The PhD Academy has brand new classrooms

According to Václav Snášel, the Rector of VŠB-TUO, the PhD Academy is one of the steps to improve the quality of doctoral study programmes. "In addition to science and research, there are many other things in doctoral studies that students need to prepare for. These include preparation for future careers, presenting results, academic writing and so on. This is where the PhD Academy should play a vital role and I am glad that we are developing in this area and soon this will hopefully be reflected positively in the results of our PhD students," the rector said at the opening of the premises on Monday.

As confirmed by Jana Kukutschová, Vice-Rector for Science and Research and Director of the PhD Academy, the PhD Academy has gained the necessary facilities thanks to the reconstruction of the premises. "The logistical problems, when we had to arrange where courses, lectures, workshops and other events of the PhD Academy would take place, will be eliminated. I am very happy that thanks to this, the PhD Academy can continue to grow successfully and, above all, develop our students," the Vice-Rector added. During the ceremony, she recalled, among other things, that the building of the PhD Academy began about five years ago, and its activities were first launched in the academic year 2021/2022. Even today, it is a unique concept of services for doctoral students and supervisors in the country, and colleagues from other domestic universities come to VŠB-TUO for inspiration.

The need to strengthen the quality of doctoral studies and to prepare early-career researchers not only for academic careers, but also for careers in companies and the non-profit sector was also emphasised by Dr. Conor O'Carroll, an international expert and proven lecturer at the PhD Academy, independent consultant on research and higher education policy and chair of the European Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility. His course, entitled Research Career Planning, was the first ever presentation by an international lecturer to be held in the brand-new classrooms. In previous semesters, PhD students could attend his Open Science and Researcher Integrity courses in the PhD Academy, which took place in an online environment.

The primary objective of the PhD Academy is to stimulate the development of PhD students in areas mainly related to scientific and publishing activities through a comprehensive course offer and the creation of a system of support services at the university, to actively contribute to the fulfilment of the requirements concerning the mandatory international mobility of PhD students and, last but not least, to provide support to PhD students in the preparation of project proposals. It also aims to foster interdisciplinary cooperation between PhD students at the university and to support their integration into the life of academia and research teams.