021 and 2022, she was project lead of the citizen science and arts project Dawn Chorus at BIOTOPIA – Naturkundemuseum Bayern (now Naturkundemuseum Bayern). Since 2022, after taking up a position at LBV, she has continued to play an active role in the Dawn Chorus project while also leading and contributing to several other initiatives within the organization.

As a researcher in behavioural ecology, her main interests lie in animal vocal communication and various effects of human influence. To study birds in as much detail as possible without disturbing them in their natural context, she often pioneers new approaches to recording and analysis. In recent years, science communication and public participation have also become central aspects of her work.

Mathias Günther is a Research Technician and Technical Project Manager at the Center for Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz, a position he has held since 2019. He studied Biology at RWTH Aachen University, earning his B.Sc. in 2013 and his M.Sc. in Biological Information Processing in 2016. Between 2010 and 2015, he worked as a research assistant at m2p-labs GmbH by Aachen, gaining experience across all areas of a small startup—from research and product design to sales. From 2016 to 2019, he pursued doctoral research at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF) in Aachen, where he developed the technical skills and scientific thinking that now define his work.

At CASCB, Mathias is primarily responsible for building and maintaining the Imaging Hangar, a technological platform for advanced motion capture and imaging systems. He serves as a technical consultant for scientists and acts as a bridge between scientific and non-scientific thinking, making research methods accessible beyond traditional research backgrounds. Considering himself a jack of all trades, he thrives on collaborating with diverse, international researchers across varied projects. In recent years, AI and cybersecurity have become areas of growing interest.

Dr. Conor Heins is currently a Research Engineer Lead at VERSES AI, a US-based artificial intelligence start-up. Conor received a Bachelors degree in Neuroscience from Swarthmore College in the US and a MSc. in Neuroscience from the University of Goettingen (Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences). Conor did his PhD from 2019-2024 in Biology in the group of Iain Couzin at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. His work and research interests over the years have moved between several disciplines, starting with animal models to study the neural basis of substance abuse and addiction, then building computational models of human eye movements, focusing on collective animal behavior in his PhD, and now recently working on probabilistic machine learning at VERSES.

In 2025 Dr. Jens Koblitz founded the start-up "Smart Tracking Solutions" based in Konstanz, where he provides tracking solutions for scientists studying animals world-wide. He studied Biology at the University of Konstanz (2001-2006) and earned his Ph.D. in Biology in 2015 from the University of Tübingen studying the echolocation of bats and dolphins following his childhood passion to study whales. Before finishing his PhD he started to work as a scientist at the Deutsches Meeresmuseum in Stralsund and used pasive acoustic monitoring to study the population of the harbour porposie in the Baltic Sea from 2011-2014. In 2015 he founded the BioAcoustics Network, his first attemt to work outside of academia. But the "dark force" was strong and so he joined the MPI of AB for four years as a postdoc and later scientist in the "advanced research technology" unit of the MPI-AB (2018-2021). From 2022 to 2024, Jens worked as Delivery Manager at Sigfox Germany, learning about the corporate world and the technology behind the "Internet of Things". He loves to combine his fascination for animals and interest in technology and is a passionate advocate for mental health.

Dr. Sarah Koch studied biology at the University of Konstanz, where she also earned her Ph.D. in neurobiology. Following a brief postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte (CNRS) in France, she joined Springer Nature in Heidelberg as an intern. She advanced from associate editor to publishing editor and now serves as senior publishing editor for Life Sciences. In her role, she develops books on specialized scientific topics, education, and nonfiction, always seeking out fresh ideas. She is passionate about creating impactful books and embraces innovation in publishing, always driven by the belief that knowledge can change the world.

Dr. Felix Oberhauser studied psychology and biology in Austria, specializing in collective systems (especially brains and ants) and earning his PhD in Behavioural Ecology – focussing on ants – from the University of Regensburg. His Postdoc at the CASCB further explored collective behaviour in locusts and ants, continuing his passion for understanding interconnected systems and mastering new methods.

Yet, a growing desire to translate academic insights into real-world applications – and to find a more stable, long-term home – led him to pursue opportunities beyond academia. Today, as a Senior Data Scientist at RISC Software GmbH – a research institute and company – he bridges the gap between research and practical problem-solving. While his current work involves fewer biology-specific topics, the core of his role – identifying challenges, designing solutions, and communicating results – remains strikingly similar to his academic work.

Dr. Daniel Piechowski is the Science Coordinator at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (Konstanz & Radolfzell), a role held since 2019. In 2020, he was elected Scientific Staff Representative to the Max Planck Society’s Scientific Council and its Biology & Medicine Section. From 2013–2019, he coordinated the Departments of Collective Behavior and Migration & Immuno-Ecology at the former Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, after leading the International Max Planck Research School for Organismal Biology (2009–2013). He completed a PhD at Ulm University and the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (Brazil), preceded by postdoctoral and project coordination work in Germany and Brazil (2007–2009) and biology studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

Dr. Daniel Seebacher is Lead Developer and Senior Data Analyst at Subsequent GmbH since 2021 with a special focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and the conceptual design and implementation of projects based on optical tracking technologies in areas such as exercise assessment, gait analysis and football. He received his PhD from the University of Konstanz in 2021 on the topic "Visual Analytics of Spatial Events: Methods for the Interactive Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Data Abstractions".

Dr. Nihan Toprakkiran is Coordinator for Community Support and Knowledge Transfer at the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB). A political scientist by training, she holds an MSc in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Politics from the University of York. From 2017 to 2024, Nihan worked in diverse teaching and research roles at the University of York and the University of Konstanz, including a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Zukunftskolleg. In her current role at the CASCB, she supports community engagement and collaborative initiatives, helping to enhance the visibility and societal impact of interdisciplinary research. She also coordinates a wide range of events for the researcher community, including those focused on careers, diversity, and public outreach.

Dr. Alexandra Wild is a Science Manager at the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB). She studied Biology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Bayreuth and Humboldt State University, California, before earning her Ph.D. at the University of Zurich (UZH). From 2012 to 2019, Alexandra worked in the Vice President Research’s Office at UZH, taking on a variety of tasks in high-level university administration. Since 2019, in her current position at the University of Konstanz and CASCB, she has overseen internal grant programs, coordinated collaborative projects and scientific events, offered grant proposal advice and managed research affairs. In recent months, science communication has become an increasingly important part of her work, and she looks forward to exploring other emerging areas in the future. A former active field biologist, Alexandra’s scientific interests centered on avian and amphibian reproductive behaviors in an evolutionary ecological context. She remains passionate about nature—whether birdwatching, mudpuddling, or reveling in the sounds of a frog chorus.