A new edition of the ENGAGE.EU doctoral workshop was held in Toulouse from 20 to 21 April.
This research workshop aimed at deepening the network of young researchers of the ENGAGE.EU alliance and allowed them to present a working paper related to their thesis topic and/or their research interest.
Three working groups were established around the following topics:
- Health and well-being
- Social and digital eco-systems
- Social and organisational justice
Participants appreciated the opportunity to work on a specific research project, but also to work across disciplines and address international issues. They had the opportunity to receive personal feedback from one senior researcher from our partner universities and one other PhD student.
To make it possible for the participants to get to know each other better and to work better together, we organized moments of conviviality such as a boat trip on the Canal du Midi, an ice-breaker session but also a visit of the city.
Benefits of participating
Amongst the seven Tilburg University PhD students were Margo Janssens (TSB) and Trinh Nguyen (TSHD). Margo is in the final stages of her project. Margo: 'We should as PhD students not always work behind our computers but also talk to people on how our research resonates with them. This PhD workshop has given me the opportunity to present my work and to see whether it is understandable for non-specialist in my area and even the general public. First-year PhD researcher Trinh: ‘My higher education trajectory has motivated me to engage in interdisciplinary research from different perspectives. Therefore, participating was the perfect opportunity to broaden beyond disciplines.’
Connecting with other PhD’s
I want to talk with others about my research, Margo explains. I want to understand how other researchers think about it. Even when they are very different from myself, it gives me insights that I can then transfer towards my topic. Therefore, conferences like this inspire me, I get different ideas from different fields. Besides presenting a paper and connecting with other junior researchers this workshop gave Trinh insights into how PhD trajectories may differ at university/institution and even at national level.
Extending the European research network
The two days of workshops included cultural activities and workshops, allowing them to share and receive more specific advice on the issues they will face as young researchers. At the end of these two days, all attendees had extended their European network and exchange ideas on topics close to their research interests, while doing so they also sowed the seeds of future collaborations!
Community building
Dr James Small, from TiU and a member of the ENGAGE.EU team responsible for organizing the workshop commented, “This is one of several face-to-face meetings that we are arranging for young and early stage researchers. The goal being, to help them to share and connect. This type of event allows people time to get to know each other. This works very well alongside how our scholars can build connections via the ENGAGE.EU digital community platform for research collaboration, that we launched recently.”
The diverse profiles of the participants made the exchanges enriching and useful for the further development of their research projects. They really enjoyed working in a multicultural and inspiring environment! These activities have left the participants a great memory of Toulouse in the sun. In short, through these friendly moments and workshops, we hope to have sown the seeds for future collaboration!
See for more pictures and testimonials: ENGAGE.EU PhD Workshop in Toulouse: Expanding Networks, Connecting Disciplines – ENGAGE.EU (engageuniversity.eu)