Year 1

There are some formal procedures that have to be followed during your PhD track in order to grant you the PhD diploma at the end. Information on what tasks to accomplish in your first year can be found on this page.

Meet the director

Shortly after starting your PhD track, you will receive and invite from the director’s secretary Renate Hippert for a short get-to-know-each-other-talk with the director, prof. dr. W.J. (Wybren Jan) Buma.

Doctoral program admission request

As soon as you are appointed, you can register to be admitted to the doctoral program, for which the form can be found here. After you and your supervisor have signed, please send the form to pzhims@uva.nl or Renate for further processing with the faculty. Please send a copy of your Master diploma as well as a copy of passport along with the document. You have 4 years after starting your PhD to register, but we recommend you to do this in your first year, as you cannot plan your promotion if you are not in the datebase. A complete overview of the doctorate regulations is available online.

Training and Supervision Plan

Upon appointment, the PhD student together with the supervisor(s) (i.e. promotor and -if not the same- the daily supervisor) prepare a Training and Supervision Plan ('TSP' and in Dutch: 'Opleidings- en Begeleidingsplan', OBP) that will be evaluated and adjusted where necessary during the regular progress meetings. If necessary, the HIMS management shall ensure that this plan is drafted within the first 6 months of starting. The HIMS management will inform supervisor and PhD student when these meetings should be organized. The template for the TSP can be found here.

Mandatory courses

Please also register for the following mandatory courses in year 1 and include their dates in your TSP.

Mastering your PhD

The mandatory course Mastering your PhD consists of seven meetings spread over three years, aiming to prepare PhD candidates in the best possible way for their PhD career at the Faculty of Science. It is designed with the help and input of PhD candidates as well as senior researchers/teachers.

This course will help you develop your transferable skills; skills that have been proven to be influential during a career inside and outside of academia. In the first year, you will learn about time management, effective communication skills and your own skills and strengths. In the second year, we will focus on scientific integrity and intervision with your peers. Lastly, in year three, you will focus on career development and you will receive more information about the dissertation procedures.

It is not possible to sign up for this course yourself, you will be invited. For other PhD candidates, such as bursarials, guests, external candidates or PhDs under contract with FOM, participation is optional.

Check the upcoming rounds

Didactic skills

The Teaching and Learning Centre organizes several modules helping you to acquire the skills you need. The following modules are obligatory if you will be teaching groups:

Module 1: You as a teacher

Module 2: Didactical skills: the basics

Module 3: The learning environment you create

Module 4: You and the group

You can sign up for this module via Didactical Modules TLC 2 3. The available dates are on the registration form.

Do you have any questions? Please contact tlc-training-science@uva.nl

9-months evaluation

After 9 months, the first assessment takes place. A negative assessment leads to the premature termination of the temporary appointment. The file for the 9-months evaluation can be found here.

Once you and your supervisor have signed the form, please submit it to pzhims@uva.nl for further signature and uploading into your HR dossier.