Program Overview

Program Overview

The Managing your PhD program is designed to equip doctoral researchers with essential project management skills, enabling them to plan and organize their research projects effectively. This workshop focuses on traditional project management techniques and their application to research projects, which are inherently unpredictable.

Target Group

This course is intended for starting doctoral researchers who have already defined the scope of their research and have a good idea of the roles and tasks expected of them. Ideally, participants should be in the second half of their first year.

Program Content

The program covers the following topics:

• Good project management skills valued inside and outside academia
• Planning research, which by default is unpredictable
• Traditional project management techniques and their application to research projects
• Time and self-management as essential pillars for sticking to planning
• Self-development and strategic communication with stakeholders
• Competencies from the Researcher Development Framework, including:
  • B2: Self-management
  • C2: Research management
  • D1: Working with others

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Create a realistic planning for the next year
• Develop a strategic view on their doctoral research and implement it
• Understand project management techniques and apply them to their PhD
• Gain insight into organizing their work, prioritizing, and analyzing strengths and weaknesses
• Identify requirements and attention points for strategic communication with stakeholders
• Identify competences that need further development and formulate specific actions

Program Format

The program is offered in both live and online versions, with the same content but differing in the level of self-study required. The live workshop is conducted over 1.5 days, while the online version consists of 1 hour plus 2 sessions of 2 hours each.

Dates and Location

The live workshop is held at the Joris Helleputte building, with sessions scheduled as follows:

• Dutch: 19/11/2025 (09:30-17:00) & 12/12/2025 (09:30-13:30)
• English: 19/01/2026 (09:30-17:00) & 06/02/2026 (09:30-13:30)
• Dutch: 09/02/2026 (09:30-17:00) & 25/02/2026 (09:30-13:30)
• English: 16/03/2026 (09:30-17:00) & 31/03/2026 (09:30-13:30) The online workshop is scheduled as follows:
• English: 04/11/2025 (11:00-12:00), 01/12/2025 (09:30-11:30), and 15/12/2025 (09:30-11:30)

Preparation and Assignments

There is mandatory preparation to be done before the first session, requiring approximately 2 hours. Additional assignments are given between sessions, which participants will present in small groups, requiring 1-2 days to complete. The total time investment, including contact hours, self-study, and assignments, is estimated to be 25-30 hours.

Working Formats

The program employs interactive lectures, theory and practical exercises, individual and group assignments, peer learning, blended learning, and flipped classroom approaches.

Price and Participation

The program is free of charge, with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16 participants.