Is Data Science more "excellent" than education? How do common criteria of "excellent" research affect academic careers and biographies, especially when factors such as publication numbers or university rankings are decisive? 

The event "Excellence-Power-Biographies", organized by the Gender and Diversity Network of the ECDF, which will take place on November 6, 2025, is dedicated to exploring the interplay between power and excellence in the sciences as part of Berlin Science Week. What interdependencies exist between power and excellence, for example, in hierarchical academic work relationships? Who defines excellence? Are certain fields of research (e.g., with a quantitative focus such as digitalization studies) inherently perceived as more excellent than others? These and other questions brought by the audience and guests will be addressed during the event. Sensitive topics such as abuse of power in hierarchical academic contexts are also meant to be discussed in an appropriate and non-personal manner.

Power dynamics in academic careers are often not visible in advance, particularly for early-career researchers. This event aims to explore and make visible these dynamics from various perspectives (students, experts, audience) and through a range of formats (panel discussion and an interactive app). With diverse formats as well as anonymous and interactive contributions from the audience, knowledge about power structures in academia will be made visible and shareable—knowledge that is often only accessible through personal career experiences.

Program:

3:30 PM: Welcome and introduction by the ECDF Gender & Diversity Network team as well as presentation of interactive tool

4:00 PM: Panel discussion with: 

Christine Kurmeyer (Board member, ECDF)
Daniel Leising (Professor of Diagnostics and Intervention, TU Dresden) 
Katarina Braune (Specialist in pediatric and adolescent medicine and diabetologist, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin/ HPI)
Lea Bachus (Program Manager, Digital Hub Stifterverband)
Annalisa Biehl (Masterstudent, University of Münster/ DigitalChangeMaker Initiative) 
Samira Franzel (Press and Public Relations, ECDF – Moderator)

5:20 PM: Evaluation of the interactive tool

5:35 PM: Get-together

Venue:
Einstein Center Digital Future
Conference Hall, 1st Floor
Wilhelmstr. 67
10117 Berlin

Registration is possible //here. The language of the event is German.