Dear colleagues,
NorDoc is a Nordic collaboration on PhD education between 17 universities in all the Nordic countries.
NorDoc gives you opportunities
From this summer, the Faculty of Medicine at UiO has taken over the leadership of this association of universities. Maybe not that interesting you might think, but read on.
The great thing NorDoc has achieved is that all PhD candidates at these universities can take some of their PhD courses at universities that are members of NorDoc. Perhaps another Nordic university can offer exactly the course you have wanted to take? Do you have a PhD candidate in your group who could benefit from this? Many of the available courses are starting soon in October and November. The faculty has published information about NorDoc’s course package here, and Nordoc also has its own website that you can follow.
I am very pleased that we can offer our PhD candidates a much broader range of courses, and the opportunity to tailor their own education. As a PhD candidate at one of the member institutions’ PhD programmes, you can attend the courses in the database free of charge.
Already making plans for next summer?
Far too few of our PhD candidates have been aware of the opportunities Nordoc offers. Every year, NorDoc organises a summer school, The Nordic PhD Summit. It has been a great success. The summer school is open to all interested parties, PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, supervisors and faculties.
PhD candidates from the Nordic countries are brought together for two days of interaction and academic discussions focusing on Nordic research strengths and how to get the most out of your PhD. As a young researcher, you get the opportunity to create a network with other researchers in the Nordic region.
Next summer, Finland will host the summer school. I highly recommend that you make plans to participate next year.
Gain experience from board positions
Another thing it may be wise for a young researcher to do is gain experience from a board position. It can give you the experience that makes you the best candidate when searching for a permanent research position later on.
University democracy is important for employee co-determination and participation. This autumn, a representative for temporary academic positions will be elected to the Faculty Board.
The Faculty Board members discuss and decide on matters that are important for the future and direction of the faculty. As a member, you get unique insight into what is happening, and you also get valuable board experience. It is a manageable task. During the year for which the candidates are elected, there are 6 scheduled meetings, all with meeting times starting from 16:00, so that most people will be able to participate.
I encourage employees with the right to make proposals to nominate relevant candidates, and candidates who are eligible to make themselves available to the faculty. Happy voting!
The Postdoctoral Programme
This autumn’s courses in our excellent postdoctoral programme are also worth signing up for if you haven’t taken them already! Pay particular attention to the new course in research supervision starting in November.
I hope you all have a great autumn!
Yours sincerely, Grete
Read more
- Researcher Education at MED, editorial 24 August, 2023.Vice-Dean for Research and Researcher Education Grete Dyb gives a status update on the research training at the faculty.
- Summer school, postdoctoral programme and Ukraine grants, editorial 23 March, 2023. Vice-Dean for Research and Researcher Education Grete Dyb has recently been elected as chair of NorDoc.