Symposium Announcement: “Four years of contract, five+ years of work”

Join us for our engaging and insightful symposium, where we explore the critical factors influencing PhD completion times.

Update: We are now at capacity, so registration is no longer possible. However, feel free to register for our waiting list by filling out this form . Agenda details have been finalized and are now included below.

Event Details:

📅 Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
📍 Location: Vechtclub XL, Utrecht
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM

In our recent qualitative study, we investigated why many PhD candidates, who initially plan to finish within four years, often require at least five years to complete their thesis. We will share our comprehensive report along with the insights gleaned from our research, shedding light on the factors that can either accelerate or impede PhD completion.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable perspectives on the academic journey and to engage in discussions that could shape future policies and practices. More information, as well as our full program, will be published soon.

Agenda:

15:00 Arrival of guests
15:15 Opening by PNN Chair Benthe van Wanrooij
15:20 Presentation of the results by Marie Stadel and Ellen Stroemer from PNN
15:40 Panel discussion (see below)
16:25 Closing
16:30 Drinks and networking

Panel composition:

Joeri Tijdink  is an associate professor at Amsterdam UMC, psychiatrist, and member of the Young Academy. His research focuses on research integrity, mental health in academia, supervision quality and publication pressure—topics closely related to this symposium. As moderator, he will guide the discussion on PhD duration and its challenges.

Israel Carrete  is a PhD candidate at TU Delft and chair of the University PhD Council. His research focuses on the circular design of composite materials through structural reuse. Drawing from his role in the UPC, which has examined PhD completion rates in recent years (and their relation to social safety), he will provide insights from the PhD candidate perspective.

Marie-José van Tol  is a full professor at UMC Groningen, where she studies the neurocognitive basis of emotional dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. She was recently awarded the  AkademieKus  for her work on  Everyone  professor. Given her engagement in discussions on PhD supervision, she will represent the supervisor perspective in this panel.

Suzanne van de Liefvoort  is the graduate school coordinator for the Faculty of Humanities at Radboud University Nijmegen. She is a PhD graduate herself, and member of the Radboud Young Academy. Known for her proactive approach, she prioritizes the interests of PhD candidates in her work. She will share insights from the graduate school perspective on PhD duration and completion.

Andrea Kis  is a recent PhD graduate who defended her thesis,  Surviving Academia – Studies on the Sustainability of Science and Academic Careers . With her expertise on sustainable academic careers, she will bring valuable perspectives to the discussion on PhD duration.

If you are no longer able to attend, please let us know via info@hetpnn.nl .

This post was last updated March 13, 2025.