The science policy of the government seems to adhere to a mantra of sorts: more PhD candidates. The more well-educated our population is, the more successful our knowledge economy will be.

So now universities are allowed to experiment with PhD students, who will receive a bursary rather than a salary. As that will make PhD tracks much cheaper, universities will have room for more candidates.

Charlotte de Roon, the new chairwoman of PhD Candidate Network Netherlands (PNN), is not so sure about that approach. “We should be assessing the quality of our PhD tracks, and make sure they are well-attuned to the job market. PhD degrees are not always appreciated. Let’s focus on changing that instead of recruiting new PhD candidates first.”

Why shouldn’t more people be allowed to do a PhD track? The more, the merrier.
“True, we build on every new piece of research. But you want to be appreciated as well. People with a PhD degree usually cannot find a position at a university, and they’re often overqualified for jobs, or paid less than you might expect for someone with a PhD degree.”

What could you do to improve that situation?
“PNN offers the Professional PhD Program, in which PhD candidates accept a job outside university for several months. They might go to a company or work for the government, for example. That way, they get the chance to explore their career opportunities and gain work experience.”

But should something chance in the way PhD candidates are supervised? They often quit prematurely.
“That might have to do with those poor prospects. With the Rathenau Institute, we have studied the sentiments of PhD candidates, and only ten felt supervision fell short.

Still, one in four quits early.
“And there’s only a small group who completes their PhD track within four years at that. Most need more than five years. And that’s excluding external PhDs: we don’t know how many there are, and their graduation percentage is supposedly very low. We should be fixing that, rather than introducing the bursary system. More of them might actually graduate with a little extra support. External PhD candidates typically consider their dissertation their life’s work. They include anything and everything they find worthwhile, ever expanding their research. That’s why quite often, they never finish.”

De Roon studied psychology and business administration at Leiden University. She’s working on a Dual PhD: she’s working and writing her dissertation at Campus Den Haag, one of Leiden University’s departments. Her job? Supervising external PhD candidates.

Will you be needing extra time?
“I’m afraid so. Combining a job with writing a dissertation is a challenge. It’s what external PhD candidates face as well: daily matters at work are often prioritized.”

PNN has always opposed the idea of PhD students, but the experiment has been green-lighted. Has your argument been lost?
“No, we will continue our lobby. The minister is answering questions from the House of Representatives and the Senate right now. We’re hoping the experiment will lead to a debate after all. The plan is a bit of a mess, if I may say so. That’s worrying. We want the experiment to be postponed at least, so it can be reconsidered. But we’re really hoping it will be cancelled completely.”

What else do you want to fight for as a chairwoman?
“Universities are pushing the limits of their collective agreement. PhD candidates are offered a three-year contract at 0.9 fte, for example, while hardly anyone ever finished within four years’ time. The focus on financial viability at universities is a thorny issue at PNN as well. Universities want cheap and fast PhD graduates, but often that’s just not realistic.”