Meaghan Polack new chair of the PhD Network Netherlands

During the General Members' Meeting (GMM) of September 24th, Meaghan Polack was elected as the new chair of the PhD Network Netherlands (PNN), the advocacy organization for and by PhD candidates. Polack is pursuing her doctorate in the Department of Surgery at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) for her work on colon cancer. She succeeds Rosanne Anholt, who is leaving the PNN board after a year as chair.

Polack and her PNN board members look forward to collaborating with PNN's various partners in the coming year. By strengthening ties with PNN members, the local PhD student organizations of universities, universities of applied sciences, and university medical centers (UMCs), and with national bodies such as the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU), and the trade unions, Polack hopes to improve the position of PhD students in the Netherlands. Polack: "Structural underfunding in research, as also shown in the PwC report, combined with the high workload in an output-driven, competitive world with little prospect of permanent contracts, particularly affects vulnerable PhD students at the bottom of the hierarchy. The PNN unites PhD students and is committed to making their voices heard to policymakers and politicians, for example, by drawing attention to the high attrition of young talent or raising awareness of significant levels of undesirable behavior towards PhD students and mental health issues."

Various topics will be addressed in the coming period. For example, PNN will closely monitor the NPO support package, intended to financially offset the impact of the coronavirus crisis on PhD candidates, and the allocation of those funds. Polack: "The option of extending the contract or, in consultation with the PhD candidate, adjusting the requirements a dissertation must meet can already mitigate a significant amount of damage. Support from the institution is crucial, especially in light of the high risks of burnout or other psychiatric disorders, such as depression or anxiety." Furthermore, PNN is involved in the final evaluation of PhD programs in Groningen, which, after years of effort, PNN hopes for a positive outcome for the benefit of the affected PhD candidates there. Finally, PNN is focusing on aligning with the new Recognition and Rewards system, and the collective labor agreement negotiations, the 2021 Employment Conditions Monitor, and a PhD Supervisor of the Year award are also on the agenda.

The PNN has appointed no fewer than four new board members for the upcoming term. Anneke Kastelein (LUMC) will join the board as external affairs commissioner and treasurer. Joanna Porkert (RUG) will focus on university employment conditions, and Joanna Rutkowska (Donders Institute Nijmegen) will focus on external, international, and scholarship PhD candidates. Malika Ouacha (Erasmus University Rotterdam) will focus on PhD candidate working conditions and the Recognition and Rewards program. Marc Vervuurt (Radboud University Medical Center), previously a board member for university employment conditions, will succeed Meaghan Polack as secretary and vice-chair. Manon te Dorsthorst (Radboud University Medical Center/Maastricht UMC), Lisa Oskam (Utrecht University), and Charlotte de Blecourt (Donders Institute Nijmegen) had already joined the board as UMC employment conditions, Open Science, and Career, respectively. Polack: “With the PNN board, we strive to further strengthen collaboration with our various partners and continue to champion the rights of PhD candidates in these difficult times.”