The DCND

In 2010, the Dual Career Network Germany was founded by 20 university dual career services in Berlin. The goal was to professionalize and establish the then still young profession of dual career counseling.

With success: The DCND has contributed significantly to the quality assurance of dual career services and achieved that professional dual career support has become indispensable in science. As a tool for success, "Dual Career" supports strategies for finding and retaining leading talents, for family support, for equal opportunities or for internationalization.

The DCND stands for

good dual career practice
the shaping of an attractive scientific landscape.

The network offers its members professional exchange and training tailored to the needs of dual career advisors. In the science system, the DCND is in exchange with science organizations and advocates for sustainable support of nationally and internationally mobile couples.

The members of the DCND are dual career services at universities, colleges and non-university science institutions as well as regional dual career networks with a connection to the science landscape. Together, they support around 1,000 dual career partners per year in finding career perspectives at new locations.

Membership information

The DCND addresses Dual Career Services or Dual Career Networks in science, which are professionally operated and interested in expanding the quality of their consulting services. It supports the know-how of its members through professional exchange, training and development of quality standards.

Members of the DCND commit themselves to the Best Practice Guide, which defines minimum standards of dual career consulting. They assure professional support for dual career couples in their institutions and contribute to the development of the DCND according to their possibilities.

The DCND sees itself as a platform of dual career practitioners for dual career practitioners in science and research. Therefore, it only offers memberships for institutions and not for individuals.

Are you interested in becoming a member of the DCND? We are happy to hear from you! Please contact the speakers for further information: kontakt@dcnd.org.

Individual members

Dual Career Services at universities, higher education institutions and non-university research organizations.

Membership fee

50 EUR/year

Association members

Dual career networks with several members related to the scientific community.

Membership fee

100 EUR/year

Network spokespersons

All members of the DCND elect a tandem of spokespersons for a term of two years, who lead the network and represent it externally.

Current spokespersons:

Ira Künnecke (since 2020, University of Cologne)
Nicole Richter (since 2022, RWTH Aachen)

Former speakers:

Rouven Sperling (2021-2022, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology), Yvonne Eder (2016-2021, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), Kerstin Melzer (2015-2019, University of Konstanz), Marlar Kin (2012-2016, formerly Goethe University Frankfurt am Main), Katharina Klaas (2013-2015, Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg); Charlotte Reinisch (2010-2013, formerly University of Potsdam); Kerstin Dübner-Gee (2010-2012, formerly Technical University of Munich).

Honorary members of the network

Individuals who have significantly influenced the development of the network through their commitment are appointed honorary members of the DCND by the members after their retirement:

Kerstin Dübner-Gee
Elke Gramespacher
Charlotte Reinisch
Selma Speith Kölbl
Ulrike Buntenbruch

Working groups of the DCND

Workgroup Finances

Contact person and treasurer: Bettina Bolterauer (University of Kiel).

Workgroup Public Relations

Contact person: Jana Bäuerlen (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Workgroup Quality Management

Contact person: Heike Rauer (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn)

Workgroup Strategy

Contact person: Ira Künnecke (University of Cologne) and Nicole Richter (RWTH Aachen)