PSI Career Center - Who we are and what we do

The PSI Career Center is here to support you with these and related questions:

  • What to do when my contract is about to end?
  • What competencies do I have?
  • How can I ensure a smooth start in my new role at PSI?
  • What do I want to achieve?
  • What is necessary for a good application?
  • What do I need to be careful about when starting a new job?
  • How do I find interesting jobs?
  • The PSI Career Center is the central point of contact for PhDs, postdocs and companies
  • PhDs and postdocs are encouraged to deal with career planning and personal development early in their stay at PSI
  • Companies and public administration offices have a partner to get into contact with PSI PhDs and postdocs as highly qualified future employees
  • PSI PhDs and postdocs know their transferable skills, actively plan their professional future, and take informed decision between academic vs industry career paths, Switzerland vs abroad, within vs outside their field of expertise
  • PSI PhDs and postdocs are highly motivated and satisfied in their new positions, thanks to knowing their individual goals, competencies, interests and resources

Since 2018, it is our goal to connect highly qualified PhDs and postdocs and employers. The PSI Career Center

  • Supports PSI PhD students and postdocs in their individual career planning
  • Organizes courses and networking events, and offers individual counseling for PhDs and postdocs
  • Serves as point of contact for companies that seek qualified professionals (PhDs/postdocs) in the fields of future technologies, energy and climate, health innovation and fundamentals of nature
  • Actively collaborates with the PhD and Postdoc Association, and is familiar with the concerns of PhDs and postdocs thanks to individual counseling and co-organized events
  • Fosters and facilitates both internal and external contacts

The PSI Career Center, similar to Career Centers at Swiss universities, has the conception that:

  • PSI PhDs and postdocs are highly qualified experts, and responsible for their professional career
  • Line managers are the primary contacts of PhDs and postdocs, especially with regard to scientific careers
  • The PSI Career Center offers complementary services to support PhDs and postdocs, and their line managers.

Andrea is a scientist with additional degrees in coaching, higher education and career counseling. Having studied geophysics at ETH Zurich, she led postdoc projects in Norway and the USA before coming back to Switzerland as SNSF professor at the University of Bern. Andrea has supervised students from the bachelor to PhD levels, and had many conversations on their future, during which she discovered her passion for counseling. The fascination for the counseling process increased further during her own leadership coaching. In the end, Andrea shocked her science colleagues by turning down an 800 k research grant to take over the lead of the PSI Career Center. While she does miss science sometimes (mainly the conferences; the 'you should have cited my paper'-reviews not so much), she truly enjoys her new job and all the inspirational people she meets. Andrea is happy to share her experience and support PSI PhDs and postdocs as well as other interested staff with career-related questions.

PSI Career Center
OVGA 304
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI

+41 56 310 42 90
careercenter@psi.ch