Education
During your time as a PhD candidate, you will have ample opportunity to develop yourself both within and outside of the fields of science. For a significant part, this will happen naturally as you do your research, but aside from that there are some educational schemes to help you during and after your PhD years. Some of them serve to raise or maintain your knowledge about a certain field of physics whereas others teach presentation and negotiation skills. General guidelines for training and education activities of Nikhef can be found here (to be updated). A list of obligatory and optional educational opportunities is outlined below.
Obligatory
- The topical lectures occur thrice per year and last three days. Every set of lectures has its own topic (hence the name), such as the quark gluon plasma, gravitational waves or symmetries in physics. Attendance of 6 Topical lectures is mandatory within OSAF, but two can be substituted by an equivalent education in accordance with the C3 committee.
- Two editions of a graduate school need to be attended by all PhD candidates. The majority of people will attend the BND school, but the theory department has its own DRSTP school. Instead of attending the BND school a second time, candidates may always suggest a different school that they find to be more relevant.
- All candidates must take the NWO-I course Taking Charge of your PhD Project. (Or the equivalent of the university)
- You will have to attend a research integrity (and data management) course, offered by Nikhef or your university.
Optional
- Nikhef offers 1-2 times a year an introduction day for new PhDs and PDs. Make use of this to understand how you will be a part of Nikhef!
- Foreign candidates are recommended to take a Dutch language course. (See what courses universities offer: Dutch courses.)
- Additional graduate schools may be attended in agreement with your supervisor and/or promotor.
- Certain master courses by the university you are enrolled in may be followed.
- CERN has a list of upcoming conferences, workshops, schools and symposiums all around the world that may be interesting to PhD candidates.
- NWO-I has many useful optional courses for PhD candidates.