Steering Group

The PostdocNet Steering Group acts as the primary contact between the Max Planck General Administration and postdocs at individual institutes, and provides direction for PostdocNet by determining the network’s main goals for the year. Members of the Steering Group are elected by the external representatives each year at the General Meeting.

The current members of the Steering Group are:

Tracy Wietecha (Spokesperson) is a postdoc at the MPI for the History of Science in Berlin. Her current research focuses on knowledge networks prevalent between institutions in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil and German scientists in the seventeenth century. She also organizes a working group that brings together scholars from the MPIWG and the Leopoldina National Academy of Science (Halle). She is committed to increasing the visibility of PostdocNet and networking between all status groups within the MPG. Tracy can be reached at: spokesperson@postdocnet.mpg.de

Jeremias Brand (Deputy Spokesperson) is a postdoc at the MPI for Mulitdisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, studying the effect of asexual reproduction on genome organization. He is interested in improving the working conditions and representation of postdocs in Germany.

Ksenija Slivac (General Secretary) is a postdoc at the MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, studying cognitive and neural mechanisms of linguistic influence on perception. She is interested in establishing a more equitable and just work environment for postdocs within the Max Planck Society.

S. Javad Rasouli (BMS Representative) is a postdoctoral researcher at the MPI for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, where his focus lies in studying organotypic cell-cell interactions in different model organisms, including zebrafish and mice. In his role as a BMS representative, he is dedicated to enhancing working conditions, fostering effective communication among external representatives, and refining all BMS postdocs' skills to ensure smooth transitions into academia or industry.

Anya Samadi-Ghadim (CPTS Representative) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen. She specializes in Asteroseismology, focusing on studying hybrid pulsations in binary stellar systems. In addition to her specific astrophysical research, she is passionate about involving the public in citizen science and astronomy outreach. As CPT representative, she wishes to contribute to initiatives aimed at enhancing the overall quality of scientific life for postdoctoral researchers

Leendert van der Miesen (HSS Representative) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – MPI for Art History in Rome, where he is a member of the research group Visualizing Science in Media Revolutions. He works on the relationship between musical and scientific developments in the early modern period.

Maarouf Baghdadi (Financial Officer) is a postdoc at the MPI for the Biology of Ageing. His research focuses on studying the genetic mechanisms underlying healthy ageing in humans and translating those findings to help society. Maarouf will focus on increasing financial transparency to support initiatives within PostdocNet.