On August 30, 2024, DTU Compute hosted its annual PhD Bazaar. This year the 'come together event' was dedicated to career planning and exploring various career paths for all PhD students at DTU Compute. The theme focused on providing valuable insights and practical advice to help students navigate their future careers, whether within academia or beyond, with ample opportunities for discussion.
Two former PhD students from DTU Compute shared their personal journeys and the motivations behind their career choices. Johan Rønby Pedersen, who has a dual career as an Associate Professor at RUC and founder of the company STROMNING, talked about why PhD students might consider leaving academia. He emphasized that it is possible to leave academia and return, or even combine academia with a company, though it can be stressful. One of his points was a piece of more general career advice: Don't underestimate the value of a good network.
Laura Hannemose Rieger, now a Postdoc at DTU Energy, highlighted the opportunities and challenges of an academic career. She stressed the importance of finding a research direction and profile by the end of the PhD project, focusing on a specific task you are well-positioned to solve, and building a track record of papers to demonstrate your qualifications and ideas.
The students also met Dr. Monika Janfelt from Moveo Nordic ApS. Monika, a seasoned researcher and author of the book “You and Your PhD – Essential Career Advice for Doctoral Students,” provided a thoughtful guide on career planning with questions such as how to plan your future career during a PhD, finding the right career path, setting goals, and dealing with uncertainties in the job market. Her session also allowed students to discuss their career dreams.
Poster session and broken eggs
During the usual poster session, second and third-year PhD students presented their research projects. This not only allowed students to showcase their work but also allowed them to see how others understood their explanations. Researchers from various research sections and the Head of Department Jan Madsen also stopped by to share their insights.
After the announcement of the Best Poster award by Vedrana Andersen Dahl, Head of the PhD School the rest of the day was dedicated to team challenges (including how to drop an egg from the second floor without breaking it…) and networking, all organized by the DTU Compute Club for PhD students.
It all went very well, says Sabrina Spangsdorf, Head of Diversity and PhD Coordinator:
“This year we have tried something new with the Bazaar such as having an interesting topic, having great talks and close cooperation with our PhD Compute Club which has shown to be a great asset for getting all our PhD students together and networking across research fields. This has definitely inspired us to try something similar for the PhD Bazaar in 2025.”
