{"id":1544,"date":"2026-05-29T13:35:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/?p=1544"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:13:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:13:58","slug":"challenges-and-opportunities-as-a-first-generation-doctoral-researcher-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/2026\/05\/29\/challenges-and-opportunities-as-a-first-generation-doctoral-researcher-in-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating your Doctorate as a First-Generation Doctoral Researcher in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In this episode we talk with Lito Kyriakidou<\/a>, a first generation doctoral researcher in Germany and our colleague at Dahlem Research School about her journey from starting her studies in Germany to beginning her doctorate in Classical Archaeology here at Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin. She discusses challenges and opportunities she has had as an international doctoral researcher and gives us insights into her work at Dahlem Research School and new projects of the Berlin University Alliance with the aim to bring first generation doctoral researchers together and form a new support network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audio <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Highlights<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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„I think the most important thing is just to reach out, to not be worried that your question is not a smart question or whatever. Just, if you have a doctoral program with student representatives, go to them. If you meet people, maybe not at the very start of your studies, but you\u2019ve met them along the way, and you want to get their expertise \u2013 go for it. Just ask. It\u2019s really important that you just ask and create meaningful connections.“<\/p>\nLito Kyriakidou<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

English:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode, Lito Kyriakidou, a doctoral researcher in Classical Archaeology at Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and originally from Cyprus, discusses her experience as a first-generation doctoral student and international researcher in Germany. Lito chose to study in Germany because German is an important language in archaeology and because Germany\u2019s structured academic culture suits her personality. She started learning German at an early age and moved to Germany for her university studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Lito’s biggest challenges after arriving in Germany was adapting to both academic writing and everyday communication in German. She also struggled with administrative processes, but orientation events and student initiatives helped her settle in. Lito also talks about opportunities for and the importance of interdisciplinary networking in the German academic system, e.g. through the Berlin University Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although her parents both attended university, Lito still considers herself a first-generation student because she is the first in her family to pursue a doctorate, which involves unfamiliar academic expectations \u2013 on top of completing her doctorate in her third language, German, and adapting to both the academic and the broader social environment in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lito stresses the importance of peer support. She also talks about her work at Dahlem Research School, where she found tools particularly valuable for her studies and writing, such as knowledge management workshops and writing seminars. Finally, she encourages future doctoral students to ask questions, seek guidance from other students, and actively build meaningful academic connections and support networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[see the full transcript of the episode here<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

German:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In dieser Folge spricht Lito Kyriakidou, Doktorandin der Klassischen Arch\u00e4ologie an der Freien Universit\u00e4t Berlin und urspr\u00fcnglich aus Zypern, \u00fcber ihre Erfahrungen als Doktorandin der ersten Generation und als internationale Forscherin in Deutschland. Lito entschied sich f\u00fcr ein Studium in Deutschland, da Deutsch eine wichtige Sprache in der Arch\u00e4ologie ist und weil die strukturierte akademische Kultur Deutschlands gut zu ihrer Pers\u00f6nlichkeit passt. Sie begann schon fr\u00fch, Deutsch zu lernen, und zog f\u00fcr ihr Studium nach Deutschland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eine der gr\u00f6\u00dften Herausforderungen nach ihrer Ankunft in Deutschland war f\u00fcr Lito die Umstellung sowohl auf das akademische Schreiben als auch auf die t\u00e4gliche Kommunikation auf Deutsch. Auch mit administrativen Abl\u00e4ufen hatte sie anfangs Schwierigkeiten; Orientierungsveranstaltungen und studentische Initiativen halfen ihr jedoch, sich einzuleben. Zudem spricht Lito \u00fcber die Bedeutung und die M\u00f6glichkeiten der interdisziplin\u00e4ren Vernetzung im deutschen Wissenschaftssystem, etwa im Rahmen der Berlin University Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obwohl ihre Eltern beide studiert haben, sieht Lito sich als Doktorandin der ersten Generation, da sie die erste in ihrer Familie ist, die eine Promotion anstrebt. Dies bringt ungewohnte akademische Erwartungen mit sich \u2013 zus\u00e4tzlich zur Herausforderung, die Promotion in ihrer dritten Sprache (Deutsch) zu absolvieren und sich sowohl im akademischen als auch im gesellschaftlichen Umfeld Deutschlands zurechtzufinden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lito betont, wie wichtig der Austausch mit Gleichgesinnten ist. Au\u00dferdem spricht sie \u00fcber ihre Arbeit an der Dahlem Research School, durch die sie weitere Angebote kennengelernt hat, die f\u00fcr ihre Promotion besonders wertvoll waren, etwa Workshops zum Wissensmanagement und Schreibseminare. Abschlie\u00dfend ermutigt sie angehende Doktorand:innen, Fragen zu stellen, sich an Kommiliton:innen zu wenden und aktiv sinnvolle akademische Kontakte und Unterst\u00fctzungsnetzwerke aufzubauen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this episode we talk with Lito Kyriakidou, a first generation doctoral researcher in Germany and our colleague at Dahlem Research School about her journey from starting her studies in Germany to beginning her doctorate in Classical Archaeology here at Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin. She discusses challenges and opportunities she has had as an international doctoral … \u201eNavigating your Doctorate as a First-Generation Doctoral Researcher in Germany\u201c<\/span> weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8307,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8307"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1544"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1774,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544\/revisions\/1774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}