Ready for take-off: establishing a good basis for PhD supervision 2026

This workshop by Rosanne Ceuppens is aimed at duos of supervisors and PhD students. It is designed to trigger discussion on the topic of doctoral supervision and to stimulate participants to discuss their preferences and expectations (both during the workshop and thereafter). The focus is on increasing insight and awareness, as well as on providing strategies that may help in building a strong supervisor/supervisee relationship. Several tools that may be used as a starting point for effective communication between supervisor and supervisee will be introduced. After the workshop, participants will be aware of the different aspects of PhD supervision that can contribute to a successful PhD trajectory.

The workshop contains interactive exercises and requires active participation through discussion and the sharing of experiences. 

Learning outcomes

After attending this workshop, you ...

• are aware of various aspects of PhD supervision which may contribute to a successful PhD process,
• have an enlarged toolbox for going into interaction with your PhD student / supervisor, allowing for greater flexibility in dealing with various situations,
• understand the importance of personal values, expectations and earlier experiences and how they may influence the working relation between supervisor and supervisee,
• have laid the foundations for a strong working relationship,
• feel more at ease discussing supervision-related matters with your PhD student / supervisor,
• know why and how to discuss and clarify mutual expectations.

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In this workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

• interpersonal competences:
  • collaboration
  • leadership
• personal effectiveness:
  • flexibility
  • self-development
  • responsiveness to change
  • responsibility
    
    

For whom?

• Duos of supervisors and PhD students.
• There is room for 12 participants per edition (6 duos). Priority will be given to recently started supervisors.
• The workshop will be organised with a minimum amount of 8 participants. 
• The participating researchers have preferably started their PhD over 2 months ago before participating in this session. 

When & where?

• 18 May, 2026, 13:00-17:00 
• Campus Diepenbeek, room E141

Registration

• Please contact your supervisor if you would like to register for this workshop, since they will register both of you. They will also be notified via email about the organisation and content of this session.
• Registration is possible from 29 January to 27 April 2026. Register here. 
• As places are limited (max 6 duos), registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. The supervisor will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS BSH: category 'career management & personal development' - workshop on career management
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - half of a course on transferable skills
• DS ST: category 'career & personal development' - workshop on personal development