How about a PhD?

16 / 07 / 2024 | Specials U-Today

Are you thinking about doing a PhD? You might encounter a 'generation gap' between you and your supervisors. In the past, getting a PhD was a lifelong endeavour that culminated in a book, nowadays it's a specific career step, typically based on articles. Arjenne Louter tells you all about it.

Times have changed, presenting their own challenges: less than 15% of PhD students finish up in four years, and after five years, approximately half of them have wrapped up their thesis. But don't let this discourage you; pursuing a PhD can be immensely rewarding. You'll learn a great deal, delve deeply into a subject, and unleash your creativity. It's a good idea to talk with other PhD students to get a good idea of what lies ahead.

Focus on the processs

How do you ensure that you do succeed and finish up on time? By not only focusing on the content of your research, but also on how to go about doing your PhD, the process. If you concentrate on that, the content will naturally follow, allowing you to make a valuable contribution to science.

More info

For further information and support, feel free to visit my websites: www.thedutchphdcoach.com and www.louterpromoveren.nl.

Biogas (dat methaan bevat) kan een alternatief zijn voor fossiel gas, maar vervuiling met CO2 beperkt het gebruik ervan. Promovendus Niels Mendel van de Fysica van Complexe Vloeistoffen en de Duurzame Procestechnologie groep ontwikkelde een methode om dit CO2 efficiënt te verwijderen met kleikorrels. Hierdoor verminderen emissies en sluiten kringlopen. Dit jaar wordt zijn methode opgeschaald en de eerste proeffabriek gebouwd.

18 / 01 / 2024

Pilot plant on farm for research on purifying biogas

Biogas (containing methane), can be an alternative for fossil gas, but the contamination with CO2 limits its use. PhD researcher Niels Mendel, of the Physics of Complex Fluids and the Sustainable Process Technology group, developed a proof of principle to efficiently remove CO2 by using clay pellets, and reuse it subsequently. This reduces emissions and closes cycles. This year, his experimental design will be scaled and the first pilot plant be build.

02 / 01 / 2024

Werken in de voorhoede van de wetenschap

Oleksandr Mialyk kreeg de nodige tegenslagen tijdens zijn promotie. Zijn supervisor, Arjen Hoekstra, overleed, corona brak uit en er kwam oorlog uit in Oekraïne, zijn thuisland. Maar Mialyk zette door. Hij rondde onlangs een project af in samenwerking met de Wereldbank en schreef mee aan een rapport van de Intergovernmental Panel on Climte Change (IPCC).

02 / 01 / 2024

‘I want to be at the forefront of science’

Oleksandr Mialyk has had a fair share of hardship during his PhD journey at the UT. His supervisor, Arjen Hoekstra, died, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and war came in Ukraine, his home country. Despite all that, Mialyk kept going. He recently finished a project with the World Bank and even contributed to a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climte Change (IPCC).

20 / 07 / 2023

Young UT researchers criticize lack of recognition during PhD supervision

Grant all qualified scientific staff members at the UT the so-called 'ius promovendi', the right to act as formal supervisor of PhD students. That is what Young Academy Twente called for earlier this year, but their advice was not adopted. ‘The current UT policy leads to a lack of recognition and independence.'

21 / 07 / 2023

Jonge UT-onderzoekers hekelen gebrek aan erkenning tijdens promotiebegeleiding

Geef alle gekwalificeerde UT-onderzoekers het zogenaamde 'ius promovendi', ofwel het promotierecht. Dat is waar Young Academy Twente eerder dit jaar voor pleitte, maar hun advies werd niet overgenomen. 'Het huidige UT-beleid leidt tot een gebrek aan erkenning en onafhankelijkheid.'