Luxembourg's Young Scientists Welcomed at the National Doctoral Student Welcome Day 2022!

On 5 October 2022, all doctoral candidates enrolled in their first year at the University of Luxembourg or having recently taken up a doctoral position at a Luxembourg research institution were invited to participate in the National PhD Welcome Day 2022 at the Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg City.

Organised on an annual basis by Luxembourg's research institutions and students’ associations*, the 2022 edition centred on the theme of mental well-being and professional development and was organised under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) Luxembourg. The National PhD Welcome Day allowed participants to familiarise themselves with the research landscape, to receive advice from professionals and colleagues, and to gain tools which will be useful in the drafting of their theses. The 2022 edition centred on the theme of mental well-being and development, with a particular focus on professional development.

YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFaZPb6VAiQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt

This event opened with a welcome speech by Professor Hélène Ruiz Fabri, Executive Director of the MPI Luxembourg, followed by a presentation by Joanna West, team leader for Student Services at the University of Luxembourg, and Esther Zana-Nau, Programme Manager at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research, on the challenges faced by young researchers and how their services and colleagues could help them in working towards their PhD.

In closing the afternoon, Oliver Glassl, Project Manager of the Doctoral Training Programme in Science Communication at the University of Luxembourg, highlighted the importance of knowledge transfer to civil society and how his department helps develop the communication skills of young scientists. This Welcome Day also offered an opportunity for peer-to-peer exchanges, allowing doctoral students who are more advanced in their doctoral project or who have already successfully completed their PhD to share their experience and advice. Representatives of Luxembourgish doctoral student associations also presented the activities they organise. The PhD students ended the afternoon with a pub quiz at the Rives de Clausen.

You can find the speakers’ presentations on the event website: https://www.nationalphdwelcomeday.lu. Pictures of the event will be available very soon.

You can also find all the relevant information about, among other topics, the PhD life cycle, mental health, well-being or Students’ associations, on the EURAXESS website: https://www.euraxess.lu/luxembourg/national-phd-welcome-day.

*The National PhD Welcome Day jointly organised by the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research (LISER), the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Max Planck Institute (MPI) Luxembourg for Procedural Law, EURAXESS Luxembourg, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and Research Luxembourg, with the support of LuxDoc A.S.B.L. and DSAiL - Doctoral Students Association in Luxembourg.