PhD Day 2019: Short descriptions workshops

Keynote: Dealing with perfectionism

Are you only satisfied when things are perfect?
Do you prefer to do things yourself?
Should a day have 48 hours?

When you answer ‘yes’ to the questions above, there is a high chance that you are a perfectionist! This perfectionism can cause a lot of stress, which affects your happiness and also your PhD research. It is time to change, and become an optimalist instead. In this lecture, we will get more insight into the reasons behind perfectionism, and we will learn which elements of it we should keep and which ones we should let go to eventually approach life more optimally.

Speaker: Roos Woltering
More information: www.rooswoltering.nl

1: Project & Time Management

In this workshop you will make a planning for your own research project, with a planning system specifically developed for PhD candidates! You will also learn the rules of project management and how to apply them to scientific research, and how to analyze the way you spend your time in a day and a week. This will give you insights into your optimal working rhythm, and also provides options for improving your working method.

Workshop leader: Not known?
Maximum amount of places: 20
More information: http://www.bhertz.nl/english/training/time-management-and-project-management/

2: The Art of Presenting

Do you want to spread your ideas in the world of science and at the same time make a great impression?

Being a PhD student requires you to present your work to various audiences. But how to present your scientific story in a captivating manner and achieve maximum attention throughout? In this interactive workshop, you will learn how to integrate theatre skills in your scientific presentation to make sure that your audience will want to hear your results!

Workshop leader: Artesc
Maximum amount of places: 20

3: Career orientation through alumni

Many PhD students aspire to an academic career. However, with more and more PhDs graduating, competition for Post-Docs and tenured positions is fierce. At the same time, many PhDs are put off by the prospect of spending years on temporary contracts, have simply had enough of academia, or have absolutely no idea what they want to do after their PhD. Thus, for a variety of reasons, many PhDs will find themselves looking for a job outside. But don’t worry, you have help! In this specially prepared workshop, you will have the chance to meet six alumni of the UU Geosciences faculty who completed their PhD but are now working outside academia and hear their stories, tips, and advice. Working with the support of the alumni, you will reflect on how your values, motivations and skills can guide you to finding the right job for you, and what steps you can take during your PhD to prepare yourself for a rewarding career!

Maximum amount of places: 20
Workshop leader: Franca Geerdes

4: Effective communication – Do you speak the language of your conversation partner? 

During your PhD, issues that may call for effective communication skills in conversations with your supervisor, colleagues or others may arise. For example:

“I am told to change the direction of my research, but I have the feeling my supervisor hasn’t understood what I was trying to explain about …”
“I asked for those figures three times now, and still I haven’t received them.”
“How can I ask my supervisor to be more prompt in answering my questions?”

This workshop will aid PhD candidates to communicate more effectively, thereby recognizing the needs of others in order to create maximum support and better cooperation during your PhD.

This Workshop provides you with:

• Insight in ways of listening. Yours and others
• Tools to recognize what the other needs to be able to be fully engaged with your content and vice versa
• Tools to improve commitment from others

Workshop leader: Ine Bolssens
Maximum amount of places: 20

5: Research Support: Career and Funding Opportunities 

Acquiring research funding in competition is nowadays the normal practice. Competition is fierce and many funders have disappointingly low funding rates. In the workshop we will discuss:

• the research funding landscape in general;

• how to discover relevant funding opportunities;
• how to increase your chances of success;

Utrecht University has Research Support Offices (RSOs) at each faculty. RSOs are helping you during all phases of proposal development.

Not all PhD students are continuing their careers as active researchers. Working in research support during the pre-award phase or in project-management could be attractive career alternatives.

Workshop leader: Bas Leeflang (head of the GEO Research Support office)
Maximum amount of places: 20