Results survey Geosciences PhD’s and junior researchers

Over the last month, the Geosciences PhD Council has been busy processing the results of the survey you completed the end of last year. Here you can find a summary of the (anonymized) results in which we identified what we believe are the main issues being faced by PhDs in the faculty. We also proposed some solutions based on our own ideas, as well as comments many of you made in the open section of the survey.

On January 31 we presented these results at a meeting with the Board of the Geosciences Graduate School. They were very interested in the results and are keen to take this forward in a practical way. By the end of February, they will send us some feedback in the form of a brief response to the survey results, outlining the work currently underway by the graduate school and future plans. When we receive this feedback, we will then forward it on to you.

We were also very glad to get your feedback on the PhD council. One point that came up a lot was activities, and it is clear that everyone has different ideas about the kinds (and number) of activities you would like us to organize. With this in mind, we thought it might be a nice idea to setup a GeoPhD activities committee for those PhDs who are really keen on organizing activities, and would be able to help the council by brainstorming some nice ideas for fun (sports days, movie nights, drinks etc.) as well as more professional/development activities. We would especially encourage new PhD candidates and junior researchers to join as a great way to get to know more people in the department.

So, if you are interested in joining the activities committee, or have any comments on the survey results, send us an email at utrechtgeograduates@gmail.com!