PhD/i - learning community
What is PhD/i?
The PhD/i of the University of Groningen is a university-wide learning community launched in 2023. It was designed to support interfaculty PhD candidates and their supervisors, to help them address specific and unique challenges of interdisciplinary research.
Recently, we have broadened the scope of the PhD/i community to include three dimensions: (1) interfaculty PhD projects, in which PhD candidates are jointly supervised by researchers from different faculties (2) interdisciplinarity, referring to all PhD candidates who combine multiple disciplines in their projects, also including those who work at the intersection of multiple fields within one single faculty (3) intersectoriality, encompassing PhD candidates who collaborate closely with societal partners, working between academia and external sectors.
Is this for you?
Does your research integrate the content or methods of multiple faculties or disciplines? Or does your project involve both researchers and societal stakeholders? If so, you undoubtedly face specific challenges. How do you work out a research plan with supervisors from different disciplines? How do you balance academic and societal impact? Which publication strategy makes the uniqueness of the research most visible? And, how does it best align with the career prospects and desires of the PhD and supervisors? At the UG, there are about 70+ ongoing interfaculty and many more inter- and transdisciplinary PhD projects. Connect with your peers to share your challenges, experiences and solutions.
What can PhD/i do for you?
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In collaboration with Corporate Academy, PhD/i facilitates workshops for supervisors of interfaculty projects. Here, supervisors discuss - a.o. - training and supervision plans, expectation management across faculty boundaries, publication strategies and career coaching.
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In collaboration with the Young Academy Groningen, PhD/i provides an annual research symposium where interfaculty PhD projects are presented, and you can exchange experiences and practices.
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In collaboration with the interdisciplinary Schools - Aletta Jacobs , Rudolf Agricola , Wubbo Ockels and Jantina Tammes - PhD/i provides academic workshops and activities focusing on interdisciplinarity and outreach.
Upcoming Events
PhD Symposium 2026: Profile Yourself as an Interdisciplinary Researcher
Date: 20th May
The Young Academy Groningen and PhD/i are delighted to announce our PhD Symposium: Profile Yourself as an Interdisciplinary Researcher – a full-day symposium dedicated to the rewards, challenges and everyday experiences of profiling yourself as an interdisciplinary PhD researcher. For more information, see here.
PhD Training: Collaboration with Societal Stakeholders
Date: 17th June
Together with Agricola and Aletta Schools, we are organizing for June a training for inter- and transdisciplinary PhD students on how to collaborate with societal stakeholders. More information will follow!
Aligning Supervision of Interfaculty PhD projects
Dates: 23rd April and 1st October
Interdisciplinary PhD projects present an enormous potential for innovation and academic breakthrough. At the same time, they require a well-thought-out approach to align the methods, perspectives, and academic culture of all the parties involved. For this reason, Corporate Academy is offering workshops, as part of the PhD/i programme, specifically aimed at UG academic staff who have the task of supervising interfaculty PhD projects. For more information, see here.
Staying up to Date
If you wish to stay updated about all activities for interfaculty PhD students and supervisors, please join our mailing list using this link!
Are you doing research on sustainability or health? You can also sign-up to Agricola’s PhD Community and Aletta Talent Network directly.
Contact
Main email: phdi rug.nl
Irene Maltagliati i.maltagliati rug.nl
PhD/i was developed by Dr. Konstantin Mierau with a grant from SoFoKleS, the Dutch fund for innovation in education. For more information about this project, read the article and check out our video below!