PhD Representative in the UvA Central PhD Council

The Central PhD Council (CPC) is looking for a new representative for the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG)! The CPC serves the interest of all PhD candidates at an administrative level, and is a sounding board for organizational developments concerning PhD candidates within the university and the faculty.

What are you going to do?
For a period of two years, you will collaborate with PhD representatives from the other UvA faculties to represent the needs and wishes from PhDs at the UvA by providing (un)solicited advice to various bodies of the university.

As FMG representative in the UvA Central PhD Council, you will:

• Collect information from PhD colleagues, the FMG PhD council, and other actors within the faculty on a wide variety of issues like contracts, work environment, PhD education, information provision, and wellbeing;
• Attend monthly board meetings with all CPC members;
• Attend quarterly meeting with the Rector Magnificus of the UvA, to discuss PhD-related matters and to develop solutions for issues where possible;
• Take part in various UvA-wide workshops and workgroups.

Other tasks, all related to the PhD trajectory, are shared within the CPC team. Further, you focus on PhD representation within your own faculty via the existing structures, such as the FMG PhD Council.

• You are an internal or external PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences;
• You are able to spend about 3 to 4 hours per week on the CPC (but of course, your PhD project is first priority);
• Your PhD contract is not expected to end within the coming two years, but you are welcome to apply at any stage in your PhD, and there are no minimum requirements in previous relevant experiences;
• You are able to start as a representative on November 1st, 2023.

If you are part of the FMG PhD Council, this would be considered an advantage. However, this is not a requirement – we do expect you to join the FMG PhD Council.

You will gain deep insight into organizational structures of the UvA and you will help to address potential issues that exist within the PhD community. This experience is valuable for a future career at any university or in any other large organization. Further, being a member of the CPC strongly increases your network in the university, and is a good opportunity to meet PhD candidates within and outside of your faculty.

You will get an extra month extension at the end of your PhD contract for every year you serve as a PhD representative (equal to approx. 3-4h a week/0.1 FTE). For external PhD candidates, other arrangements can be made.