Ombudspersons for doctoral students

Faculty and institutional ombudspersons for doctoral students

As doctoral students, your first point of contact for most things is likely your supervisor. However, for issues that you are not comfortable discussing with your supervisor, or in cases of conflict between you and your supervisor, you can turn to your faculty ombudspersons as your first point of contact. Faculty ombudspersons are appointed to be easily approachable contacts inside your own faculty who can provide guidance and who will treat any issues you raise with them confidentially. In some cases the faculty ombudspersons will refer you to other mediatory bodies (cf. below), e.g. if the solution to the problems you raise fall outside the remit of their work as an ombudsperson.

The institutional ombudsperson deals with general complaints for matters concerning education.

Other ombudspersons and mediators

• The Confidential contacts (first point of contact for staff who experience psychosocial risks)
• Trustpunt, the University’s Confidential Advisor service (vertrouwenspersonen)
• The Commission for Scientific Integrity (Commissie Wetenschappelijke Integriteit)
• In some cases, the situation may require for you to be referred to bodies outside of Ghent University; for instance, when you are having problems or complaints as a PhD fellow of the Research Foundation-Flanders, you will be referred to the Research Foundation-Flanders.
• The Human Resources office (e.g. career coaching; labor-related issues)

How to report transgressive behaviour as a PhD candidate?