PhD Talent Coordination Team

Welcome on the web page of the PhD Talent Coordination Team of the 5 Flemish universities!


<<WHAT?>>

  • We help employers connect with PhD Talent
  • We facilitate information exchange within the PhD Talent Network
  • The input of companies and other employers is crucial to stay relevant

 

<<WHY?>>

Our mission is to bridge the gap between academia and the world of work beyond academia by connecting relevant stakeholders 

  • who are committed to encouraging and better facilitating the PhD talent flow to the knowledge economy, as well as to raising awareness about the added value of the PhD degree;
  • who are committed to better aligning the competency-based (transferable skills) training as currently offered by the universities with the expectations of the non-academic labour market, taking into account the contours as specified by the Flemish government;
  • who are committed to instigating different forms of talent connections that unlock and demystify the non-academic labour market.

We want to bridge the gap between academia and the world of work beyond academia by actively reaching out to companies/ organisations/ institutions who are as yet unfamiliar with the added value of the PhD degree

 

<<OUR SERVICES>>

Download our portfolio here.

 

> We organise/support three types of events:

  • Category I events

These are events that we organise for you to participate in and to meet PhD Talent. Some examples are:

    • KU Leuven PhD Society career fair
      • Job fair organised by PhDs, fall each year
    • Job Shadowing
      • One day ‘fly on the wall’ for PhD candidates and postdocs in a company/organisation
    • Job Market for Young Researchers
      • Live job fair with online activities, spring each year

  • Category II events

These are events we co-create & co-organise with you, tailored to your needs and fields of discipline. There are a number of best practices we can share with you: eg. (reverse)pitching, case challenges, company visits online or live, from webinar, over one-evening, to two full-day activities.

  • Category III events

These are events you organise yourself.
The PhD Talent Coordination team will advertise your event among the PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers of the five Flemish Universities.

    • These can range from webinars to case competitions.
    • All recruiting/employer branding events are published on the PhD Talent Pool.

 

> We created the PhD Talent Pool, a career and job site for all PhD candidates and postdocs of the five Flemish universities and beyond.

  • Create your account (for free)
  • Post your vacancies
  • Post your recruiting/employer branding events

 

> We organise a PhD Talent Stakeholder Meeting and a PhD Talent Advisory Board (see below).

 

> You can also book us as speakers:

  • We can speak about PhD Talent, the skills and competencies they bring beyond their technical skills – we are happy to join the discussion.
  • Your member organisations are keen on recruiting but someone with a PhD is not yet considered a potential employee? We are excited to proof the contrary.
  • Book us (for free) to help convince your customers about this Talent Pool.

 

<<PHD TALENT STAKEHOLDER MEETING>>

Once a year, meet like-minded organisations and PhD candidates/postdocs.

  • Exchange and learn from each other to enable (international) PhD talent recruiting.
  • The formal programme combined with plenty of room for networking.
  • It is not a recruiting event (number of participating PhDs is limited).
  • Free of charge

Send us an email if you’re interested in joining us at one of our stakeholder meetings!

 

 

<<PHD TALENT ADVISORY BOARD>>

The PhD Talent Advisory Board helps to close the gap between PhD talent and companies/organisations that wish to capitalise on the added value of the PhD degree.

  • Labour market representatives help us tailor our concepts towards your needs/the needs of the labour market.
  • Exchange through inspiring discussions with other sector representatives on topics related to PhD Talent transition to the non-academic labour markt.

 

<<UPCOMING EVENTS>>

  • PhD Event, 19 August 2024, Louvain-la-Neuve, organized by B12 Consulting.
  • Researchpreneurship Mindset Bootcamp, 4-6 October 2024, Ostend, organized by PhD Startups Europe and the Flemish universities.
  • Job Shadowing for PhDs & postdocs, 7-18 October 2024, Belgium, organized by the Flemish universities.
  • PhD Job Fair, 5 November 2024, Leuven, organized by KU Leuven PhD Society.
  • PhD Talent Stakeholder meeting, 14 November 2024, Brussels, organized by the Flemish universities.
  • Winter School, TBA, Brussels, organized by KBC .
  • Job Market for Young Researchers, 27 March 2025, Ghent, organized by the Flemish universities.

 

<<WHO?>>

The PhD Talent Coordination Team consists of the following coordinators, affiliated with the doctoral schools or career centers of the 5 Flemish universities:

  • Nicole Wedell-von Leupoldt (KU Leuven)
  • Ilse Van Damme (UHasselt)
  • Rosanne Ceuppens (UHasselt)
  • Katrien De Gelder (UGent)
  • Anne-Sofie Vanhaeght (VUB)
  • Kristien Daems (UAntwerpen)
  • Lotte De Leeuw (UAntwerpen)
  • Karolien Van Dessel (UAntwerpen)

 

 

Contact us (phdtalent@vlir.be)