ADS Newsletter December 2025

Your monthly update from the Antwerp Doctoral School on events, workshops and valuable resources to support your doctoral journey.

ADS courses 2nd semester

Have you already figured out which skills you might want to develop further? From February till July, we will offer again a wide range of courses to develop your communication skills, research skills, career management and much more. Check the ADS training offer on our website. In December, the course pages will be updated with the new dates of courses for the second semester.

Registrations for the courses will open in SisA on Tuesday 6 January at 9 a.m. Save the date if you don't want to miss the opportunity to enrol for an ADS course!

Check the registration procedure.

The Company+ 2026

Are you an early career researcher interested in developing entrepreneurial skills—whether or not your idea connects to your research? The Company+ is a hands-on programme (Feb-Nov 2026) open to all disciplines. Participants work in interdisciplinary teams, guided by expert coaches and mentors, to explore ideas in four domains: Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Chemistry, Transport & Logistics, and Health & Wellbeing.

Unsure if this programme is right for you? Register for the info session, with a presentation of the programme and a testimonial from a former participant.

📅 16 January 2026
⏰ 1.15 p.m. – 2.30 p.m.
📍 CMI or CGB (to be confirmed)

Psychological support for PhD researchers

Maintaining good mental well-being during a PhD can be challenging. Many doctoral researchers experience self-doubt, isolation, stress, or anxiety. If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to seek help.

The student psychologists at the University of Antwerp offer six sessions for PhD researchers. The first session is free; from the second session onwards, PhD researchers aged 24 and older pay €11 per session. Registration is open from 1 till 15 December. You can find more mental health support on the Antwerp Doctoral School website.

PhD Winter School - AI and ESG: Friend or Foe?

The next edition of the PhD Winter School organised by KBC, entitled "AI and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG): Friend or Foe?", will offer an inspiring programme where a select group of PhD researchers (> 3rd year) and postdocs get an inside view of the corporate world, reflect on labour market challenges and innovation as a driver for sustainability. Participants will also learn from career stories of PhD holders why they decided to transfer to the corporate world etc. Date: 23 February 2026. Deadline for registration: 2 January 2026.

ADS course Excel Intermediate:

places available

Do you already have a basic understanding of Excel, but wish to deepen your skills?
Due to rescheduling, some seats have become available in the ADS course

'Excel Intermediate', which will take place on 17 December 2025 at Stadscampus, building P. If you would like to join this course, register a.s.a.p. via SisA.

Save the date!

Scholarship for researchers with autism

The LAVA vzw Scholarship aims to offer autistic researchers the opportunity to contribute to a positive and nuanced perception of autism within the academic world. The scholarship includes a cash prize of €1,500 and will be awarded to a PhD researcher or a junior postdoctoral researcher on Saturday 14 March in Ghent.
Applications for the prize can be submitted until 31 January 2026 via scholarship@lavavzw.be.

LEAF Programme

Want to make your lab more sustainable and efficient?
Join the University of Antwerp’s brand-new LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) Programme, launched by the Climate Team and Environmental Department to help research and teaching labs reduce their environmental impact, and improve their sustainability, efficiency, and research quality.

More information

⚠️Educational credit

Financial agreements year-end 2025

Would you still like to have your expenses reimbursed this calendar year?

Then submit your iExpenses as soon as possible via the designated financial agreements year-end 2025.

New application form educational credit

From January 2026 onwards, it will be mandatory to use the new application form for applications for the educational credit. Applications using old versions of the application form will be automatically rejected.

The new form requires a motivation of the learning component of the activity and how this activity relates to your doctoral study programme and its competence profile.

Nature Masterclasses

Follow the Effective Science Communication course and learn to translate your research into clear, compelling stories. Discover how to target your audience, choose the right communication channels, and craft a persuasive narrative that makes your work accessible to non-experts.

Calendar

Contact

Catherine Bayart | Jana Cuyvers

Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen

www.uantwerpen.be/ads

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