The Recognition & Rewards (R&R) programme has been active in all Dutch universities since 2020. This culture change aims to create more room and appreciation for diverse academic talents and contributions. However, so far not all groups in academia have experienced it equally. Karin van Vuuren shares her perspective on why it is important to extend this culture change to PhDs and postdocs as well.
Karin van Vuuren is a PhD candidate in the Healthcare Governance Department of ESHPM. Her work focuses on the resilience of healthcare systems in relation to disasters. She is also a board member of Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN), the national interest group for and by PhD candidates. In Karin’s opinion, it is unfair that the R&R programme has not included PhDs and postdocs so far: “We will be shaping the future of academia and if we do not take this group into account, then what is the culture change?”
Align work and recognition better
Since its beginning, the national R&R programme has mainly focused on the Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors, without ‘officially’ extending to groups such as PhDs and postdocs. “I get that initial idea, that it was important to start with the professors,” says Karin. “They're the ones that have the power and ability to change the system slowly, bit by bit, but...Especially with the R&R programme now being evaluated, let's not forget about us (PhDs and postdocs). We’re the largest part of the workforce in academia.”
The ambition of the R&R programme and the culture change it brings is to create more space for diverse talents and to equally value different types of academic work, beyond the number of publications. Why does Karin think this perspective has not been applied to PhDs and postdocs so far? “There's this classic perspective on a PhD - you do your research and write four papers, and if you do five or six, that's even better. Then the ultimate moment when you bring that all to the broader public is at your dissertation and defence. What we actually do - we're doing research within society, which spans different disciplinary boundaries, doing Open Science, being in touch with societal partners, having an impact. PhDs or postdocs do that work, but we're not recognised for it. That's also what we try to do within PNN with NEWS and the Young Academy in the “PhD of the Future” guide. We showcase all the other amazing work that PhDs do and bring it from the margins to the center."
"If the University encourages Open Science and impact, it's important to recognise and reward that and create alignment with what PhDs do and how our work is assessed.”
Karin van Vuuren
Space to follow your interests
How has Karin experienced her PhD trajectory – does she have the room to focus on her own talents and ambitions? “I have the luck that my supervisory team provides me with space to follow my interests. It's also the department, the people. I feel encouraged to connect to the world outside, build relations to get to know that world, and give curiosity rein. Our department has always been very focused on societal engagement, teaching us to feel responsible and care for the knowledge we learn from and bring into the world, whatever form or shape. Hence, there is room for discussing other ways of ‘doing science' instead of writing a paper, such as including a documentary or policy brief in the dissertation replacing a paper.” Karin points out that the PhD regulations on a University level actually do not restrict PhDs and supervisors as much in what their output looks like, and suggests - “Let’s use it!”
Future actions
What changes would Karin like to see in how early career academics are recognised and appreciated? “There's always an imbalance between the number of people in this group (PhDs and postdocs) and the power we have, especially related to policy, often under the flag of kind protection.” She would like for PhDs “to be taught about academic politics from the beginning, be involved in policy making if they want to, be recognised as staff and invited to staff meetings, and have a dedicated seat in the University Council. To not only be allowed to respond to policy, but also actively put something on the agenda, also on the national level. That’s important for us, often we can only respond. This group is sometimes downsized as being not aware of all the system things that are in play, but those PhDs and postdocs do exist that (want to) know the local and national academic policy and are eager to collaborate. So that's what I think is the most important step for the future actions.”
Karin also believes that early career academics benefit from seeing diverse possibilities in how to build an academic career. She highlights how important it is when senior academics “show what the possibilities are and not narrow them down.” She also suggests for PhDs and supervisors to give “a little bit of room in the beginning of the PhD to talk about these possibilities - discuss what kind of relationality you envision with the world outside the university. Then an academic paper might not be the first thing to write down in your Training & Supervision Plan.”
Broadening up career opportunities
So far, professional services staff has not been part of the R&R ambitions at EUR either. Karin suggests that extending the R&R programme to all staff could actually help early career academics. “What I really like is breaking up the division between professional [services] staff and academic staff. Because we cannot function without one another. So, opening up R&R to both is very important. From a PhD perspective that also opens up the possibility of doing something else, such as combining different roles in academia. It opens up other career options alongside a research position, comparable to a teaching position.”
Karin also links this to the fact of many PhDs leaving academia: “There's often this question about how to make sure that PhDs remain in academia. It's not that PhDs don't want to stay, it's that there is not enough space for all of us. I get that, because exponential growth of academia is not an option. If you open up the possibilities of where to go or what work to do and quit having this barrier between being an academic or a professional [services] staff, that also opens up possibilities for future growth.”
About Recognition & Rewards
Erasmus University Rotterdam is modernising its system for recognising and rewarding academic staff to create more room for diverse academic talents and better enable employees to contribute to the university’s mission of creating positive societal impact. That is why EUR kicked off the Recognition & Rewards programme in 2020.
Curious what R&R means for you or your School? Get in touch with the contact person for your School for R&R or reach out to the Recognition & Rewards team directly via recognitionandrewards@eur.nl.