PhD Association
PhD Association
The PhD Association was born to create the ideal space for PhD students to support each other and to make their journey as smooth as possible. The PhDA aims to foster interaction, collaborations and a sense of community at our center! We also want to provide resources for career and personal development and to represent the PhD students at executive level.
“A good PhD experience for me includes being able to passionately work on my research in a stimulating and supportive environment with the help of my colleagues, friends and family." Dufie, PhD student in the Ludo Van Den Bosch Lab shares. "Finding a work-life balance that still allows me to focus on my research as well as my main extracurricular activity - dancing, including being a dance teacher - is really important to me.”
Initiatives
PhD Symposium
Each year, the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Neuroscience organizes a PhD week and PhD symposium.
Mentor Sessions
The PhD Association organize mental health sessions, to promote wellbeing and facilitate chats with senior postdocs and other peers, also within VIB's network.
Social Activities
The committee facilities groups to connect PhDs according to shared interests: basketball, hiking, board games, and more.
PhD Association Representatives
The Optimist Magazine
The Optimist was a magazine which ran for several years — created by, with, and for PhD students — to spotlight the often‑overlooked emotional realities of scientific life, offering researchers a space to reflect honestly on the challenges, doubts, and nonlinear paths that shape their careers. Rather than celebrating only polished successes, it highlighted resilience, vulnerability, and the shared struggles that define the research journey. By amplifying stories of perseverance and community support, the magazine aimed to foster a healthier, more compassionate scientific culture, one that acknowledges the “valleys” as much as the breakthroughs, and encourages scientists to thrive through both.
Want to join us for your PhD?
To find out more about current opportunities to do your PhD within our Center, check out our current vacancies.