PhD candidates of Utrecht University are collectively represented at various levels. First, several faculties and graduate schools have their own PhD council with some at a departmental level. At the university level, PhD candidates are represented by PrOUt. On the national level, PhD candidates are represented by the PhD candidates Network of the Netherlands (PNN). Furthermore, there is also a PhD network representing all PhD candidates in Europe called Eurodoc. In this chapter you can find information about the different PhD organizations with links to their websites.
PhD councils within faculties
Geosciences
Unfortunately, the faculty of Geosciences does not have a faculty wide PhD council yet. However, PhD candidates from the different departments in Geosciences (Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, Social Geography and Innovation and Environmental Sciences) would like to organize a PhD council for Geosciences. More information will follow as soon as it is available. For the Department of Earth Sciences there is a ‘promovendiplatform’.
Humanities
The faculty of Humanities does not have a faculty wide PhD council. One of the four institutes within this faculty, the Research Institute for History and Culture (OGC), does have a PhD and post-doc council, namely PPO (PhD and Postdoc ‘Overleg’). This council meets regularly with the board of the OGC and can be reached by e-mail.
Law, Economics and Governance
The faculty of Law, Economics and Governance (LEG) consists of three departments: the Utrecht University School of Law (LAW), the Utrecht University School of Economics (USE) and the Utrecht University School of Governance (USG).
The LEG faculty has a PhD Council, which represents all PhD Candidates of the three Departments. Within the Council there is a Central Council that consists of three positions, one from each department. The other positions in the council are chosen in a way that best represents the various research programmes within the faculty. The LEG PhD Council strives to have at least one representative of each programme in the council.
The Council meets once every two months to discuss topics relevant to PhD candidates. Furthermore, the council hosts monthly PhD Drinks, an annual PhD Day, and various other social activities. The council has also prepared an extensive information booklet with information relevant to LEG PhD Candidates, which has proven to be much appreciated by starting researchers. The council stays in contact with the faculty PhD candidates through a mailing list and through Facebook. If you are not on this list and should be, please contact the council at the e-mail address listed below.
The aim of the LEG PhD Council is to promote the interests of PhD candidates on multiple fronts. One member of the Council is a member in the Board of Studies and sets forth the opinion of the council within that body on various topics such as thesis printing costs, three-year trajectories etc. The council also has frequent talks with the directors of research of the three Departments as well as with the faculty Dean. Finally, the LEG PhD Council strives to be well connected with PrOUt via two council members also functioning as representatives of PrOUt.
The LEG PhD Council can be reached by e-mail and is also active on Facebook. Currently, some information about the council can be found at the LEG intranet, but since this information is mostly outdated, incomplete and not easily accessible, the council is currently in the process of setting up its own website. In the meantime, we advise you to use the above e-mail address for more information.
Medicine
There is not a specific PhD council in the UMC Utrecht, other than the PhD council of the Graduate School of Life Sciences, which only deals with problems regarding courses and other training. Some research schools within this Graduate School have their own PhD council (e.g. Epidemiology), if this is not the case, questions and problems regarding your PhD trajectory can be sent to the UMC PrOUt representative and will then be dealt with in an appropriate manner.
Science
The faculty of Science has many PhD councils, one of which is covering the whole faculty, namely the beta-pc (beta PhD council). The beta-pc is a council for PhD candidates within the faculty of Science, so from both the Natural Sciences as the Life Sciences. The goal of this council is to facilitate representation of all Science PhD candidates, by improving communication between PhD candidates in the different departments and research groups as well as with those PhD candidates who are involved in the representation of PhD candidates at the different organizational levels in the university. Problems and issues that arise for PhDs can be brought to the attention of governing boards. Through this council, information and active issues within the university’s boards can also be passed on to Science PhD candidates to receive input and feedback. To this end, the council aims to have at least one PhD from each research track present, as well as those PhDs involved in representation at broader organizational levels (PrOUt). The council meets approximately once every 4 months and can be reached through the Google groups email list.
Social and Behavioural Sciences
The faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has a faculty wide PhD Council with PhD representatives present for all departments. Additionally, the PhD representatives for the Board of Studies (BoS) and the Board of Research (BoR) are brought forward by the FSS PhD Council and present during the meetings of the council. The council meets approximately every 6 weeks. The chair of the PhD council (Martijn Hogerbrugge, 2011) may be contacted for more information.
Veterinary Medicine
The faculty of Veterinary Medicine has a faculty wide PhD council called VetPhDC. The aim is to have representatives in the council of all departments and research programmes of the faculty. There are regular meetings (once in 5/6 weeks) in which matters concerning PhD candidates of the faculty are discussed. On a regular basis activities and PhD get-togethers are organized. See the website of the VetPhDC for upcoming activities and developments.
PhD councils within the graduate schools
Next to PhD councils in the faculties, there are also PhD councils within the graduate schools. Mostly these councils operate on higher level and therefore are not as concerned with details as the PhD councils of the faculties are.
Graduate School of Geosciences
The information on the courses of the graduate school of Geosciences can be found on this website.
Graduate School of Humanities
The Graduate School of Humanities has a PhD-council; PhDs are represented by 10 PhDs from different research institutes: 2 from ZENO, 2 from INTEGON, 3 from OGC en 3 from UIL-OTS.
Graduate School of Law, Economics and Governance
The Graduate School of Law, Economics and Governance does not have its own PhD council. Representation instead takes place within the faculty PhD Council. More information on this council can be found above.
Graduate School of Life Sciences
All PhDs within the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) are represented by the PhD council of the GSLS. This council is mainly concerned with the training (and supervision) offered to its PhDs.
The GSLS contains PhDs from three faculties (Science (life science part), Medicine and Veterinary Medicine). Questions regarding training, supervision or other difficulties can be sent by e-mail.
Graduate School of Natural Sciences
This graduate school is still in its infancy (started in 2010), as of February 2011 the PhD council is being formed. There is already a Google Groups mailing list where you can address your questions to.
Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
The Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences does not have its own PhD council, as the general FSS PhD council (see above) takes care of educational matters as well. Also, one representative from the FSS PhD council is seated in the Board of Studies of the Graduate School.
PrOUt (Promovendi Overleg Utrecht – PhD Network of Utrecht)
PrOUt (Promovendi Overleg Utrecht) is the PhD network of Utrecht University. This means that we represent all PhD Candidates at the university. PrOUt tries to help PhD Candidates with their problems by informing them about relevant information concerning their position as an employee at the university and their career development. We also promote PhD’s interests at the university board and through networks such as the PhD candidates Network of the Netherlands (PNN). Finally, PrOUt organizes activities for all PhDs in Utrecht, such as drinks, lectures, workshops, information markets and much more.
PNN (PhD candidates Network of the Netherlands)
The main objective of the PhD candidates Network of the Netherlands is to safeguard the interests of all PhD candidates in the Netherlands, regardless of whether they are employed at a Dutch University, a University Medical Centre, or another institute. At the broadest level, PNN promotes the interests of PhD candidates at the national level. In order to attain these objectives, PNN regularly meets with policy makers from national organizations addressing PhD-related issues. These organizations are extremely diverse and include the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Netherlands Organization forScientific Research (NWO), the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), various labour unions and political parties. In fact, since 5% of all scientific staff in the Netherlands are PhD candidates, PNNs collective negotiation is quite strong. Moreover, PNN is passionate about ensuring that all stakeholders work together to create an attractive research environment for current and future PhD candidates. Nonetheless, it is PNNs opinion that several developments in academia are inhibiting the creation and maintenance of such an attractive climate for PhD research.
The board of PNN meets once a month and 4 times a year a General Members Meeting with representatives of all local University wide PhD councils is being held.
Eurodoc (European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers)
The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (EURODOC) is an international federation of 34 national organisations of PhD candidates and young researchers from 33 countries of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
EURODOCs objectives are:
- To represent doctoral candidates and junior researchers at the European level in matters of education, research, and professional development of their careers.
- To advance the quality of doctoral programmes and the standards of research activity in Europe.
- To promote the circulation of information on issues regarding young researchers; organize events, take part in debates and assist in the elaboration of policies about Higher Education and Research in Europe.
- To establish and promote co-operation between national associations representing doctoral candidates and junior researchers within Europe.
EURODOC was founded in Girona (Spain) on the 2nd of February 2002. Since 2005, Eurodoc has its seat in Brussels, Belgium.