Course PhD to Post Doc: Laying groundwork for a part-time or full-time research career

The course A1003 From PhD to PostDoc/Independent Researcher: Laying Groundwork for a part-time or full-time research career is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, 2027.

Criteria for participation: University degree in medicine, dentistry, nursing, or Master’s degree in other fields and/or postgraduate research fellows (PhD students).

Requirements for participation: Health Ph.d. student, recommended to be least 3 months into the PhD.

Aim: To focus on knowledge that is critical for success in an academic research career. With a point of departure in the PhD students’ present and future career goals, this course explores key building blocks of successful academic research careers. These building blocks include networking, interdisciplinarity and groundwork for grant-based funding opportunities.  These building blocks are used to create a career canvas that connects PhD work to the preparation needed for successful Post Doc experiences. The purpose of the career canvas is to Iay groundwork for recognizing opportunities and acting on them. This course is applicable for Health PhD students who want to become either part-time researchers and clinicians or full-time researchers.

Learning outcomes: At the end of the course, the participants will be able to reconsider their PhD completion plan, recognizing opportunities that lay groundwork for a successful part-time or full-time research career.  They will also have developed a strategic plan for changing their networks, engaging in interdisciplinarity, and laying groundwork for grant seeking as their career progresses.

Workload: The full workload of the course is expected to be 55 hours.

Content: 

Day 1 covers academic networking, with a focus on how the stay abroad can enhance your international research network. Activities focus on connecting your stay abroad to networking opportunities and local networks that offer international and local connections.

Day 2 covers recognizing and building opportunities for a future in academia as a part-time or full-time researcher and communicating activities that demonstrate how one is a driver and/or collaborator in research. Activities focus on considering the role of your CV in grant applications, building a future facing CV and and preparing an interview guide for the interview that you schedule during the two weeks between sessions.

Day 3 covers laying groundwork during the PhD for grant opportunities and other themes from the interviews. Activities focus on sharing interview findings and discussing patterns among the different interview results, as well as engaging with a panel of grant winners to develop a deeper understanding of funding as it relates to activities on your CV, preparation and opportunities.

Day 4 includes a panel of early career faculty who have successfully navigated from PhD to PostDoc to Assistant Professor, and focuses on the activity of bringing the results from the previous days together into a future CV supported by a Career Canvas the encompasses your PhD project and your plans for transitioning to a PostDoc. 

Each day includes panel discussions with successful researchers from across AU Health. 

Assignment Descriptions:

Pre-Assignments:

• 1) Introduction to you and your research
• 2) A current CV (to be used during Day 2 activities)
• 3) Reflection on your motivation for taking the course. Total of 1-2 pages

Interim Assignment:

• 1) Plan and conduct an interview with someone who has the job you would like in 5 years, and document the interview as a basis for discussions on Day 3.

Post-Assignments:

• 1) A Revised CV with forward looking activities highlighted in Blue (activities that you hope to have accomplished in the coming 5 years)
• 2) Examples of Networking and Career Canvas visuals created during the course with explanations.
• 3) Reflections on how the course affected your understanding of the process of moving from PhD to PostDoc or Independent Researcher, and how insights from the panels and activities have changed your understanding of academic environments and your future plans.

Instructor: Constance E. Kampf

Venue: Aarhus University, Aarhus

Participation in the course is without cost for:

• PhD students, Health Research Year students from Aarhus University
• PhD students enrolled at partner universities of the Nordoc collaboration
• PhD students from other institutions in the open market agreement for PhD courses

Course dates:

• 27 May 2027 09:00 - 17:00
• 28 May 2027 09:00 - 17:00
• 22 June 2027 09:00 - 17:00
• 23 June 2027 09:00 - 17:00