The path to a phd is often bumpy and slippery, both in the starting up phase where you still have to find that one specific research question to dive into, as well as in the executing phase where the results you have hoped for are nowhere to be seen or in the finishing phase where everything has to blend together. There often seems no right time or place to ask questions that may be meandering in your mind, such as: “Why am I doing this?”; “Is it worth working 80h a week and not spending enough time with my family/friends?”; “What about my life after my PhD?” etc. Of course there are no clearcut answers to this, but it might be comforting to know that most researchers have thought about these issues as well.
To answer these questions and to enlighten researchers (-to be) about their path to a PhD, the PhD Research Day 2016 was organized today. The programme featured keynote speeches, posters and presentations, infostands and leisure, workshops, debates, practical information and of course drinks and music.