PhDoc

PhDoc defends the interests of PhDs and postdocs at Leiden University. We have had a consistent presence in the University Council since 2012. We are a group of energetic early-career academics who care about the future of our university.

Principles

Transparency and trust are our foundation

Dialogue should not be avoided on the basis of controversy. All the more, these topics need to be addressed and should not be left to fester. This unwillingness to engage contributes to the lack of social safety in our university environment, where many feel unsafe, unsupported, and isolated time and time again.

At the heart of these problems lies a lack of trust in each other, leading to a lack of transparency. We need to actively engage in conversation with each other to build respect and trust, and to eliminate fear.

Diversity is not decorative: ensuring inclusivity and equity requires introspection and radical change

Ensuring an inclusive academic environment is not a box-ticking exercise accomplished within closed sessions. Too often does the burden of fulfilling diversity outcomes fall onto individuals when it should be the responsibility of the institution. Too often are diverse voices ignored and excluded.

Should we have more female professors? Yes. Should our buildings and events be accessible to all, regardless of disability? Yes! Should the cultural diversity of students, PhDs and postdocs be better represented higher up in our hierarchy? YES!

Actions with integrity and empathy

There is a lot on everyone’s mind: climate crisis, war, budget cuts, higher costs of living. Building a supportive institutional environment demands recognizing the ways we fall short. The rich and impressive history of Leiden University does not exist in isolation. It was deeply embedded in colonial networks, and continues to implicate its community in inadvertent harm on others.

As an international academic institution, we must recognize the duty of care for our own staff and student body, and the broader world we operate within.

Themes

Our principles feed into the four main themes we will cover in our election program:

Representation: No voice should go unheard in university decision-making.
Well-being: Moving from work pressure to work enjoyment.
Personal growth: Balancing guidance and freedom to foster growth.
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): Everyone deserves a fair chance.

Achievements 2022-2026

Below you can find a short overview of what we did with our seats in the University Council in 2022-2026. We will leave it up to you to imagine what we could do with more seats.

Building trust with PhDs and postdocs

PhDoc values in-person interaction above all else. Since the previous election, we have had 143 meetings with and for PhDs and postdocs, not counting official University Council meetings. This is how we build trust with PhDs and postdocs throughout the university, and how we ensure the right topics are on the University Council agenda.

Improving the university commuting allowance

We have consistently called for better reimbursement of commuting costs, with a focus on public transport. The university budget for 2024 now includes a €1.2mln mobility fund to improve the commuting allowance. This has since then transformed into the Shuttle program.

No more misuse of annual agreements

PhDoc wrote a report on the problematic misuse of annual agreements at Leiden University, which were resulting in the consistent loss of holiday hours for junior staff. Despite initial inaction by the university board, PhDoc collaborated with the labor unions in ensuring annual agreements are now no longer permitted for junior staff. We explained in a interview with AOb magazine why this was an important step.

Fighting for early-career academic inclusion in R&R

PhDoc has been very active in the Recognition & Rewards (R&R) movement. Our workshop at the 2023 R&R festival paved the way for the inclusion of PhDs and postdocs in national R&R decision-making. At Leiden University, we were one of the main drivers behind the introduction of the lay talk at PhD defenses, which started in September 2024.

Equity for external PhDs

PhDoc actively supported the taskforce external PhDs, whose 2023 report contains many recommendations to improve equity between internal and external PhDs. We have continuously raised awareness about the report recommendations, which include giving external PhDs voting rights in university elections. We further opposed a resolution to implement tuition fees for external PhDs and were involved in developing new PhD guidelines which clearly dictate what a Leiden PhD is owed.

Interested to learn more about what we do? Or want to join the PhDoc team? E-mail us at w.p.young@arch.leidenuniv.nl and/or m.m.kolbenstetter@arch.leidenuniv.nl.