PhD Society : the value of your PhD Towards an academic career (@

K.U.Leuven)

Veerle BruggemanResearch Coordination Office

December 1th, 2010

Research Coordination Office (DOC) (vice-rector research : prof. P. Marynen)

I. Service : inform / encourage / support

• information on research funding www.kuleuven.be/gedoc

• lectures and workshops on research funding opportunitieshttps://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/d/info/workshops.html

• trainings on research proposal writing

• research database www.kuleuven.be/onderzoek/onderzoeksdatabank

• publication data https://lirias.kuleuven.be

• helpdesk on funding opportunities

• support on project proposal writing for external research funding

Postdoc day presentations sept. 2010:

https://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/d/postdocday/presentations.html

Research Coordination Office

II. Funding

• Special Research Fund: BOF– CREDO – SPERO

• Industrial Research Fund: IOF

Onderzoeksraad (Research Council)

IOF council

III. Research Policy

What after my PhD ; Postdoc

Important period in scientific career ; transition phase

• Valorisation of PhD results (if applicable)• Development of research profile

defining research field acquiring expertise international network

• Development of professional career acquiring other skills and competencies

This mouse is running in circles

He has a postdoc phenotype

Ready to move on...work further on your skills and competences• High visibility of your research (publications, books, symposia,…)

• Acquired skills & competences:– Teaching and mentoring students– Critically reviewing papers– Presentation skills– Teamwork– Project and budget management– Self-management: flexibility, coping with stress, planning and organizing,

confidence and assertiveness,…

• Grant writing and fund raising:– Ideas, concepts – Build your own expertise (branching out from mentor)– Collaborations, connections

From testimony Christa Maes, Postdoc day sept. 2010

(International) mobility

• We want you to go…– Get (more) independent– Become (more) excellent

• …but do come back– Fresh blood– Fresh insights in sciences– Complementary expertises– International network

What after my postdoc ? professorship

Never a guarantee..

Source: postdoc survey 2008, www.aaas.orghttp://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine

List your options, prepare backup plans!

Career trajectories @ K.U.Leuven

PhD Postdoc

Academic professorship

(ZAP)

Research

staff (BAP)

Regular ZAP

BOFZAP

Career trajectories @ K.U.Leuven

PhD Postdoc

Academic professorship

(ZAP)

Research

staff (BAP)Research manager

Research expert

Academic professor (ZAP)

Academic professorship

(ZAP)

Regular ZAP

BOFZAP jr.

Assistant professor (Docent)

Associate professor

(Hoofddocent)

Professor (Hoogleraar)

Full professor (Gewoon

Hoogleraar)

‘Tenure Track’

Regular ZAP

BOF-ZAP sr.

Tenure Track, what ?

• Appointment as docent (assistant professor) (at least 50%) = tenure track

• Educational or research oriented• Evaluation after 5 years according to

– General criteria : applicable for everyone ; concerning research, education, service, internationalisation, …

– Specific criteria : specified for each profile by deans, departments ; approved by ‘Groepsbestuur’. Indications of excellence

– All TT (regular ZAP, BOFZAP) are evaluated after 5 years according to these criteria

– If positive evaluation : automatically tenured as associate professor

BOFZAP (research professor)

• research professorship (but prepared to accept limited teaching assignments)• 2 categories: junior BOFZAP and senior BOFZAP• At least 80% appointment• Open call

Specific conditions

• junior BOFZAP - starting researchers with >3 and <7 years postdoc experience, extendable with max 1 year

- research potential• senior BOFZAP - advanced researchers with min 7 years postdoc experience

- past performance & leadership

Appointment: in one of the ranks for professor (ZAP), depending on the candidate's qualifications

Junior BOFZAP : assistant professor TT

Senior BOFZAP : starting from associate professor

Next deadline: pre-application: 30th September 2010

Specific conditions

• extensive research proposal embedded in K.U.Leuven research group• local promoter @ K.U.Leuven• if superior BOFZAP evaluation you receive a BOF start-up grant

Contact:

Christelle Maeyaert

Available positions: 13 in 2011, no quota between junior/senior categories

https://www.kuleuven.be/gedocumenteerd/k/s/oproep/34705.html

Regular ZAP (‘Profiel vacatures’)

• http://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/vacancies.html

Academic professor

Evaluation & Advice Decision Financing

0-5y 6-10y >10y

Regular ZAP

“Bijzonder Groepsbestuur”,

“Bijz. AR”

BOF-ZAP BOFZAP advisory committee &

Faculty advisory committee

BOF

BOF

Alloc. Dept./Fac.

Alloc. Dept./Fac.

Faculty advisory committee (fac. Beoordelingscommissie)

Faculty advisory committee

1.

2*.

Allocation Dept./Fac.

BOF Alloc. Dept./Fac.

2*. Extra Tenure Track mandates of Flemish Government

Some websites …

• http://www.kuleuven.be/research/career/• http://gbiomed.kuleuven.be/postdoc/• http://set.kuleuven.be/phd/career.htm

Career paths

PhD Postdoc

Academic professorship

(ZAP)

Research

staff (BAP)Research manager (incl. IOF)

Research expert

University Research Staff (BAP)

• Background:– Increase of external funding for research and creation of a new

research environment– Increase of researchers with consecutive contracts with limited

duration– No career management for these type of researchers in the

past

• Creation of research management careers in “BAP”

• Own finality, but final responsibility remains with ZAP

Keep enjoying research

Add value to your academic degree by working on your other skills & competences ! Plan your career