What does it mean to be a researcher in 21st century academia? (Edition 2024)

Cluster

Career management

Target group

In the first place this seminar series targets PhD students, young researchers at the beginning of their academic career from all Doctoral Schools, and postdoctoral researchers. The seminar is, however, also open to supervisors and other interested academic personnel. Building upon our positive outreach experience the past few years, this year we will aim to further expand our efforts to reach all faculties (also faculties with less stringent doctoral schools requirements such as sciences, engineering and medicine)

Abstract

Young researchers are confronted with questions and considerations that their interest in science did not prepare them for. Today’s academic world is a complex system in an increasingly globalized social and economic context. The aim of the course is to introduce participants to the problematic nature of current-day academic life and to inform them about the structural causes of the challenges they face as young researchers, as well as to help them critically engage with, debate on, and think about ways they can contribute to improving the current state of academia.

Topic

The introductory morning aims to encourage participants to discuss and reflect on their own experiences as young researchers, and about the broader social, political and economic context of research. The first thematic session in the afternoon focuses on tackling issues revolving around labour at the university, and what specific actions are undertaken within universities to improve people’s working conditions.

The second thematic session focuses on raising awareness for mental health, especially in regard to the current context and the ongoing pandemic. During the afternoon of that day, participants will be encouraged to use the critical insights gained in the previous sessions to come up with concrete actions. The third thematic session focuses on knowledge production. The last session of the course centres on a hands-on approach to reflect on the whole of the course and develop zines to share and disseminate our insights.

Objectives

To gain comprehensive knowledge of current debates on a series of topics related to today's role of academic research, such as publication policies and strategies, research ethics, intellectual property regimes, mental health issues, working conditions, etc.
To have a critical understanding of the contemporary political economy of academic research environments and academic knowledge production more generally.
To acquire critical insight into and awareness of the relationships between academic institutions, markets and society/democracy, and of current responsibilities and societal role of academic research.
To formulate critical arguments and engage in interactive debates.
To translate the obtained awareness and insights into action in their personal academic environments.

Organizing & scientific committee

This course is organised by a heterogeneous group of scholars from an interuniversity partnership between Universiteit Antwerpen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, KU Leuven, Universiteit Gent and Université catholique de Louvain:

Kawtar El Abdellati (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Elvira Crois (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
Valerie De Craene (Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Universiteit Gent)
Sofie de Smet (UGent & KULeuven)
Pieter Maeseele (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Anneleen Kenis (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)
Annelies Van de Ven (Université catholique de Louvain)
Sophie Samyn (Universiteit Gent)
Emma Verhoeven (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Patrizia Zanoni (Universiteit Hasselt)

Contact person

Elvira Crois, VUB (Faculty of Psychology and Educational sciences - Department Educational Sciences)

Format

Course activities will consist of an open space technology session, interactive lectures, guided group discussions, and action training. Furthermore, participants will need to prepare questions and discussion topics on the basis of their reading of the provided literature (chosen in consultation with the lecturers) and of their impressions of the roundtable discussion during the first morning

Tentative program

Thursday 18 April 2024 (10h-16h30)

Topic of the day: Changing the University from Within
Location: Ghent University

10h – 12h30: Open Space Technology Session

We begin by welcoming participants and stimulating an open interactive environment through short exercises (mindfulness and ice-breaker) facilitated by the organising committee of the doctoral and guided conversations in order to detect recurrent themes and incentives among the participants. Participants can propose any topic related to mental health in academia which they want to address in small groups, such as work-life balance, imposter syndrome, publication pressure, inter-personal struggles within a research group, the challenges posed by global events and the precarity of research careers.

13h30 – 16h30: Panel on ‘Changing the university from within’

During the session "Changing the university from within", we focus on existing actions in the Belgian academic world and more specifically on the strategies of the people behind them. For this event, we invite speakers Omar Jabary Suliman (ULB/UGent), Bengisu Girenizli (WeDecolonize VUB), Kyara Barros (WeDecolonize VUB) and Femke Lootens (Green Office UGent). They all perform extra and often unpaid labour to create a more accessible, inclusive or fair version of academia. As they recount the actions they have organised or continue to organise, participants gain insights into the "do's and dont's" of change from within.

Thursday 25 April 2024 (10h-16h)

Topic of the day: Raising Awareness for Mental Well-Being
Location: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
In cooperation with the Young Academy’s Slow Science & Art Week

10h – 12h30 Creating a Better Research Environment

During this session, we will move from talking about the challenges in researcher mental wellbeing to thinking about what we can do to change the situation. Our guest speakers Dr. Stéphanie Gauttier and Mathias Schroijen from the ReMO Cost Action will engage the participants in a workshop focusing on looking inward and outward to actively develop strategies that would improve researcher mental wellbeing.

13h30 – 16h30: Action Training ‘Another University is Possible’

In this session by NGO Vredesactie, we connect all the main questions raised in the previous sessions and in the debate, and integrate them into a crucial discussion on ‘how another science/university is possible’.

Thursday 2 May 2024 (10h-16h30)

Topic of the day: Knowledge production
Location: University of Antwerp

10h – 12h30: Knowledge Production

The core of (academic) teaching and research is the production and reproduction of knowledge. Yet the context in which these take place (institutional structures as well as everyday academic practices) determine to a large extent the kind of knowledge that is produced, and which knowledge is valued or marginalised. In this session we reflect on what counts as (academic) knowledge, and by whom and under which conditions it is produced. This day will be facilitated by Prof. dr. Dounia Bourabain (UHasselt).

13u30 - 16h: Zine session

Can the university be a caring space? In this session, participants are introduced to the concepts of ‘ethics of care’ by Joke Struyf (University of Antwerp). She will provide an overview of this feminist strand of philosophy and share how participants can concretely apply it when organizing academic events.

This is followed by a roundtable with Prof. dr. Charlotte De Backer, who will share her experiences of facing the dark side of academia. In this open discussion, participants are encouraged to think about how we can contribute to a more supportive and caring environment.

Registration procedure

Follow this link for the registration and waiting list.

Your registration will be confirmed by separate e-mail from the Doctoral Schools. Cancellation of your registration can only be performed by sending an email to doctoralschools@ugent.be.

Registration fee

Free of charge for members of the Doctoral Schools. The no show policy applies.

Teaching material

Before the start of the course, participants will be provided with reading materials selected in consultation with the speakers of days two and three.

Number of participants

Language

English

Evaluation criteria (doctoral training programme)

Participants will be evaluated on their attendance of all sessions, preparatory reading and active engagement in the group discussions.