Transcript Veerle Bruggeman

PhD Society : the value of your PhD
Towards an academic career (@
K.U.Leuven)
Veerle Bruggeman
Research Coordination Office
December 1th, 2010
Research Coordination Office (DOC)
(vice-rector research : prof. P. Marynen)
I. Service : inform / encourage / support
• information on research funding
www.kuleuven.be/gedoc
• lectures and workshops on research funding opportunities
https://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/d/info/workshops.html
• trainings on research proposal writing
• research database
www.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/onderzoeksdatabank
• publication data
https://lirias.kuleuven.be
• helpdesk on funding opportunities
• support on project proposal writing for external research funding
Postdoc day presentations sept. 2010:
https://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/d/postdocday/presentations.html
Research Coordination Office
II. Funding
• Special Research Fund: BOF
– CREDO
– SPERO
Onderzoeksraad (Research Council)
• Industrial Research Fund: IOF
IOF council
III. Research Policy
What after my PhD ; Postdoc
Important period in scientific career ; transition
phase
• Valorisation of PhD results (if applicable)
• Development of research profile



defining research field
acquiring expertise
international network
• Development of professional career

acquiring other skills and competencies
This mouse is
running in circles
He has
a postdoc
phenotype
Ready to move on...work further on
your skills and competences
• High visibility of your research (publications, books, symposia,…)
• Acquired skills & competences:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Teaching and mentoring students
Critically reviewing papers
Presentation skills
Teamwork
Project and budget management
Self-management: flexibility, coping with stress, planning and organizing,
confidence and assertiveness,…
• Grant writing and fund raising:
– Ideas, concepts
– Build your own expertise (branching out from mentor)
– Collaborations, connections
From testimony Christa Maes, Postdoc day sept. 2010
(International) mobility
• We want you to go…
– Get (more) independent
– Become (more) excellent
• …but do come back
–
–
–
–
Fresh blood
Fresh insights in sciences
Complementary expertises
International network
What after my postdoc ? professorship
Never a guarantee..
Source: postdoc survey 2008, www.aaas.org
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine
List your options, prepare backup plans!
Career trajectories @ K.U.Leuven
Regular
ZAP
Academic
professorship
BOF
(ZAP)
ZAP
PhD
Postdoc
Research
staff (BAP)
Career trajectories @ K.U.Leuven
Academic
professorship
(ZAP)
PhD
Postdoc
Research
Research
expert
staff (BAP)
Research
manager
Academic professor (ZAP)
Assistant
professor (Docent)
Regular
ZAP
Academic
professorship
BOF
(ZAP)
ZAP jr.
‘Tenure Track’
Associate
professor
(Hoofddocent)
Professor
(Hoogleraar)
Regular
ZAP
BOF-ZAP sr.
Full professor
(Gewoon
Hoogleraar)
Tenure Track, what ?
• Appointment as docent (assistant professor) (at least
50%) = tenure track
• Educational or research oriented
• Evaluation after 5 years according to
– General criteria : applicable for everyone ; concerning
research, education, service, internationalisation, …
– Specific criteria : specified for each profile by deans,
departments ; approved by ‘Groepsbestuur’. Indications of
excellence
– All TT (regular ZAP, BOFZAP) are evaluated after 5 years
according to these criteria
– If positive evaluation : automatically tenured as associate
professor
BOFZAP (research professor)
•
•
•
•
research professorship (but prepared to accept limited teaching assignments)
2 categories: junior BOFZAP and senior BOFZAP
At least 80% appointment
Open call
Specific
conditions
• junior BOFZAP - starting researchers with >3 and <7 years postdoc experience,
extendable with max 1 year
- research potential
• senior BOFZAP - advanced researchers with min 7 years postdoc experience
- past performance & leadership
Appointment: in one of the ranks for professor
(ZAP), depending on the candidate's qualifications
Junior BOFZAP : assistant professor TT
Senior BOFZAP : starting from associate professor
Specific
conditions
Contact:
Christelle Maeyaert
Next deadline:
pre-application: 30th September 2010
• extensive research proposal embedded in K.U.Leuven research group
• local promoter @ K.U.Leuven
• if superior BOFZAP evaluation you receive a BOF start-up grant
Available positions: 13 in
2011, no quota between
junior/senior categories
https://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/s/oproep/34705.html
Regular ZAP (‘Profiel vacatures’)
•
http://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/vacancies.html
Academic professor
Evaluation & Advice
Decision
Financing
0-5y
1.
Regular ZAP
Faculty advisory committee
BOF-ZAP
>10y
Allocation Dept./Fac.
Faculty advisory committee
(fac. Beoordelingscommissie)
2*.
6-10y
“Bijzonder
Groepsbestuur”,
“Bijz. AR”
BOFZAP advisory committee
&
Faculty advisory committee
2*. Extra Tenure Track mandates of Flemish Government
BOF
Alloc. Dept./Fac.
BOF
BOF
Alloc.
Dept./Fac.
Alloc.
Dept./
Fac.
Some websites …
• http://www.kuleuven.be/research/career/
• http://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/postdoc/
• http://set.kuleuven.be/phd/career.htm
Career paths
Academic
professorship
(ZAP)
PhD
Postdoc
Research
expert
Research
staff (BAP)
Research
manager
(incl. IOF)
University Research Staff (BAP)
• Background:
– Increase of external funding for research and creation of a new
research environment
– Increase of researchers with consecutive contracts with limited
duration
– No career management for these type of researchers in the
past
• Creation of research management careers in “BAP”
• Own finality, but final responsibility remains with ZAP
Keep enjoying research
Add value to your academic degree by working on
your other skills & competences ! Plan your career