The role of PhDs in society and the responsibility of universities

​Many PhD candidates express an interest in an academic career. At the same time, we know a majority of them will work outside academia sometime after obtaining their PhD degree due to a limited number of available academic positions after the PhD. Research suggests that PhD candidates experience a significant friction from this discord between aspiration and availability of positions. In addition, PhD programmes and career preparation services at universities often still focus on future academic careers. What could and should universities do to decrease the friction felt by PhD candidates?

In this workshop we will discuss findings from research on this topic. Furthermore, together with the workshop participants we will explore what universities should do to better prepare PhD candidates for careers outside academia.