SENSE Column by Carolien Kroeze and Ad van Dommelen

In Fall 2008, Carolien Kroeze left the SENSE board of directors after having been the SENSE Director of Education for a period of 3,5 years. Ad van Dommelen took over, and he now serves in SENSE both as Deputy Director and as Director of Education.

For both of us being member of the board of directors is and was of great value. Not only is it a pleasure to work with the other members of the board and the education desk, but it is also an experience of continuous learning. Let us summarize a few lessons that we have learned from our work for SENSE in the past few years...

First of all, we think that SENSE should first and foremost be a network in the interest of the PhD students. The SENSE commitment to the educational programme is always intended to assist the PhD students, and to strengthen their position and development in the universities and in their networks.

In addition, we learned that there are three important factors determining the success of a PhD project:
1) the quality of the supervision,
2) the quality of the research proposal, and
3) the quality of the network in which the PhD student participates.

SENSE would like to contribute on all three issues. To mention a few examples: we have been promoting courses for PhD supervisors; SENSE promotes the review of research proposals before the PhD research starts; and SENSE stimulates the PhD students to actively participate in the SENSE network. And above all, we aim to offer a balanced and tailor-made educational programme in which each PhD student can be supported to develop top-level expertise as well as research and management skills, thereby helping to prepare PhD students for their careers after the PhD graduation.

When Carolien Kroeze left the board of directors, she was (of course) immediately invited to become a (regular) member of the SENSE Educational Committee. So we are happy to let you know that she will stay actively involved in SENSE.

The SENSE PhD students may always contact Ad van Dommelen, or Johan Feenstra (at the Education Desk) with their questions and suggestions about the educational programme and their Training and Supervision Plans.

Carolien Kroeze and Ad van Dommelen