Promotion of young scientists
Under the umbrella of Kiel Marine Science (KMS) and together with GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, offers for early career researchers interested in marine science are designed in a cross-status group program, FYORD - Foster Young Ocean Researcher Development. In FYORD, career development measures are implemented with a focus on Master's students, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and a cross-institutional network is created in Kiel. Master students will find the tools for interdisciplinary education in the interdisciplinary Master School of Marine Sciences (iMSMS). In Docs@FYORD, doctoral researchers are offered structured supervision as well as subject-specific continuing education courses, planned and organized in close cooperation with the Graduate Center at Kiel University. Postdocs@FYORD offers postdoctoral researchers an exchange platform with their peers in the scientific community, also across institutional boundaries.
Other programs with member participation in Kiel Marine Science include the Helmholtz School for Marine Data Science (MarDATA). This program for doctoral researchers, coordinated at GEOMAR, is run jointly with Kiel University and other northern German partners. Internationally, the European Universities Alliance "SEA-EU - the European University of the Seas" is one of Kiel's lighthouse projects to strengthen European mobility also of students and researchers in marine sciences.

Graphic Promotion of young talent
Foster Young Ocean Researcher Development (FYORD)
With the FYORD program Kiel Marine Science (KMS) and GEOMAR support the development of young marine scientists by enabling early career researchers from master students to postdoctoral researchers to take the next step towards a successful career in marine topics. The FYORD program is a jointly organized interdisciplinary and inter-institutional program aiming to build a cross-institutional and vibrant network within Kiel. By building a strong, status group overarching scientific community of all early career marine researchers in Kiel, all target groups can benefit from the experiences of peers and others to develop new research questions eligible for funding or find their own career path.
Contact FYORD
Dr. Christine Haunhorst
- chaunhorst@kms.uni-kiel.de
KMS Postdoc Support
KMS promotes the career development of scientists after their doctorate with a targeted program. In particular, the goal is to strengthen the networking of postdocs in marine science with members of their specialist scientific community, both within Kiel and beyond. Networking serves both scientific interdisciplinary collaboration and promotes exchange with peers on experiences and planning in career design. To this end, various exchange formats, target group-specific and topic-related information events on career design are organized under the umbrella of the program. The program aims to create a specific discussion platform for relevant topics after the doctoral phase.
Contact Postdoc Support
Dr. Christine Haunhorst
- chaunhorst@kms.uni-kiel.de
Docs@FYORD – platform for doctoral candidates in marine sciences
The doctorate program in FYORD under the name Docs@FYORD continues the successful work of the Integrated School of Ocean Sciences (ISOS) and further forms an inter- and multidisciplinary platform for doctoral researchers in disciplines of Kiel's marine sciences. Doctoral researchers from Kiel University (CAU) and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research can participate in the Docs@FYORD program and benefit from a range of courses, additional supervision and measures for individual profile and career development. In Docs@FYORD, young scientists deal with topics that go beyond their own research questions, such as ethics and scientific communication or sustainability. The wide range of educational opportunities is made possible by active support from senior scientists, alumni, and partners both external and internal to the university, in particular the Graduate Center.
Contact Docs@FYORD
Dr. Christine Haunhorst
- chaunhorst@kms.uni-kiel.de
Interdisciplinary Master School of Marine Sciences (iMSMS)
The interdisciplinary Master School of Marine Sciences (iMSMS) is a cross-faculty and cross-institutional institution for marine science education. The iMSMS is aimed equally at students of the marine science master's programs at CAU and GEOMAR as well as interested students from all other disciplines. The aim of iMSMS is to promote inter- and transdisciplinary learning and research, to strengthen the engagement with the topic of oceans and sustainability across the university, to offer orientation opportunities in the professional field of marine sciences, and to promote internationalisation and networking in marine science studies. To this end, elective modules in integrated marine sciences and events on career and professional field orientation are offered.
Contact iMSMS
Dr. Franziska Werner
For University Students: SEA-EU – the European University of the Seas
With the initiative "SEA-EU - The European University of the Seas", Kiel University is one of the new European universities that will establish a European university campus. Under the leadership of the University of Cadiz (Spain) and with the partner universities West Brittany (Brest, France), Gdansk (Poland), Split (Croatia), Malta and in the future with the Universities of Naples Parthenope (Italy), Algarve (Portugal) and the North University of Bodo (Norway), Kiel University is planning measures to promote the academic mobility of students, researchers and staff.
Contact SEA-EU
Dr. Jonathan Durgadoo
- jdurgadoo@uv.uni-kiel.de
Helmholtz School for Marine Data Science (MarData)
With a new interdisciplinary educational concept for doctoral students, the Helmholtz School for Marine Data Science (MarData, www.mardata.de) was founded at GEOMAR in Kiel in November 2019. Specialists from informatics and mathematics are integrated into marine scientific research conducted by the marine research institutes GEOMAR and AWI, as well as the partner universities in Kiel and Bremen. The aim is to expand the data science expertise of doctoral students through fundamental approaches in marine science in a way that enables the use of Big Data methods to draw new information from oceanographic data sets. MarData is coordinated at GEOMAR by Arne Biastoch. Participating professors from Kiel University are Matthias Renz, Reinhard Koch, Thomas Slawig, and Wilhelm Hasselbring (Institute for Informatics), along with Tal Dagan (Institute for General Microbiology) and Thomas Meurer (Automatic Control, Faculty of Engineering).
Contact MarData
Dr. Enno Prigge
- eprigge@geomar.de
For School Pupils: Kiel Science Factory: ozean:labor
In ozean:labor, school pupils in grades 3-13 engage with current themes in marine research. Corresponding to their learning levels, the groups receive thematic insights into marine research and the research methods of scientists. Through its connection with the natural science curriculum, the visit to ozean:labor represents a thematic supplement to their school classes. Additional teacher training is also offered by the Kiel Science Factory through ozean:labor. This initiative is a collaboration between schools and universities, teacher training and business, as well as city and State governments.

Contact ozean:labor
Dennis Brennecke
- dbrennecke@email.uni-kiel.de