Doctoral Ed Doctoral Ed @EPFL: F @EPFL: Future uture De - - PDF document

Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 1

Doctoral Ed Doctoral Ed @EPFL: F @EPFL: Future uture De Developments velopments

Pierre Vandergheynst VP Education

And a bit of st And a bit of statistics atistics

EODC 15 years Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 2

End-of-Thesis survey (all PhDs who succeeded in 2017/18): High degree of satisfaction (but room for improvement)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% While carrying out PhD research I gained valuable methodological skills During my PhD studies I gained cutting‐edge scientific knowledge I was satisfied with the support for my PhD (thesis direction, facilities,… My PhD training will be a real asset in my future career EPFL has offered me sufficient preparation for my career Agree + strongly agree Disagree + strongly disagree

Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 2

No No EPFL without EDOC EPFL without EDOC

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Doctoral Programs Advanced Manufacturing EDAM Architecture and Sciences of the City EDAR Biotechnology and Bioengineering EDBB Computational and Quantitative Biology EDCB Civil and Environmental Engineering EDCE Chemistry and Chemical Engineering EDCH Digital Humanities EDDH Electrical Engineering EDEE Energy EDEY Finance EDFI Computer, Communication and Information Sciences EDIC Mathematics EDMA Mechanics EDME Microsystems and Microelectronics EDMI Management of Technology EDMT Materials Science and Technology EDMX Molecular Life Science EDMS Neuroscience EDNE Photonics EDPO Physics EDPY Robotics, Control, Intelligent Systems EDRS

690 785 907 1 244 1 370 1 422 1 397 1 487 1 633 1 772 1 869 1 953 2 029 2 016 1 998 2 068 2 124 2 119 2 212 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Doctoral candidates Year

17 62 115 11 148 273 5 197 106 18 229 81 66 126 72 40 183 88 86 191 98

50 100 150 200 250 300 EDAM EDAR EDBB EDCB EDCE EDCH EDDH EDEE EDEY EDFI EDIC EDMA EDME EDMI EDMS EDMT EDMX EDNE EDPO EDPY EDRS

Doctoral candidates Doctoral Program

• Training at cutting-edge research
• Learning to face an unsolved problem
• Resilience!
• Strategy!
• Resourcefulness!
• A lot of hard work
• Hours can’t be estimated
• Deal with frustration of research
• A diploma and therefore education
• Some freedom implicit
• Always question the value of the diploma
• Learning environment

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What is What is the PhD? the PhD?

Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 3

CHALLENGE ONE CHALLENGE ONE

The Job Market for PhD Graduates

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Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 4

Disposable lab wor Disposable lab workforce ? e ?

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The (idealized) Job Mar The (idealized) Job Market

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Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 5

Challenge: what job? Challenge: what job?

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0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.7% 0.9% 0.9% 1.1% 1.2% 0.9% 2.3% 2.5% 3.2% 4.6% 4.8% 21.4% 17.1% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 1.6% 9.8% 23.5% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% Administrative Manager Support / Test / Commissioning Engineer Graduate Trainee (GTP) Sales / Marketing Executive Networking / Telecom / Systems Engineer Production / Operations / Logistics Engineer Business Analyst Quality Engineer Teacher / Lecturer Project Manager IT Architect / Developper Architect / Civil / Environmental Engineer Consultant (all areas) Other R&D Engineer Academic Researcher PhDs employed in Switzerland PhDs employed abroad

EPFL: 15 new prof. / yr 450 new PhD / yr → 3% (for Europe this is even lower) Eventually, a very large majority of EPFL’s PhDs go to the non-academic sector

Challenge: what job? Challenge: what job?

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• ……..

Federal statistics office (2010) PhDs feel they lack some communication, planning, organization, interdisciplinary, and social skills

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Challenge: what job? Challenge: what job?

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• After EPFL PhD studies, the starting salary is

about the same as that of an MSc with 4 year work experience (doing a PhD is valued as much as work experience)

• PhDs increase slightly faster
• During the PhD studies they “lose” 100’000

CHF (which takes many years to recover) But, they have a PhD! Rem: research from Warwick U shows exactly same trend at EU level

Challenge: what job? Challenge: what job?

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50 100 150 200 250 300 350 27‐30 30‐33 33‐36 36‐39 39‐42 42‐45 45‐48 48‐51 51‐54 54‐57 57‐60 60‐63 63‐66 66‐69 69‐72 72‐75 75‐78

Nombre de thèses Nombre de mois

ENAC IC SB STI SV CDM

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Actions Actions

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• Pilot projects like EPFLinnovators
• Test different requirements leading to graduate profiles sought by economy

and society

• Revise transversal skills policy of EDOC
• Keep adding offer and structure to transversal skills
• Aim at keeping duration of PhD “at bay”

CHALLENGE T CHALLENGE TWO

A Mental Health Crisis?

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Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 8

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Ment Mental Health Crisis? al Health Crisis?

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The study states that 32 % of PhD students are at risk of having or developing a common psychiatric disorder, especially

• depression. This number was significantly higher than those for

the comparison groups. These disorders can be linked to the work-family interface, job demands and job control, the supervisor’s leadership style, team decision-making culture, and perceptions of a career

• utside of academia.

Other factors also contribute, such as increased workloads intensification and the pace of change

Work organization and mental health problems in PhD student https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.02.00

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From 20

• m 2019 EPFL Sur

9 EPFL Survey ey

17 17 EODC 15 years

The way The way ahead ahead

Some directions to make it all better

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Pierre Vandergheynst, VP Education 10

• PhD experience revisited
• Learn to build and use a network
• A one-stop shop for problems
• Develop a culture of fellowships
• Develop skills for all and “brand” PhD for its uniqueness
• Career development should be a growing concern
• Transversal skills should be encouraged. How?
• Academia should highlight PhD for its unique value
• Leadership program
• Many don’t go to academia? Great!
• Encourage career paths that serve society

We have no have no “magic w “magic wand” but … and” but …

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