Mental Health in Academia
What?
Do you want a joyful and productive research environment? Learn how from Dr Anamarija Klaic, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at University of Zurich!
Mental health in academia is a topic of growing interest due to the fact that academic staff in universities are suffering more and more from precarious work conditions and thereby developing mental health issues. Numerous studies were able to demonstrate that professors, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students likewise have a prevalence for having or developing disorders such as anxiety and depression twice as high compared to employees in other work contexts. In this talk, Dr Anamarija Klaic will highlight the current work situation for the academic staff at universities and provide some ideas how to improve mental health in academics by presenting some empirical findings from research done by her and her colleagues.
This is a 30-40 minute talk, followed by some Q&A and a discussion in small groups in breakout rooms.
Read more & Sign upPsychological Safety Workshop
What?
To speak up – be it in a meeting with professors, industry partners, students, friends or with colleagues – can be very difficult, can’t it?
Psychological safety is about building an atmosphere where speaking up is easy. It is understood as the ability to show oneself without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career, which can be different in various scenarios. Several studies found that psychological safety promotes creativity and change – whether it is in the development of teams, of leaders, of innovations or of organizations.
Famously, Google asked themselves: What makes a Google team effective? And they found that psychological safety was by far the most important dynamic. So, it is time to get to know psychological safety and learn how to foster and promote it in our environments.
Read more & Sign upSearching for Initiative Coordinator
VMI, the association of scientific staff at the department of computer science, is looking for a coordinator for our Scientific Excellence & Well-Being initiative. The initiative is designed to help our members face the high demands of working at a high level of academic research and teaching through a series of workshops, talks and peer group activities.
The role consists of high-level coordination of the initiative, assembling a programme and coordinating with Dr. Anamarija Klaic (UZH) for the scientific evaluation of our initiative. In addition, it includes hands-on involvement, hosting workshops and supporting our members and volunteers in hosting events.
The coordinator will have a leading role in the project, working in close collaboration with VMI members and volunteers to shape the future of the initiative. We are looking for a driven person, preferably with experience in coaching, organising workshops and coordinating large groups of volunteers.
The coordinator is expected to find and interact with external collaborators, such as speakers and workshop organisers, partner organisations, funding bodies and researchers in the field of mental health and scientific excellence. Additionally, the coordinator’s responsibilities include evaluating the needs of VMI members and measuring the success of the initiative.
The work will be a mixture of administrative tasks undertaken alone and direct interaction with VMI members. Personal experience from work in academia would be beneficial.
UPDATE: We have filled this position. Thank you for your interest!
Read more & ApplyGeneral Assembly
The scientific staff association (VMI) invites you to the next general assembly. VMI represents the interests of the scientific staff within the decision‐making bodies of the Department, provides information and support to its members and fosters networking and collaboration among members of the scientific staff. We organize the annual D-INFK summer retreat, random lunches and a variety of other social and academic events throughout the year.
When and where?
We meet on Thursday, 17th of December at 17:00 via Zoom to present the work of the past year, discuss plans for 2021 and to elect new representatives and a new board. Please feel free to look at the Agenda and the Minutes from the previous GA.
Update: Presentation & Minutes
Here are the Presentation and the Minutes.
Read more & Sign up