Workshop
Lunch & Learn - The Full Talent Pool: Smarter Hiring for AI Research
Advancing Diversity-Sensitive Hiring and Employee Retention
07.09.2026
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Online
The DEI working group of the German AI competence centers warmly invites you to a lunchtime workshop on diversity-sensitive hiring and employee retention in AI research centers.
This workshop brings together researchers and practitioners to develop actionable strategies for more inclusive hiring processes and employee retention in AI research centers. Through a series of focused input sessions and collaborative working groups, participants will explore evidence-based approaches to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.
In three short input sessions, we will explore research perspectives on hiring and retention in academia, as well as practical strategies for crafting inclusive job postings. Afterwards, we’ll work together in breakout rooms to develop a shared handout with best practices and ready-to-use tools.
We look forward to your participation — please register below and watch out for the meeting link to follow shortly before the event! In the attached flyer you can find more information about the event and our speakers.
Please register via this link: The Full Talent Pool: Smarter Hiring for AI Research Tickets, Monday, September 7 from 12 pm to 1:30 pm CEST | Eventbrite
Bring your lunch and make the most of your break — we look forward to a stimulating exchange with you!
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Tech-check & coordination
Speaker, modarator & organisation team
12:00 pm – 12:05 pm
Welcome & Introduction
Swantje Schmidt (DFKI)
Welcome & brief introduction
Goals of the meeting
12:05 pm – 12:25 pm
Input
Dr. Regina Hagl (TU München)
Recruiting Diverse Talents: What the Research Says
Team diversity presents significant advantages. However, cognitive biases still influence selection decisions, often disadvantaging minorities and leading to homogeneous rather than heterogeneous teams. Unstructured selection processes can easily result in biases based on heuristics and stereotypes about who is suitable for specific roles. How can research findings on fair and effective selection be translated into hiring practices at research institutions?
12:25 pm – 12:45 pm
Input
Eliza Stenzhorn (ZEW)
Gender-inclusive recruitment alone is not enough: where inequality can also arise
Inclusive recruitment is an important precondition for attracting diverse talent. At the same time, research shows that gender inequalities can also emerge beyond the hiring stage, for example through differences in skills, job choices, and wage-setting behavior. This short presentation introduces some of these mechanisms and reflects on what they imply for gender-sensitive recruitment more broadly.
12:45 pm – 1:10 pm
Discussion of specific questions & working on a handout for hiring
1:10 pm – 1:30 pm
Plenum
Swantje Schmidt (DFKI)
Collection of results from breakout rooms & farewell
This event is for MCML members only.
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