Thriving as a Neurodivergent Researcher (and Supporting One)
Neurodivergent people are highly diverse in how they work. There is no single set of strategies that transfers from one person to the next. And the evidence base for specific workplace adjustments is genuinely thin. That is not a gap this workshop papers over; it is the reason for its design. If nobody can tell you which adjustment works for whom, then every neurodivergent researcher is already experimenting on their own working life. The useful skill is doing it deliberately.
So this is a framework, not a checklist. We work through four moves:
Shape: mapping how you actually work, including the uncomfortable part: where being good at something has cost you.
Setting & Craft: locating where the environment bites, then redesigning one concrete piece of your work rather than accepting the format that came with the job.
Case discussion: a structured peer format where one person describes a situation that went badly and the group reflects on it while they listen. It is a compressed version of a method used in longer-term group supervision.
Ask: turning a working difficulty into a specific, sayable request to a specific person: by function rather than diagnosis, with an honest account of what it costs the person you're asking, and a date to review it.
Everyone leaves having committed to one experiment they will actually run.
The room is mixed by design. Researchers do the exercises as themselves; supervisors and colleagues do the same exercises, read from where they sit. Both perspectives are in the room at once.
Who is the trainer?
Prof. Dr. Dominik Fröhlich is a professor, researcher, and certified coach specializing in academic careers and researcher development. Drawing on his extensive international research and leadership experience, he supports researchers and academic institutions in fostering inclusive, strengths-based environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive. His work combines evidence-based insights with practical strategies to promote wellbeing, productivity, and long-term success in academia.
Why join & what to expect?
After this workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand neurodiversity as a natural form of cognitive difference and its relevance in research environments.
- Identify barriers that may affect the wellbeing, productivity, and career development of neurodivergent researchers.
- Reflect on how academic norms, expectations, and workplace cultures impact neurodivergent colleagues.
- Apply practical strategies to support sustainable and effective ways of working in research settings.
- Adapt communication, collaboration, and supervision approaches to accommodate different cognitive styles.
- Develop actionable approaches to support neurodivergent researchers while maintaining academic excellence and team success.
Who can join?
This training course is designed for researchers who have initial or advanced leadership responsibilities and are affiliated with a university in Austria. It is particularly relevant for research group leaders, Principal Investigators (PIs), junior and senior professors, project leaders, consortium coordinators, heads of research units or labs, as well as senior postdoctoral researchers with team or project responsibility.
The program is especially suited for those who represent teams, manage staff, and regularly negotiate with university leadership, funding bodies, or collaborative partners in academic and research contexts.