academics GmbH

On 13 June 2005, academics was launched as a joint project between Zeitverlag and the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband), with the aim of making careers in academia, research, the public sector, and society more visible and providing ongoing support.

Today, 20 years later, we are proud to have established ourselves as the leading career portal for academics in the German-speaking world – supported by a fantastic team that works every day to ensure that academics continues to grow, remains relevant, and delivers genuine added value.

With our comprehensive range of job advertisements, advisory articles, online seminars, and newsletters, we help our users achieve their career goals.

As a subsidiary of the ZEIT publishing group, we at academics also uphold its values. Diversity and optimism are our guiding principles. A respectful, tolerant, and appreciative approach is a matter of course for us – at all levels.

We are committed to fair employment opportunities, regardless of ethnic or social background, gender, religion, beliefs, age, sexual identity, or disability. We expressly encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply, and we particularly welcome applications from individuals who wish to contribute to the diversity of our company. Our ongoing goal is to create a working environment that values and recognises all employees.

Since 2023, an interdisciplinary working group has been established on behalf of the management of the ZEIT publishing group to support this aim. The Diversity Working Group is dedicated to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into the very DNA of the ZEIT publishing group. In doing so, it is guided by the diversity dimensions of the Diversity Charter, which Stefan von Holtzbrinck signed on behalf of the subsidiaries of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.

Whether in the marketing, product management, or engineering team: all employees at academics work hand in hand and collaborate across disciplines with many other stakeholders, such as the sales managers from ZEIT Advise, the ZEIT UX/UI team, or the ZEIT data and SEO experts, to continuously drive the development of academics forward. A hands-on mentality, creativity, and a strong commitment to quality help us to create the best possible platform for career development for our users.

For registered users, we offer a wide range of free services, such as online seminars on jobs and careers, various newsletters, and even a PhD suitability test developed in collaboration with psychologists. In addition, the account area provides a variety of downloads, including templates for academic CVs in both German and English.

7 March 2024: Dr Hanna Proner and Dirk Mussenbrock join Enrique Tarragona on the academics management board.

May 2020: academics expands its service offering, introducing free online seminars on job applications and career development for registered users.

1 January 2020: Enrique Tarragona becomes a managing director of academics alongside Christian Röpke.

1 February 2019: Dirk Mussenbrock takes over as Director of Recruiting and Talent Solutions, leading both academics and the study orientation platform HeyStudium.

January 2019: academics launches its social media presence, sharing job opportunities and career advice on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Xing. Instagram follows in February 2021.

6 December 2017: A major relaunch brings a fresh, responsive design to both academics.de and academics.com, making all content easily accessible from any device. The technical infrastructure and functionality are completely rebuilt and optimised.

15 June 2015: Christian Röpke joins Matthias Weidling as managing director of academics, succeeding Thorsten Abs, who moves into an advisory role for the ZEIT publishing group. Röpke, who was also managing director of ZEIT ONLINE, held this position until moving to the ZEIT publishing group’s executive board as Chief Product Officer in 2024.

6 June 2013: academics.de and academics.com launch new, mobile-optimised websites.

6 December 2012: academics receives its first award for “Best Website” in the careers category.

4 March 2008: academics goes international with the launch of academics.com, providing an extensive English-language job market for the German-speaking region, aimed at attracting highly qualified researchers from abroad. Institutions can now post vacancies to reach the international research community with minimal extra effort.

28 March 2007: academics introduces its annual Early Career in Science Award, worth €5,000. The first recipient was Prof Dr Klaus Wehrle. The award continues to recognise outstanding early-career researchers each year.

13 June 2005: academics is launched. The ZEIT publishing group’s press release at the time announced: “With the launch of academics.de, DIE ZEIT and Forschung & Lehre magazine have created a new career portal for researchers and early-career academics. As a joint initiative of the two leading print publications in teaching and research, academics.de offers the largest number of current job listings in this sector for the German-speaking region.” The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV), publisher of Forschung & Lehre, is a minority shareholder.

To help you settle in and find your bearings during your first few months, we support you with our comprehensive onboarding programme. This will not only give you an overview of the structure of Zeitverlag, but also provide you with training on workplace practices and data protection. And of course, at various onboarding events, you will have the opportunity to meet many other colleagues and managers from a wide range of departments across the ZEIT publishing group.

Interviewer: What makes academics a special employer?

Dirk Mussenbrock: At academics, we work for one of the most fascinating target groups out there: bright minds from academia, research, the public sector, and society. As part of the ZEIT publishing group, quality combined with technological innovation is in our DNA. We create platforms and services that enable ambitious careers – all within a team that values ideas, listens to different perspectives, and is driven to achieve great things together.

Interviewer: Why is it exciting to work at academics?

Dirk Mussenbrock: We develop digital solutions that open up access to meaningful academic careers – from job listings and employer profiles to online seminars and career advice content. We rely on modern technologies, agile methods, and an openness to new trends, from AI-driven matching systems to innovative HR tech approaches. Everyone who works here plays an active role in shaping how employers and talent are brought together – and can see the direct impact of their work.

Interviewer: What does a typical working day at academics look like?

Dirk Mussenbrock: Our day starts with a short team meeting – focus, exchange, and a shared goal. After that, we dive into our projects: developing new features, analysing trends in academia, research, the public sector, and society. We deliberately make time for inspiration – through talks, training sessions, and exchanges with colleagues from across the ZEIT publishing group. At lunchtime, we recharge in our own canteen, often having conversations that help us grow both professionally and personally. But honestly, there’s no such thing as a typical day here; whether it’s in sales, marketing, product management, or engineering, everyone has their own focus – and together, that’s how we succeed.