Syllabus
The PhD school will consist of one-day-long meetings, once per month (so 4 meetings per semester). In each of these meetings, the program will consist of: - “PhD club”: presentations by students, discussion moderated by students.
PIs will not be part of this, allowing a peer-to-peer discussion to happen. - Soft skills training: initiation to a particular soft skill. - An informal gathering between PhD students with refreshments. On top of these monthly meetings, a few additional (non mandatory) activities will be proposed: - ad hoc methodological workshops on approaches relevant to PhD students in evolutionary/molecular biology - one weekend retreat with different activities (team building and connection, soft skill training, and leisure) Soft skills training preliminary program for the first year: Semester 1 session 1: presentation and self confidence 1 Semester 1 session 2: presentation and self confidence 2 Semester 1 session 3:open communication and conflict solving Semester 1 session 4: research integrity Semester 2 session 1: time management Semester 2 session 2: mental health and stress in PhD life Semester 2 session 3: modern teaching methods for higher education Semester 2 session 4: career planning
Annotation
Many PhD students are often isolated from their peers and left unequipped to face the many challenges inherent to the PhD student life. This may lead to a lack of motivation, unhappiness, burnout, and eventually dropout. This does not have to be, and a PhD project can be a fulfilling experience made of learning science but also other so- called "soft" skills, networking and achievements. To help students in this, we open a PhD school interlinking biology research at relevant departments of PrF UK (Botany, Experimental Plant Biology, Ecology, Zoology,
Microbiology). Our goal doing so is to support a networking cohort where PhD students will meet, discuss science and learn together across the years, which will build a solid basis for networking and present/future collaborations and connections, independently of their country of origin or scientific background. We also aim at providing skills that are crucial to lead a PhD (and projects beyond) successfully, and yet that are barely taught at university.
This course is only for PhD students.