New Good Practices in Doctoral Education

New Publications

  • November 6, the Netherlands Centre for Graduate and Research Schools organized a meeting entitled The PhD in 2025. Three issues were central: the arrival of a new type of PhD candidate, the one funded by a scholarship (in stead of having an employee position) , the expansion of the Ius Promovendi and the (im) possibility of three-year PhD programs. Report.
  • Hans Sonneveld. Supervision in Europe. To further innovate or to consolidate, that’s the question. Text of presentation at the EUA Council for Doctoral Education Annual Meeting, 18 – 19 June 2015 at theTechnical University Munich in Germany. Full text.
  • From June 2015, the core group of the Centre consists of Stella van der Meulen (Delft University of Technology), Gab van Winkel (Wageningen University), Hervé Tijssen (Tilburg University) and Hans Sonneveld.
  • Procedures, Principles and Good Practices for SUPERVISING PHD CANDIDATES
    at Wageningen School of Social Sciences
    . Full text
  • Stella Boeschoten, Charlotte van Hees, Kees Mulder, Sabine Waasdorp, Martijn Weekenstroo, The PhD in the Dutch Academic System, Science in Transition, February 2015.The aim of this report is to evaluate the current role of a PhD candidate in academia, particularly regarding his career perspectives and to investigate whether there are differences between the different graduate schools. To achieve this, we conducted 26 inter-views with people in different faculties and different layers within university or connected to the university. Full text.

New Publications

  • Hans Sonneveld (ed.) & EEMCS supervisors, Supervisors at work! Guidance of PhD candidates at the Graduate School of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (TU Delft). Graduate School EEMCS, October 2014.
    The Graduate School EEMCS wants to get more insight in the way supervisors act when guiding PhD candidates. For that PhD supervisors were consulted. They were asked to give advice to an imaginary new colleague. Besides, eight principal PhD supervisors have been interviewed. The results of both of these exercises have been brought together in this publication. For conveying the different views, we chose for a narrative style in which the reader is addressed by an experienced supervisor. Full text.
  • Marije de Goede, Rosalie Belder, Jos de Jonge, Promoveren in Nederland. Motivatie en loopbaanverwachtingen van promovend [Doing a PhD in the Netherlands. Motivation and career expectations of PhD candidates] Rathenau Instituut, November 2014. (In Dutch)
    Chapters:Start of a PhD Trajectory; motivations and targets. The trajectory:personal development and training. Completion of the PhD trajectory: preparing for the future. Other types of PhD candidates: medical PhDs and external candidates. Full text.
  • Pleun van Arensbergen, Talent Proof. Selection processes in research funding and careers. Dissertation, Free University of Amsterdam, published by Rathenau Instsituut, September 2014.
    The research questions of this study, ‘What is academic talent and how is it selected?’ aim to create a better understanding of the process of talent selection within academia, especially in the context of grant allocation.
    Key results of this study address the criteria used in talent assessment and more specifically the weight assigned to publications; the social and competitive nature of grant allocation processes; the role of gender in talent selection and gender differences in academic performance; and factors supporting or impeding academic careers.
    This study feeds current debates on scientific quality and the growing competition for funding and academic positions with empirical arguments. It refl ects on the existing mechanisms of talent selection and ends with a discussion on the implications for higher education and science policyto uphold and stimulate academic talent. Full text.