PhD surveys

From 2023/2024 onwards, every 2 years a campus-wide survey is conducted by the RU (also for UMC PhDs) as part of a national PhD Survey. PON is always in close contact with the Policy Officers in charge of this survey and part of it will be tailored towards PhD candidates in Nijmegen specifically.

The aim of this survey is to get a better idea of the wishes and problems that PhD candidates encounter. This will provide us with better means to evaluate and improve the PhD life and policy on our campus. The results of this survey serve as a basis for recommendations to the Radboud University Executive Board.

Among other things, some subjects which are analyzed in the survey are:

  • The quality and frequency of supervision
  • Graduation delays: obstructions experienced by PhD candidates in completing their thesis and possible solutions
  • The working environment: how do PhD candidates assess their working and employment conditions, the pressure of work, etc.
  • The education of PhD candidates: evaluation of the quality, frequency and accessibility of PhD courses
  • The provision of information for PhD candidates, especially international PhD candidates

We will continue discussing the issues raised by the survey with the other PhD Councils as well as the RU and Radboudumc themselves.

If you face problems during your PhD or have any ideas about things that should be improved, please let us know. These can be things related to PhD promotion regulations, scientific integrity, social safety, courses for PhDs, mental health of PhDs, diversity & inclusion, sustainability, etc. Get in touch with us by email or this form.

2021 edition

You can find the full report of the PhD survey 2021 here (pdf, 8,9 MB) in English.

The Dutch version you can download here (pdf, 5,3 MB).

Our current chair, Jurgen Moonen, was interviewed by VOX about this PhD survey. You can read the full article here (in Dutch & English).

Previous editions

The results of the previous PON PhD surveys can be found back here: