Prologue - Promood

Prologue
Introduction to the PhD programme at
the Delft University of Technology
Prologue
Introduction to the PhD Programme
of Delft University of Technology
Promood is the independent representative body
of PhD candidates at the Delft University of Technology
Foreword
Dear PhD candidates,
Welcome to Delft University of Technology, to the city of Delft, and for many of
you, welcome to the Netherlands. We are pleased you have opted for Delft for
the next stage of your higher education. At TU Delft, we can offer you a firstclass scientific environment with outstanding research facilities and excellent
education. And just beyond our campus lies the beautiful city of Delft, with its
combination of historic buildings and vibrant cultural and student life. A good
place to start your future.
By choosing to do a doctoral degree programme you have embarked on a
challenging but rewarding
journey. In the coming four
years you will immerse
yourself in your research
subject. During that time,
you may fall in love with
that subject and decide
to permanently devote
yourself to research. Or
you may come to the
conclusion that you would
rather dedicate your
knowledge and talents to a
career in industry or public
service. You might even
come up with a brilliant
marketable solution and
set up your own enterprise.
No matter which path you
end up choosing, your
doctoral degree will be an
excellent stepping stone to
Prologue | 4
it; because today’s increasingly knowledge-intensive society demands a highly
educated workforce.
But first you will become part of our research community and as such you
are a valued and welcome addition. As you know, at TU Delft we believe
our research should make a contribution towards solving society’s grand
challenges. Challenges that are caused
by a growing population, diminishing
No matter which path you end up
resources and a changing climate.
choosing, your doctoral degree will
Solutions to these challenges demand
be an excellent stepping stone to it
a multidisciplinary approach. During
your time here you will therefore
undoubtedly come into touch with researchers from other faculties and
universities and with experts from industry. A valuable learning environment.
We hope that the learning process will be mutual and that we will benefit from
your insights and ideas as much as we will be able to teach you.
So, on a professional level you should soon become part of a network, at TU
Delft and elsewhere. But doing a PhD can be a challenge on a social level. For
some of you, this is the first time away from your own country and your family,
and it may be years before you get a chance to go back. New surroundings,
new people, and a new phase in your life; how do you deal with that? Let this
booklet be your guide during those difficult first weeks or months. It is filled
with information and stories from those in the know: the PhD candidates that
started here before you. Take advantage from their experiences and use them
to make the most of your time in Delft. I wish you every success!
Professor Karel Luyben
Rector Magnificus TU Delft
5 | Prologue
Preface
Proudly presenting: the new Prologue
Dear reader,
You are most likely reading this booklet because as a new PhD candidate
you have recently come to Delft, or are about to do so. It is for you we have
compiled this publication. Why? The reason already lies within that first
sentence: you are about to change your life in a number of fundamental ways.
First, you are coming to a new town and probably also to a new country.
Second, you are embarking on a journey not just of the body, but of the mind.
A journey that should after some four years lead you to the title of Doctor. We –
the members of the Promood board – are on the same journey, though we have
embarked on it before you. We would therefore like to share our experiences
with you to help you on your way.
What is life like in the Netherlands
and in Delft? What do I need to know
before I come, and where can I go
with my questions or problems?
These are the sort of issues we try
to deal with in this Prologue. A lot
of this information can be found
elsewhere, but nowhere in a single
publication, we believe. Also, we
try to focus on subjects that are,
in our experience, different here
than ‘at home’. Like you, we look at
them through the eyes of a fellowinternational and PhD candidate, so
we understand the sense of wonder
or even bewilderment that you will
at times experience. We want to
Prologue | 6
explain to you some of the idiosyncrasies of life in the Netherlands. In doing so,
the book takes on a hands-on style. Doing a PhD will be an arduous process,
we cannot deny that. But if we can take away some of the peripheral stress, we
will have accomplished what we aim for with
We would therefore like to
this new Prologue. The ‘old’ Prologue – a tried
and trusted little red book that made many
share our experiences with
fans over the years – was definitely in need
you to help you on your way
of a revamp. We have thoroughly revised
and updated the content. Naturally, we have
tried to be as accurate as possible. Nevertheless, rules and regulations, laws
and policies change continually. So we suggest that you check the information
before acting on it. We have included addresses and/or websites wherever
feasible.
On our own website www.promood.tudelft.nl, we will keep a running
update on the information presented here.
I would like to finish by specifically thanking Agaath Diemel and Liesbeth van
Dam, who played a key role in making the new version of Prologue a reality.
Working with them over the past year was an absolute joy for us at Promood.
Have a great read!
On behalf of the Promood Board,
Hadi Asghari
7 | Prologue
Contents
Foreword
4
Preface
6
Introduction
10
History 10
What does it mean to be a PhD?
13
1. Getting started
18
18
Finding a position
The paperwork
19
2. Health and home
23
Health Insurance
23
Healthcare in practice
25
Your health and TU Delft
28
Housing
29
3. The PhD process
35
The Graduate School
35
Monitoring and support
36
Other support
41
Research 42
Interview Stella van der Meulen
46
48
4. Representing your interests
Background
48
Promood
50
56
Interview Ken Arroyo Ahori
Prologue | 8
5. Working at TU Delft
58
Leave and special leave
60
Professional expenses
65
PhD and pension
68
6. Nearing the end
72
Promotion ceremony
76
After your PhD 79
Networking
79
Stay updated
81
Academic career
82
Outside academia
84
Interview Behnam Taebi
86
7. On campus
88
Buildings 88
Campus facilities
90
Interview Helene Clogenson 94
8. Living in the Netherlands
96
City of Delft
96
Learning Dutch
99
Shopping
100
Eating out
102
Interview Eva Landsoght110
9 | Prologue
Introduction
History
Kenny the caveman
In 1842 King Willem II founded the Royal Academy for the education of civil engineers.
The Academy also educated civil servants for the colonies and revenue officers for the
Dutch East Indies. Until then, those wanting a higher technical education were forced to
go abroad where there were institutions dedicated to the education of engineers in cities
such as Paris, Prague, Berlin and Vienna. In fact, the founding of the Royal Academy was
down to the efforts of a few idealist behind the scenes, most notably State Councillor and
surveying engineer Antoine Lipkens. He had studied at the École Polytechnique in Paris;
he became the first principal of the Academy. Another Royal Decree ordered in 1864
ordered that the Royal Academy should become the Polytechnic School. The education of
civil servants was disbanded and the Polytechnic school concentrated on the education
of architects and engineers in civil works, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and
mining.
Ius promovendi
Then, in 1905 the academic level of the School’s technical education was recognized
and it become a ‘Technische Hogeschool’ (institute of technology). On September
1986 the Institute of Technology wast transformed into Delft University of Technology,
Prologue | 10
more commonly known as TU Delft. So
professors at Delft University of Technology
have held the ‘ius promovendi’ – the Latin
term for the right to bestow doctoral
degrees – since 1905.
Introducing Kenny the caveman
Meet Kenny the caveman, our mascot. Have you
always thought we have moved on a long way
from our stone age ancestors? Think again. Like
Kenny, PhD candidates are always breaking new
ground, using the tools that are at hand, finding
out by trial and error and learning things the hard
way. You will see him pop up now and again,
sometimes at his peril.
The first doctoral degree ceremony at
TU Delft took place in 1906, and was for
Nicolaas Söhngen and his thesis, ‘‘The
creation and disappearance of hydrogen
and methane under the influence of
organic life’. The first female recipient was
Jeanne van Amstel, who obtained her PhD in 1912 for her ‘The Influence of Temperature
on Physiological Processes of Yeast in Alcohol’ thesis on. We cannot be certain how many
women have obtained doctorates at TU Delft: this was not recorded until 1980, and we
have to rely on the first names of the candidates for our information.
Momentum
In 1906, just two doctorates were conferred, and it was not until 1925 that the one
hundred mark was reached. After that, it became an ever-more frequent event.
In 2010, no fewer than 333 PhD students were awarded their doctorates, putting TU Delft
in fourth place on the list of Dutch universities. With 3,736 conferrals, 2010 was a record
year for the country as a whole.
After years of increasing numbers of
You are continually surrounded by doctoral degrees due to the high numbers
of PhD candidates, there are some fears
your fellow students and can fall
that the future will show a decline. This is
because the available means for research
back on them for support
are decreasing, as fewer funds are being
allocated to universities, and natural gas revenues (which were previously used to
finance the appointments of many PhD candidates) are no longer being allocated to
academic research.
Doing a PhD – or not
Doing a PhD sounds like a recipe for success as highly educated people are in evergrowing demand. A doctorate is a prerequisite for an academic career, and opens up
many other career prospects in today’s knowledge-intensive society. That is the theory.
But is it really the right thing for you? Before embarking on the journey, let’s look at the
why and why not.
11 | Prologue
As a student you are monitored and your skills and progress are regularly tested. You are
continually surrounded by your fellow students and can fall back on them for support.
Unlike a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, doing a PhD is a very individual – possibly lonely
– undertaking. No more set timetables, joint classes and lectures, or regular examinations.
The essence is to become an independent researcher, so you develop your own research
proposal, carry out the research and write up the results in a dissertation. Thus you prove
that you are capable of doing independent academic research and that you are an expert
in your chosen subject.
Having a PhD signals to the world that you are an authority, someone worthy of
obtaining the highest degree in academic education. It is a neccesary step towards a
career in academia. But only a small
But bear in mind that your contribution number of new doctors will actually
will most likely be a relatively small step enter the academic sector. In other
careers a PhD may add to your
towards developing important new insights credibility, a valuable tool in many
trades. Also, a PhD may help you in
and innovative applications of knowledge
achieving your longterm career goals,
even if you start out in jobs that you could have done without it. So a PhD is not always a
passport into academe, it can still be a good investment in your future.
It is however, not a get-rich-quick scheme. Rather, you postpone your career for a
number of years to work in a relatively low-paid research job, or even to subsist on a
scholarship. Instant fame is another thing you are not likely to achieve. True, you will
make a contribution to scientific knowledge. But bear in mind that your contribution will
most likely be a relatively small step towards developing important new insights and
What’s in a name?
Before the introduction of the Bachelor
and Master degrees in the Netherlands,
those who graduated from university
received the degree of doctorandus
(‘ir.’ for engineers). The word doctorandus
comes from Latin and means ‘he who
must become a doctor’. You often see the
title abbreviated to Drs. before a Dutch
surname. So a ‘Drs.’ has not obtained
multiple doctorates, and does not yet in
fact hold a doctorate. People who want to
obtain a doctorate are
Prologue | 12
called promovendus, meaning‘he who must
be promoted’. You will come across the noun
promovendus/a and the verb promoveren,
and the noun promotie for the ceremony.
It is also part of our name: Promood.
However, for this publication we will only
use the term PhD candidate. At TU Delft
you will also hear the term PhD student a
lot. But doing a PhD is very much about
doing independent research, rather than
studying, that is why we favour the term
PhD candidate.
innovative applications
of knowledge. Most
ground-breaking
scientific discoveries
presented in the media
are the result of years
of painstaking research,
usually partly carried
out by a series of PhD
candidates.
So when should you do
a PhD? If you are curious
by nature and have a
thirst for knowledge. If you like to push yourself and are not scared off by difficult goals.
If you are passionate about your subject and want to see if you can make a contribution
towards it. If you want to be able to understand and solve problems better and learn new
skills that will help you in your future career. Sounds like you? Then read on.
What does it mean to be a PhD?
Immersing yourself
Doing a PhD means you work towards presenting a dissertation based on original
research that makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in your field. In the
Netherlands you will start on your research soon after you arrive. Immersing yourself
for four years in a single subject may sound a little boring. But that is only if you forget
about context. Naturally, you can’t look at your subject in isolation. To get to a research
proposal alone, you will have to be up to date with the wider field and you will have to
keep yourself informed of what is going on in it. TU Delft Library is a good place to start.
A lot of scientific journals are available as e-journal, though bear in mind that these are
usually only available if you log-in on campus. Many fields of research also have their own
webportals or wikis.
Ground-breaking research?
Let the term ground-breaking not daunt you. If you are very lucky, you will be part of
a truly ground-breaking discovery. Recently, the quantum transport group around
professor Leo Kouwenhoven discovered the long-elusive Majorana particle. Most of us
will not be part of Nobel-level research. However, you will be breaking new ground in the
13 | Prologue
sense that your research is original. It will explore new avenues, but it will build on what
your colleagues and predecessors have done before. In a wider sense you will be part of
ground-breaking research, because that is what your department is engaged in.
Building a professional network
Networks are more important than ever. Finding the right people to work with and
exchange ideas with is important, for now and for later, in your professional career. The
isolated scientist doing fascinating new things in his lonely lab is definitely a thing of the
past – if he ever existed at all. Your research
partners can be in the room next to you or
Finding the right people to work
somewhere on campus, but also halfway
with and exchange ideas with is
across the world, in industry or government.
important, for now and for later in Nowadays, boundaries are dissappearing;
social boundaries, but also boundaries
your professional career
between disciplines. Take wind energy
as an example. A wind turbine requires knowledge of aerodynamics, control theory,
generators, network connections, materials and planning. You can re-design the rotor
from behind your computer, but to see if it works you need a wind tunnel and at a later
stage a pilot plant.
Another good reason for networking is feedback: getting feedback on your work can help
you when you get stuck, point you in new directions or confirm that you are on the right
Prologue | 14
track. Having your own contacts will also make you more easily employable once you are
finished.
To state the obvious: building your professional network is about meeting people. That
means taking out time to attend meetings, conferences and network events, as well as
social gatherings. Go to seminars or lunch lectures - even outside your discipline - and
introduce yourself to people. Of course, a Promood event is a good place to start. You
will meet fellow PhD candidates from all over campus, representing many disciplines and
coming from all over the world.
Conferences
Attending conferences, seminars and lectures is one of the perks of the job: you get to
travel and meet interesting people. Conferences are a good opportunity to keep up-todate with what is happening
Conferences are a good opportunity to keep upin your field of research, and
an excellent networking
to-date with what is happening in your field of
opportunity. Even better is
research, and an excellent networking opportunity.
to stick your neck out and
present your own work.
This takes some preparation. You will have to prepare a paper in which you outline your
research and what you are going to present at the meeting. The ‘call for papers’ will tell
you in detail what to do. Submission deadlines are normally months in advance of the
conference itself, so plan ahead.
Most conferences bundle outcomes and papers in ‘conference proceedings’, so that will
also add an item to your publication list. Most importantly, you will get direct feedback
from a professional and critical audience. Scary, but definitely worth your while.
Publishing in scientific journals
During your PhD you are expected to get articles published in scientific journals. This is
not an unneccessary distraction or a waste of good research time. Far from it. Publishing
your research has a number of advantages:
• You get to practice your academic writing skills
• You will get feedback – from peer reviewers, and if published from the reader.
• You force yourself to take stock of what you have done so far
• Your articles will form the basis for your dissertation
Don’t muddle along on your own if you get stuck: you should get advise and support
from your promotor while writing your first article(s).
15 | Prologue
How to avoid perils and pitfalls
Forewarned is forearmed. We have tried to summarize what a PhD is and isn’t about.
There are are few more tips we would like to list here, so you can avoid some of the
pitfalls.
The dangers of working alone
We must have mentioned it before, but doing a PhD is very different from any other kind
of job. Suddenly, you don’t have a boss anymore and no more clients either. This may
sound like a blessing in disguise. But if you are the kind of person who gets energy from
working in groups, teamwork and interaction with colleagues and customers, then it
can get very lonely. You might start
Getting feedback on your work can help wondering if they will miss you if
you don’t show up in the morning
you when you get stuck, point you in new or whether it matters at all what you
directions or confirm that you are on
do. STOP RIGHT THERE. Of course it
matters what you do, especially to
the right track
the person who matters most: you.
So get used to being a little lonely at times. The best remedy of course is networking.
Find people in your section, at the coffee corner, at lunch meetings, conferences and
Promood events. And if all else fails, remember this: in the end working alone a lot will
make you very independent.
Prologue | 16
Procrastinate no more
Strike while the iron is hot. This goes especially for writing. Let us introduce you to the
rule of writing little and often. Research has shown that people who write on a daily
basis – say half an hour a day – are far more productive than those who write all in one go
at the last moment. Also, writing is a craft. You can learn it by practicing. Something else
that will help you is reading. Next
time you read a research article that Research has shown that people who write
you enjoy, try to take note how it is
on a daily basis – say half an hour a day
built up.
– are far more productive than those who
write all in one go at the last moment
Having trouble with time
management? Try one of these
publications: Getting things done, by David Allen or Do it tomorrow, by Mark Forster.
Unlike some self-help books they don’t just tell you what to do, but they also go into the
psychological background of the subject. And scientific background is what we want,
right?
Mastering your PhD
Another excellent book is ‘Mastering your PhD:
Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and
Beyond’ by Patricia Gosling and Bart Noordam.
Their book covers the entire PhD process from
‘starting off on the right foot’ to ‘final thoughts at
the end of the journey’, and is full of practical advice.
It is also insightful on the subject of interpersonal
relationships, in chapters such as ‘group dynamics:
dealing with difficult colleagues’.
The book is widely acclaimed and was recently
translated into Japanese. One reviewer rightly
suggested it makes good reading for PhD
supervisors too. And the best thing: TU Delft
presents all PhD candidates with a copy. Can’t wait
that long? On the web you will find articles and
columns by the authors on the same subject matter. Also, when you are logged in to the
TU Delft network, you can read the book online at SpringerLink. SpringerLink is the fulltext database of Springer, who published the book.
17 | Prologue
1. Getting started
Finding a position
If you have now decided a PhD is right for you, how do you find a position?
In the Netherlands PhD researchers often paid employees (see box).
Finding a salaried PhD position is therefore a lot like finding a job. You can try the Dutch
Academic Career Network ‘Academic Transfer’ at www.academictransfer.com for PhD
positions in the Netherlands. At TU Delft, PhD vacancies are usually published on the
website at home.tudelft.nl/en/about-tu-delft/working-at-tu-delft. Details are given
on how to apply; usually through a letter of application and a detailed cv.
You can also try looking for vacancies on the website of the faculty/department/research
institution you wish to join. Another option is to directly contact the research group
of your choice and introduce yourself as an interested candiate. They may have spare
budget or they may also have vacant positions that have not been published yet. In fact,
it is our experience that a lot of PhD positions are not listed on the website, so taking the
initiative is advisable.
Fellowship or grant
Another option is to get funding elsewhere. You can find available fellowships and grants
Types of PhD positions
Salaried PhD positions:
You are employed at the university and
your main task is to carry out PhD research
and complete the PhD programme. You
receive a salary according to the Collective
Labour Agreement of the Dutch research
universities.
Fellowships and grants:
You are not employed at the university,
but your main objective is to attain
a doctorate. You are employed by a
research institution such as FOM, STW
and M2i , or you are a (foreign) student
Prologue | 18
with a scholarship. At TU Delft you may
hear the term ‘contract PhD candidate’
PhD next to a job:
you do you research in addition to your job
at the TU Delft (internal PhD candidate) or
a job somewhere else. You will most often
come across salaried PhD positions. In the
future this may change, as the Netherlands
are considering changing the law, so Dutch
universities can also give scholarships to
PhD candidates, rather than employ them.
via www.grantfinder.nl. Also, there may be authorities, institutions or even companies in
your country who could fund you.
To apply for a grant you usually need to come up with a draft research proposal. This
means you have a lot of say in what you will be doing, but also that you need to be
convincing that what you propose is a relevant contribution to your field of knowledge.
Next, you have to find a promotor who is willing to support your proposal.
Get in touch with your university or your alumni network for information on grants
and possible promotors. If you already know who you would like to work for, then do
the bold thing and contact him/her directly. Once you have come to an agreement, an
administrative procedure will follow.
Additional allowance
As from 1 July 2010, foreign PhD students who start, or are in the course of their PhD
research at TU Delft, can apply for an additional allowance on top of their current
scholarship. Applicants must intend to graduate at the TU Delft.
The policy is designed for those PhD students who – on a monthly basis – receive less
than €1250 in scholarship funding (inclusive any form of extra income). The additional
allowance is set at a maximum of €450.
www.phdinfo.tudelft.nl
More information
The Netherlands Universities’ Foundation for International Cooperation (or NUFFIC) has
offices in a number of countries. Find out more on their highly informative website
www.nuffic.nl.
The paperwork
What do you need to know before
you leave for the Netherlands ?
Before you leave for the Netherlands you need
to take care of a number of matters:
Authorisation for Temporary Stay
If you come from a country outside the
European Union you need an Authorisation
for Temporary Stay (MVV) in order to enter the Netherlands. TU Delft will apply to the
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) for the MVV on your behalf. The Dutch
government has a special arrangement for highly skilled migrants (KM). This enables
applications for visas to be speeded up. Even if you come from one of the countries for
which a visa for the Netherlands is not necessary (for example, Japan or the US), TU Delft
19 | Prologue
will still apply for an entry visa. This enables you to start working as soon as you arrive. In
order to apply for a visa, the following documents are needed for you, and for any family
members travelling with you:
• a copy of a valid passport
• a copy of the birth certificate together with a translation by a sworn translator, unless
the document is in Dutch, English, German or French. It may be necessary to attach an
‘apostille stamp’ (this has to be translated as well) or to legalise the document in some
other way (see box below).
•o
ptional: a copy of the marriage certificate together with a translation. Again, it may be
necessary to attach an ‘apostille stamp’ or to have the document legalised
Anyone who joins the payroll of TU Delft
as a member of the academic staff is
classified as a ‘knowledge migrant’
The Immigration and Naturalisation
Service (IND) will decide within a
month about your MVV application.
You will receive an e-mail from TU Delft
as soon as your application has been
accepted. You can then contact the Dutch embassy where you can be issued your MVV.
The Netherlands Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) has implemented a
special visa scheme for ‘knowledge migrants’, whereby certain organisations (including
TU Delft) can employ foreign staff without first having to obtain an Employment Permit.
Anyone who joins the payroll of TU Delft as a member of the academic staff is classified
as a ‘knowledge migrant’. The EURAXES website, www.euraxess.nl gives lots of practical
information on ‘The Netherlands for Researchers’, including a pre-departure section.
Do I need an apostille or legalisation?
Whether an apostille or full legalisation is
required depends on the country in which
the relevant document was issued.
Documents from these countries do not
require any form of legalisation: Austria,
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,
Macedonia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia,
Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Birth certificates, marriage certificates and
similar documents issued by a country
which is a signatory to a legalisation
Prologue | 20
treaty do not have to be ‘legalised’, but
must bear a stamp known as an ‘apostille’.
In most countries, the apostille is issued
by the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. The apostille comprises
one or more rubber stamps and two or
more signatures. It is usually an extra page
attached to the original documents.
Documents issued by countries that are
not party to the Hague Convention must
be legalised with a full Certificate of
Authentication.
What needs to be arranged once you have arrived in the Netherlands?
Meeting with HR Service
Prior to your arrival in the Netherlands, TU Delft HR Services will send you an invitation
for a meeting. There you will sign your letter of appointment and receive information
about the general conditions of employment. You will also learn about insurance matters
and your salary. HR Services will also help you to apply for your residence permit. And
of course you are welcome to ask any
questions you may have.
Application for a residence
permit
Apply for a residence permit (VVR) at
the Dutch Immigration Service (IND). HR
Services will make an appointment for
you to hand in your application to the IND.
EU nationals: register with IND
EU nationals residing in the Netherlands
for more than three months are obliged
to register with the Dutch Immigration
Service (IND). There are no sanctions on
not being registered, but there are good
reasons for doing so, plus registration
is free. Sometimes, banks, insurance
companies or phone companies will
ask for proof of lawful residence. Also, should you stay for more than five years, you are
entitled to social benefits, but only if you have been registered.
Register with the municipality.
You are required to register with the department dealing with citizen’s affairs
(‘Burgerzaken’ or GBA) in the municipal offices where you live. You will need to take your
passport and the rental agreement for your accommodation with you. Take note: in most
cities you also need to make an appointment for this.
BSN (Burgerservicenummer)
All adults in the Netherlands need to have a citizen’s service number (BSN)
burgerservicenummer. This is the personal code with which you are registered with the
government. The municipality in which you live will issue you with this number after you
21 | Prologue
have registered with them. You need
this number if, for example, you wish
to take out insurance, open a bank
account or receive your salary.
Open a bank account
To be able to receive your salary you
will need a Dutch bank account . To
open on, you need your BSN number,
letter of appointment and/or proof of income. You must also be able to produce your
passport and show that you have registered your address with the municipality.
HR Services will help you to open a bank account within the first few days after your
arrival in the Netherlands.
iDeal
Getting a credit card in the Netherlands can also take a long time. Once you have a bank
account and internet banking, you can pay your internet purchases via iDeal. iDeal is a
special online payment method for direct transfers from your bank account. It is as safe
as online banking. However, there is
You need this BSN number if you
no chargeback right. So if you return
something, you have to wait for a refund
wish to take out insurance, open a
from the merchant.
bank account or receive your salary
NB: So registering with the municipality (by appointment) in order to receive your BSN is one
of the first things you should take care of.
You have to take care of two more things when first coming to Delft: finding a place to
live and arranging for health insurance. Health and home: two important subjects that
merit a chapter of their own.
In the past, the TU Delft International Office
has won awards for its excellent reception of
international bachelor and master students. Now,
the International Office is going to extend its services
from international students to all internationals
coming to Delft, including PhD candidates, other
international staff, and guests. This will make
coming to Delft a one stop shop. You will get help
Prologue | 22
with visa, housing, information on life in Delft,
plus a warm welcome. A new website and a social
media environment should give you access to all the
information you need when preparing for you arrival,
and once in the Netherlands. Find out more from
1 November 2012 on www.international.
tudelft.nl (until then www.
internationalstaff.tudelft.nl)
2. Health and home
Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes, goes a
popular saying. And until you have found it, you won’t have truly found your
feet in the Netherlands, we would like to add. The importance of health care
needs no clarification. So how to take care of these basic necessities in the
Netherlands?
Healthcare
Another thing you must deal with shortly after you arrive is health insurance. By law,
all Dutch residents must hold Dutch health insurance. If your are employed in the
Netherlands, you must be insured from the day your employment starts. If you are not
employed by TU Delft you must be insured from the moment your residence permit is
valid. You have four months to comply, but premiums will still be payable from the day
you started working/received the residence permit. If you are still uninsured after four
months, you can get fined.
There is an exception: PhD candidates not employed by TU Delft and under the age of
30 do not have to take out Dutch public health insurance. In that case there are cheaper
options., e.g. a student policy or an insurance policy from your home country that covers
your stay in the Netherlands.
NB: as soon as you enter into employment, even a part-time job, you will still need to take out
a Dutch public health insurance policy.
Health Insurance
Public health insurance policy
You can take out a policy with various private
insurers for the compulsory basic health
insurance package (basisverzekering). As the
cover of the basic package is the same no
matter the insurer, it makes sense to go for
the cheapest option. TU Delft has a collective
agreement with two insurance companies –
Zilveren Kruis Achmea and Ohra. You get your
‘basisverzekering’ at a discounted rate, and
23 | Prologue
you can also get an additional policy (‘aanvullende verzekering’) for more comprehensive
cover and/or dental insurance. At Ohra, you can also get other policies, e.g. car insurance,
and you get an additional discount for taking out more than one policy (graduated
discount). If you get insurance with either of these companies, you can contact the TU
Delft representative in case of problems.
The insurance package
The basic health insurance package covers care by
The basic health insurance
general practitioners and specialists, hospital care
package covers care by general
and medicines. For some services, cost sharing
applies, and you will be required to pay for part of the practitioners and specialists,
treatment. Another out-of-pocket expense you have
hospital care and medicines
to take into account is the policy’s excess: the amount
you have to pay yourself before costs are covered. This is known as ‘eigen risico’ or own
risk. Some costs are always covered though, such as visits to your general practitioner
so people don’t put off going to a doctor just to save money. Every year the basic health
insurance package is reviewed, so from one year to the next, premiums will go up and
certain medicines and/or treatments may no longer be covered. It was thought that
having private insurers deal with public care would bring prices down due to market
forces, but so far this has not happened. Generally, the ageing Dutch society is held to
blame.
Healthcare allowance
You pay a monthly premium to your health insurance provider, for yourself and for any
family member who is registered. To keep health insurance affordable for everyone, there
is an income-dependent healhtcare allowance to cover part of the premium. If you earn
less than a specific amount, you are entitled to this healthcare allowance (‘zorgtoeslag’).
Applications for the healthcare allowance
must be made through the tax authority
(Belastingdienst). However, you are only entitled
to a ‘zorgtoeslag’ if you have taken out a Dutch
public health insurance policy. Also, if your
financial situation changes – for example if your
partner finds a job – you will have to repay the
excess amount you received.
Advice on insurance
TU Delft has an agreement with independent
insurance consultants (SUC)SEZ B.V. You can
Prologue | 24
consult them for insurance-related advice and information, even if you are not insured
through TU Delft. The insurance advisor at (SUC)SEZ will be available to answer your
questions every Friday morning from 9.00-12.00 (by appointment) at CEG Building 23,
Room 5.95. You may submit your questions by telephone or e-mail.
Information about consultations and appointments:
Telephone: 0182 - 30 44 88 or 06 – 150 153 98
E-mail: [email protected]
www.sucsez.nl
Healthcare in practice
Your access to the health care system in the Netherlands is your general practitioner, i.e.
your family doctor or ‘huisarts’. Your GP will also be kept informed of medical (hospital)
treatment you receive, so s/he plays a central role in your medical care.
The best thing to do is to register with a GP in your neighbourhood. Most GPs work by
appointment, though some have walk-in hours (‘inloopspreekuur’), occasionally even
after office hours. You can phone for an
To see a specialist you need a referral
appointment in the morning, usually
between 8.00-10.00. Be prepared to keep
from your GP, otherwise the hospital
trying or to hold the line, as you won’t be
won’t make an appointment and/or the
the only one phoning.
To see a specialist you need a referral from insurance won’t pay the bill
your GP, otherwise the hospital won’t make
an appointment and/or the insurance won’t pay the bill. Sometimes, minor procedures
will be carried out at the practice, e.g. mole removal. The main hospital in Delft is the
25 | Prologue
Reinier de Graaf hospital. If you visit
the hospital, remember to take your
insurance card and identification
with you, your passport or residence
permit.
NB: some GPs seem to act as
gatekeepers rather than portals to
health care. If you feel you are not being
taken seriously or are worried you are
not getting the right treatment, be
insistent. Let your doctor explain his or
her medical decisions and if you are still not convinced, make another appointment or insist
on a referral. Don’t be intimidated; Dutch GPs are quite used to outspoken patients. Moreover,
you are the patient and have to indicate the seriousness of your symptoms.
One thing you will not easily get though, is a prescription for antibiotics. Dutch doctors are
justifiably careful about prescribing these.
Finding a GP
You can simply find a GP through the yellow pages; phone and you instantly find out if
they speak English. Another option is to ask around for other people’s experiences.
• The medical centre Delft (SGZ) offers GP and other care, part of their website is in
English. One of their locations is on the TU Delft campus.
www.sgz.nl/in-english/medical-centre-delft
• This GP in Delft has a welcoming website in English:
www.samsomhuisarts.com/en
Emergency care
The free phone number 112 will get you in touch with the control room for the
emergency services. State you need the ambulance services and you will be put
through to a nurse-dispatcher from the Emergency Medical Services who will give you
instructions and decide on the type of response that best fits your situation. On board
every ambulance is a Registered Ambulance Nurse: a qualified nurse with additional
training. The official maximum response time for the ambulance services is fifteen
minutes. A mobile medical team – car or motorbike – may be first on the scene.
After hours GP Services
After practice hours, GP services are taken over by local or regional GP night services
(‘doktersnachtdienst’). For Delft this is the Delft GP Centre. You can contact them for
Prologue | 26
medical problems that cannot wait until your own GP’s surgery is open.
The Delft GP Centre is located next to the hospital at the Reinier de Graafweg 3a, 2625 AD
Delft. Tel: (015) 251 19 30
www.huisartsenpostdelft.nl
Hospital: accident and emergency room (A&E)
For emergency medical care you can also visit the A&E department at the nearest
hospital. In most hospitals, Delft among them, you are supposed to register with the GP
Centre first, unless of course you are in a clear emergency. So don’t be surprised if the
hospital receptionist refers you to an adjoining GP centre for assessment.
In general, Dutch ambulance, accident & emergency, and hospital and specialist services
are of a very high standard. It is just that the way to get access to them – usually through
a GP – can seem a bit circuitous. However, the aim of this is to keep health care accessible,
affordable and efficient by deterring potential abuse of the system. Think of people
visiting the emergency room on Sundays with an ingrown toenail or trying to use the
ambulance service as a taxi service when drunk. It does happen.
Finding a dentist
Dentists are in short supply in the Netherlands. If you wait until you have a dental
emergency, you will be hard-pressed to find a dentist who can see you on short notice.
Therefore, it is advisable to register with a dental practice. On the website
www.tandarts.nl you can find dentists in your area that take on new patients.
Under the Dutch basic health
If you wait until you have a dental
insurance policy, you are
insured for the costs of dentistry
emergency, you will be hard-pressed to find
for your children up to the age
a dentist who can see you on short notice.
of 18. For adults, only dental
surgery is covered. You can take out additional insurance for regular dental care, or pay
as you go. Your dentist – once you have found one – can advise you on this. If your teeth
are fairly healthy an additional policy is often not necessary. Also, every policy has its own
admission criteria, e.g. you cannot claim for the first six months, so read the small print.
Pharmacies and (self) medication
Prescriptions have to be collected from a pharmacy. It makes life easier if you register
with a pharmacy close to your home. They can then send the bill for prescription drugs
directly to your Dutch health care provider, and sometimes they deliver at home too.
Not all medicines are covered by your insurance, and medication that you buy over
the counter hardly ever is. Sometimes you will get a repeat prescription from your GP
27 | Prologue
(‘herhaalrecept’), meaning you can get the same medication several times from the
pharmacy, without another visit to the doctor. How to exchange a repeat prescription
varies depending on the pharmacy, e.g. through a form on their website or by handing it
in.
Still, for the average cold or headache, buying over the counter is often easiest. Your
pharmacist can give professional advice on a lot of common ailments and their remedies.
If you already know what you need, you should try the discount chemist’s: chain stores
such as Kruidvat can be found
Not all medicines are covered by your
on every high-street. Also, most
insurance, and medication that you buy supermarket service counters sell
painkillers and cough drops etc. Try
over the counter hardly ever is
asking for the store’s own brand.
A packet of 50 paracetamol should cost you around one euro, while the brand name
equivalent – with a bit of caffeine thrown in – will set you back six or seven times that.
Your health and TU Delft
Naturally, TU Delft wants all its students and employees to be healthy and happy, so there
are a lot of rules and regulations in place to ensure your health and safety are not at risk
on campus. And what to do if you do have a health issue?
Emergency aid: In-house Emergency Response or BHV
When a medical emergency arises on campus, you best call the In-house Emergency
Response service (‘Bedrijfshulpverlening / BHV’).
If you dial 112 on a TU Delft landline – so without dialing zero for the outside line – you
are put through to the TU Delft’s Emergency Centre who will dispatch an In-house
Emergency Response team and call the emergency services if necessary.
From your mobile phone you dial 015-2781226.
The BHV teams are trained in first aid, including the use of the AED (Automated External
Defibrillator) equipment. They are also the right people to liaise with the emergency
services as they know all the relevant protocols and approach routes etc. In fact, the TU
Delft BHV and the regional emergency services regularly meet and train together.
Company doctor
TU Delft employs two company doctors who deal with – mental or physical - health
problems. You can make an appointment for a preventative consultation if you have a
beginning work-related health problem. You can also consult the company doctor with
problems such as stress, personal issues and conflicts at work. Additionally, the company
Prologue | 28
doctor coaches employees who are on sick leave to prepare them for their return to work
and to prevent relapse or even lasting disability.
The company doctor can refer you to other (medical) experts at TU Delft:
• Physiotherapist
• Psychologist
• Health, safety and environment advisor
• Company social worker
The company doctor can be contacted at:
[email protected]
015-2783624
or in person at the service desk:
Room 5.08,
5th floor of the CEG building, Stevinweg 1.
Housing
Housing in the Netherlands is expensive. In such a densely populated country, building
ground is at a premium. Delft is located in the even busier Randstad conurbation and
with over 15,000 students accommodation is scarce. Buying – a potential investment
if you are planning on staying in the Netherlands – is getting harder, as banks are
squeamish about mortgages. An affordable place to live can be hard to come by.
29 | Prologue
So what are your options?
Right at the beginning of the Academic year, in September, is peak season for house
hunting, because of all the new students. If your arrive at any other time of year it is
probably a little easier. You could also try looking in the areas surrounding Delft, such
as Zoetermeer if you don’t mind the sleepy atmosphere, or The Hague if you prefer the
bright city lights.
Short Stay Housing from DUWO
When you first arrive, TU Delft can help arrange housing for you. This is done through
DUWO, a large student
housing organisation
in Delft. DUWO offers
temporary accommodation
to international students
and employees. As a PhD
candidate you can rent a
short stay room or apartment
for a period of 4 months
up to a year. All short stay
accommodation includes bed
linen and kitchen utensils.
Most rooms are equipped
with an internet connection
and (shared) washing
machines, and are close to the
campus.
Rents range from € 450,- to € 700,- per month, and accommodation can vary from private
units to units with shared facilities. Rents include gas, water, electricity, an internet
connection and municipal taxes.
As a PhD candidate you can rent a
After your arrive in the Netherlands,
short stay room or apartment for a DUWO will charge you the first and last
two months’ rent in advance, a deposit
period of 4 months up to a year
and an administration/contract fee. On
top of that, TU Delft will charge a handling fee. However, the short stay monthly rent
includes a lot of costs that you still have to factor in if you rent independent housing. So
don’t expect to find housing that is a lot cheaper than this.
You have to apply for short stay housing through the secretary of the department you will
be working with. For more information and the procedure, check the TU Delft website:
Employee portal / targeted info / international staff / housing.
Prologue | 30
Safe option
Many PhD candidates coming to Delft do make use of the Short Stay housing, especially
non-EU residents. The fact is, that you need an official address on a rental contract to be
able to open a bank account and register with the municipality. So you have to solve the
housing question before you come to Delft. Moreover, this is also a safe option; arranging
accommodation from strangers via the internet carries a lot of risk. An alternative is to
contact your future colleagues and ask
Moreover, this is also a safe option;
if they know of any accommodation
available. Many people who are willing arranging accommodation from strangers
to rent out rooms or apartments would
via the internet carries a lot of risk.
prefer to do so through people they
know, and a TU Delft PhD candidate counts as a reliable tenant.
At least the short stay option will give you time to find something else, that is – if not
cheaper – maybe more to your liking. Also, once you are here, you are likely to find people
to share an apartment with.
Renting from an estate agent
Another alternative is renting through an estate agent or rental agency, who can
have furnished, partly furnished or unfurnished homes for rent. Be sure to ask about
appliances, lighting fixtures and utility costs to get a complete picture of costs. Also,
contract and deposit charges, and mediation fees (one month’s rent plus vat) usually
apply. Though not cheap, estate agents do often have nice houses on offer. Also, estate
agents are companies with a reputation to keep up, so they will treat you as a customer
and offer service.
Try these sites with information in English:
• www.bjornd.nl
• www.rotsvast.nl/en/Home
• www.earfra.nl/woningaanbod
• www.homelets.nl
or you can go to Oude Delft Makelaardij at Oude Delft 219, www.oudedelft.com
Student housing
Housing corporation DUWO is the main
source of student housing in the Delft area.
However, as a PhD candidate your legal status
is that of an employee, not a student. This
means there are currently legal obstacles for
DUWO to offer you student housing, though
this may change. DUWO also mediates between private landlords and renters, so you
could try and visit their offices to see what is available.
Duwo
Kanaalweg 4
2628 EB Delft
tel. 015-2192200
www.duwo.nl
Other websites that mediate between students and landlords are:
www.kamernet.nl
www.roombase.nl (shows rooms in Delft with dates of ‘instemming’)
www.stunda.nl
On these sites you can often leave ‘accommodation wanted’ ads as well.
What is an ‘instemming’?
An ‘instemming’ is a meeting organised by a student house in order to find a new housemate. The inhabitants invite several house-hunters and choose a new house-mate for an
available room. At an ‘instemming’ you chat about any kind of thing: who you are, why
you came to Delft, which sports do you do, etc. Then the inhabitants vote on who would
best fit in. It can be frustrating, as sometimes tens of candidates are invited for a single
room. The process works both ways though,
because you get a good impression of your
potential house-mates and the atmosphere.
Going private
Rental agencies often mediate for private
owners, but some landlords prefer to cut
out the middle man and advertise their
own properties for let or sub-let. And you
can do the same and place a home seeker’s
advertisement. However, renting directly
from the owner means there is no mediator
in case of a disagreement. You should
certainly not try it if you are unable to go
and view the accommodation in person.
Also, without wanting to tar every private
landlord with the same brush, there are
stories of people not getting back their
deposits, etc.
Prologue | 32
Favourite media for private rental advertisments are the free door-to-door publications
Delftse Post (tel.: 015-2126700) and Delft op Zondag (tel.: 015-2143912). You can
read current and back numbers on their websites as PDF, and you can post your
advertisements online. But again, it is all in Dutch.
Renting from a housing corporation
A lot of affordable accommodation is owned and rented out by housing corporations.
Below a certain rent this is called social housing (‘sociale huurwoning’) and above that
limit free establishment (‘vrije vestiging’). A house, in Dutch terms, can be anything from
a studio apartment to a villa.
The various housing corporations in the Haaglanden area jointly offer housing for rent
through the website of Woonnet Haaglanden, www.woonnet-haaglanden.nl. A new
selection of accomodation for rent is posted on the website every week. You can apply
for up to two houses per week. Different conditions apply to every house, such as a
maximum or minimum wage limit, number of occupants and their ages. Your chances of
getting a house depend, among others things, on how long you have been registered as
a home-seeker with Woonnet. Currently, the waiting time is some three to four years, so
this is only attractive if you are planning on staying in the Netherlands.
As it is all in Dutch, you will
probably need someone to
Your chances of getting a house depend among
help you with your application.
others on how long you have been registered as
On the website you also
a home-seeker with Woonnet
find a number of quick rent
properties (‘direct te huur’).
For certain smaller properties you can even take part in a lottery (‘spoedzoekertje’), but
these are sometimes in the less desirable areas.
On the upside, after an initial registration fee for a housing card (‘woonpas’, currently 10
euro, valid for six months) applying is free. Also, once you rent from a corporation you are
33 | Prologue
fairly well protected, the houses are generally well-maintained and you are entitled to
(low cost) repairs.
Squat or anti-squat
Squatting was made illegal in the Netherlands in 2012, and since then hundreds of
squatters have been evicted by police. Still, a lot of property owners prefer to have their
vacant buildings protected from vandalism and potential squatting. They let them out
on a temporary basis, usually in the run-up to redevelopment or renovation. This is
called anti-squat or ‘antikraak’. Anti-squat accommodation is very cheap, and sometimes
you get whole office buildings or commercial premises to yourself. However, you have
to be ready to move out on short notice. Several property investment companies have
specialised in anti-squat, such as Interveste, Alvast and Camelot. Try searching the web
for ‘antikraak’, as most information will be in Dutch.
Moving house - refund
If you are employed by the TU Delft and live more than 75 km away from Delft, then you
are entitled to a removal expenses refund, provided you move within two years. So if you
are considering moving to Delft (or the area) then it might well be advantageous to do
this after you have started on your doctoral study. You need an invoice from a recognised
home removal firm, and you have to submit this within three months after moving.
NB For moving house you are entitled to a maximum of two extra days of leave (once a year).
Housing insurance
Delft is generally a very safe place. You can walk around town in the middle of the night
and you can safely ride a bicycle in rush hour traffic. Yet, break-ins are an all too regular
occurrence, and student housing especially seems to be a favourite target for thieves.
Apart from doing the
obvious – closing
doors and windows
when you’re out and
not leaving valuables
on display – we advise
you to take on a
fire and theft policy
(‘inboedelverzekering’).
For around ten euros
a month, you can
save yourself a lot of
potential headaches.
Prologue | 34
3. The PhD process
The PhD process at TU Delft is monitored and guided from start to finish
by the TU Delft Graduate School or UGS. In this section you will read about
the PhD Agreement and go/no-go moment, supervision and support,
mentorship, teaching duties, etc. You’ll also find out more about the official
promotion ceremony, where your degree will be conferred after you have
successfully defended your thesis.
The Graduate School
Background: setting up the graduate school
Between 1904 and 2011 TU Delft conferred over 6.000 doctoral titles without the
formal structure of a Graduate School. Impressive figures, but there is always room for
improvement. TU Delft wanted to up the quality of the Doctoral Education, so PhDs
will leave Delft with a degree that truly prepares them for their future career. And by
improving the monitoring and coaching process more candidates should be able to
complete their doctorate within the
TU Delft wanted to up the quality of the four-year timeframe.
There was another reason as
Doctoral Education, so PhDs will leave
well. Since 2003, The Netherlands
Delft with a degree that truly prepares
participates in the Bologna process
that aims to make higher education
them for their future career
more compatible and comparable
throughout Europe. The Doctoral degree had to be included as a distinct part of
academic education.
The TU Delft Graduate School started in 2011 with three faculties; since 1 January 2012
all eight faculties take part. The Graduate School now organizes and manages all doctoral
education at TU Delft. The first few years are a transitional phase, however. Only new PhD
candidates fall within the framework of the Graduate School.
A degree of real value
TU Delft strives for excellence, and so does the TU Delft Graduate School, or UGS. The
UGS wants all PhD candidates to become highly-developed talents and professional
researchers, with a doctoral degree that is of real value to their careers. That means
35 | Prologue
TUDelft Graduate School and Faculty Graduate School
The TU Delft Graduate School (UGS) is
the umbrella organisation for the Faculty
Graduate Schools. When you arrive, you
will register and have an intake interview
at the UGS. The DUS also arranges part of
the Doctoral Education Programme: the
part dealing with transferable skills, such
as presentation or personal effectiveness
workshops.
The Faculty Graduate Schools handle
the day-to-day business, so your Faculty
Graduate School is your first point of
contact.
Website
Most information on the Graduate School
can be found on the general USG website:
www.graduateschool.tudelft.nl
From there you can also link to the websites
of the faculty graduate schools.
offering all the support and coaching you need to safely navigate the PhD process and
avoid the potential icebergs. It also means creating an environment where you can make
the most of your time at TU Delft. Where you can learn from your peers and from top
scientists and educators, and where you can take part in high-impact research projects.
That’s the theory. But what does that mean in practice? The UGS has two main tasks:
• Monitoring the PhD process: keeping track of your progress, both in your research/
dissertation and in your personal development, so including the Doctoral Education.
This is called the PhD development cycle.
• Providing a programme of Doctoral Education, or DE, leading to a Doctoral Education
certificate (in addition to your doctoral degree).
Monitoring and support
Monitoring and support during your PhD comes in two shapes: human and digital. Your
supervisory team – your promotor, a daily supervisor and a mentor – are there to coach,
supervise and assist you.
The PhD development cycle is your guide through the various milestones of the PhD
process. It marks important steps during the four years of your PhD, leading up to your
doctoral defense ceremony. To help you stay on track, you monitor your progress in the
Doctoral Monitoring Application (DMA).
Your supervisory team
Your promotor – a full professor – is your official supervisor. In agreement with you s/he
Prologue | 36
will appoint the other members of your supervisory team. They will usually all work in the
department or institution where your carry out your research. Next to your promotor you
will have a daily supervisor. This is usually an assistant or associate professor within the
department. Your promotor and daily supervisor should be the ones to go to if you have
any questions related to your subject or the PhD process.
The role of your mentor is to act as a sounding board and an independent advisor. You
go to your mentor when you are left with a problem that your promotor/supervisor can’t
seem to solve. Your mentor can mediate or introduce you to other people within the
organisation who might be able to help (see also ‘other support’ further in in this chapter).
It is also possible to involve co-supervisors or copromotors from other (international) institutions.
Tip: for day-to-day practical
This is often done when your research project
problems, try your department’s
involves not just your department, but another
secretary!
research institution or university, or a company.
More and more, projects cross the boundaries of
traditional disciplines. So the person who is best able to judge your work may not be the
full professor at your department, but someone outside the department.
Doctoral Monitoring Application or DMA
As befits a Technological University, the monitoring process is digitalized. The Doctoral
Monitoring Application or DMA is the system used for monitoring and assessing your
progress through the PhD development cycle1. A lot of the information you will enter
yourself, such as the courses you want to follow and the arrangements you have made
with your supervisory team about how often you are going to have progress meetings.
Your daily supervisor and promotor will then endorse those arrangements in the DMA.
Steps in the PhD Development cycle
Intake interview
Shortly after arriving in Delft, you will get an invitation for a formal intake interview at the
UGS. During this interview your data will be entered in the DMA. Also, your credentials
will be checked, so make sure to bring those along. You should also get information
about the doctoral programme and procedures, and a short instruction on how the DMA
works. After your interview, the Board for Doctorates has to approve your application
formally.
PhD agreement (3 months)
The next step is your PhD agreement. In this document you lay down the research and
1
S ee also: Student Manual: PhD Development Cycle & Doctoral
Monitoring Application.
37 | Prologue
This self-scan will give you an idea of
what your strengths and weaknesses
are, so which workshops or courses
might best aid your personal development
publications you plan to do and you
enter a (provisional) name for your
research project. But that is not all.
You also list the arrangements you
have made with your supervisory
team about support and supervision,
what other tasks you will perform in
addition to your research, and anything else you have agreed upon. So these are things
you will have to discuss with your supervisors during your first few meetings. In the
PhD agreement you also set down a plan for your Doctoral Education. The best thing to
do is first take the PhD development scan. This self-scan will give you an idea of what
your strengths and weaknesses are, so which workshops or courses might best aid your
personal development.
Every year, you should discuss the contents of your PhD agreement and see if it needs to
be updated. After all, nothing is harder to predict than the future.
Progress meeting (6 months)
You should have meetings with at least your daily supervisor on a regular basis, but
this is up to you. We strongly advise you to have a progress meeting with your whole
supervisory team after around six months. If by any chance they think you are not on
track – i.e. they think you are heading for a NoGo – now is the time to discuss what you
can still do to turn the situation around.
Prologue | 38
Go/NoGo review (9-12 months)
Towards the end of your first year a formal decision is
It is based on your progress
made: the Go/NoGo review. It is based on your progress
and performance and your
and performance, and your promotor has the final
promotor has the final say
say. If S/he thinks you will not be able to obtain a PhD
within four years, the decision will be NoGo, meaning
your candidacy is terminated. These meetings can vary per Faculty Graduate School. At
some faculties you may have to present your research for a panel of scientists or for your
department. At others you will just have a meeting with your supervisory team.
Yearly progress meetings
After your first year, you should have yearly progress meetings with your supervisory
team. During this meeting you can talk about the progress of your research and your
results of the past year, make arrangements for the coming year, and discuss how you are
coming along with the Doctoral Education programme.
Doctoral Education programme
Your first aim in doing a doctorate is probably to become a first-class independent
researcher. TU Delft also wants to prepare you for your future career, inside or outside
Academe. In fact, after a PhD most people pursue a career in industry. In addition to
doing your research and writing scholarly articles and a dissertation, you will also take
part in the Doctoral Education programme (DE). After completion you receive a separate
skills certificate.
The programme differentiates between three types of skills. In all three you should obtain
a minimum of 15 Graduate School credits. You monitor your progress in the DMA.
39 | Prologue
• Discipline-related skills
Discipline-related skills relate to your specific discipline. They should help you add to
the quality of your doctoral research. As they depend on your field of research, they are
organized by the Faculty Graduate Schools.
• Research skills
Some of these skills you can learn on the job: for example doing a poster presentation,
writing your first journal article or supervising an MSc student. For all these activities
you can get GS credits. This doesn’t mean that simply doing them is enough. Your
supervisor should help you with these assignments, so that it becomes an actual
learning process, not just a matter of ticking the box. You can also follow courses; these
are organized by your faculty Graduate School.
• Transferable skills are general skills
You can carry them over from one kind of job to another, hence transferable. They will
help you improve yourself on a personal level and will make you a better professional in
any career path. Transferable skills cover subjects like self-management, communication
and cooperation skills. Two courses are mandatory : the PhD Start-Up (3 credits) and
a at least one Career Development workshop (1 credit). Otherwise, you are free to
choose your own subjects, depending on your personal needs or interests. Subjects can
range from a presentation course
to a course in Dutch for foreigners.
This introduction programme aims to
The transferable skills courses are
equip you with all the information and
organized by the UGS.
skills needed to master your PhD
• PhD Start Up
One of the mandatory courses of your Doctoral Education is the PhD Start Up. This
introduction programme aims to equip you with all the information and skills needed
Prologue | 40
to master your PhD, from how to deal with setbacks to how to manage your supervisor.
Not only that, but it also gives you an early shot at building up your social network, as
you will be doing the programme with other new PhD candidates from all over the TU
Delft. According to those who went before you, meeting people in the same situation is
in fact the best part of the course. It is held several times a year, so try and enroll for the
earliest possible date after your arrival.
Other support
Personal issues, doubts, or illness; there can be things you would rather not discuss
with your supervisor. Or s/he might simply not be the right person to advise you on a
particular subject. In those cases, there are others in place to help you.
Psychologists
The Graduate School employs a career counselor and a team of psychologists who
specialise in student and career support. They are available to all PhD candidates, for
support and help with solving all kind of personal issues. More information and contact
details at www.psychologen.tudelft.nl
Complaints desk and ombudsman
If you are unable to resolve an issue with a particular member of staff, you can consider
lodging a complaint at the Central Complaints Deks for students. They will try and solve
the problem through mediation. The Central Complaints Desk can also refer cases to
the ombudsman for students. He acts as an independent intermediary between the
complainant and the subject of the complaint. He can also issue recommendations to the
Executive Board or the dean of the faculty. The ombudsman is also the person to contact
if you are unhappy about the way the complaints desk has dealt with your complaint.
The Central Complaints Desk does not handle complaints involving harassment,
discrimination or intimidation. If your complaint concerns such an issue, one of the
confidential advisors (‘vertrouwenspersoon’) can offer you help, advice or support. Every
faculty has a confidential advisor, but they also work cross-faculty, so you can contact any
of them.
Central Complaints Desk
Jaffalaan 9A (Mekelweg entrance)
2628 BX, Delft
e-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 015 – 27 88004
Ombudsman for students
Mr E. P. M. Moors
Jaffalaan 9A (Mekelweg entrance)
2628 BX Delft
e-mail: [email protected].
tel. 015 – 27 88004
41 | Prologue
Research
Research at TU Delft is organised along various
lines: by department/faculty, theme, research
institutes and research schools. Your department
and/or faculty will probably be the starting point
for your research activities. But multidisciplinary
research is on the rise, so you are likely to come
across research platforms and institutions,
especially if your supervisor or your faculty are
connected to one. Research is constantly in
motion – that is as it should be. And so are the
institutions surrounding it. Latest trend in Delft is
that initiatives and platforms are on the rise, and
traditional institutes seem to be somewhat on the
decline.
Delft Research-based Initiatives (DRI)
TU Delft wants to pay extra attention to developing solutions in the domains of
health, energy, environment, and infrastructures & mobility. The reason is that TU
Delft considers these to be among today’s major social issues. The research-based
initiatives are university wide platforms of
TU Delft wants to pay extra attention
scientists involved in research relating to
these themes. They are therefore virtual
to developing solutions in the domains
organisations. Being virtual, you can find
of health, energy, environment, and
out more about them on the TU Delft
website under ‘research’.
infrastructures & mobility
Institutes
Since the late 1980s, research at Dutch universities has been increasingly organised in
research institutes or ‘onderzoeksinstituten’. Most Dutch universities, including TU Delft,
harbour tens of such institutes, some larger than others. A number of these are accredited
by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) (NWO) or the Royal Netherlands
Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
A well-known Delft example is the Reactor Institute Delft (RID), part of the Applied
Sciences Faculty. Then there is the Research Institute for the Built Environment (OTB),
part of the Architecture Faculty. And the Research Centre for Telecommunicationstransmission and Radar (IRCTR) comes under the Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and
Computer Science faculty.
Prologue | 42
There are numerous others; a list can be found on the website:
About TU Delft / organisation/ research institutes
New kids
Recently, TU Delft founded new institutes in the fields of Transport, Process Technology,
and Climate. These are meant as joint portals for education and platforms for research
within those fields.
Join one?
Joining a research institute has definite advantages. Through these institues, you get
to meet PhD candidates from across the country. If your promotor or department takes
part in a research institute, you will join automatically. But if this is not the case, try to
find out if there is an institute in your line of research anyway, and ask you supervisor for
permission to join it.
Research Schools
As the name suggests, research schools
If you are doing your PhD through
combine research with education and
a research school, you will receive
training. They aim to provide PhD and
post-doctoral candidates with first-class
a special diploma on graduating.
research and education. A number of
universities cooperate within each research school. Accreditation by the Research School
Accreditation Committee (ECOS) of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
(KNAW) is seen as a mark of their quality. TU Delft is the lead institution for a number of
such KNAW-accredited research schools and participates in a lot of others.
Research schools often organise events, such as courses or conferences, you might want
to attend. Apart from being interesting occasions, participation can sometimes also give
you credits that count towards your Doctoral Education. Also, if you are doing your PhD
through a research school, you will receive a special diploma on graduating.
Some examples:
SIKS: the School for Information and Knowledge
Systems. Started in 1996 and accredited by the Royal
Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Within
the SIKS network institute over 450 research fellows
and PhD candidates from 11 different universities
collaborate.
NIG: the Netherlands Institute of Government
43 | Prologue
Faculties from nine Dutch universities
participate in NIG. NIG coordinates
and stimulates research in the
area of Public Administration
and Political Science and offers a
training program for PhD candidates.
Casimir: Casimir Research School
is a joint graduate school between
Leiden University and TU Delft. The research focuses on
themes in physics which interact strongly with developments
and skills in other disciplines (interdisciplinary physics).
A complete list with research schools and links to their respective websites can be found
on: tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/organisatie/onderzoeksscholen
For more information on the organisation of science in the Netherlands, visit
www.dutchscience.info.
Summer Schools
Another way of widening you knowledge and your network, and picking up credits in
the process, is taking part in university summer schools. A good way to find out what is
on, is www.summerschoolsineurope.eu, but
In various countries grants are
this is by no means the complete picture. For
available for short or long-term
summer schools at Dutch universities, you can
also check the individual websites. You should
working visits to that country
check the website of the University of Utrecht
first: Utrecht organizes the largest summer school programme in Europe, and Utrecht is
within commuting distance.
Prologue | 44
Financial resources
Education costs. And so does taking part
in conferences and summer schools. Your
department should have a budget for
your personal development, including
representing the TU Delft at (international)
scientific events. However, this may not
be enough to cover your specific wishes.
Maybe you want to pay a working visit
of several months to another university, or take part in a long – or expensive – summer
school abroad. Or you have come up with a brilliant research project that falls outside the
scope of your actual PhD. In all these cases you can look for other financial resources. For
example, in various countries grants are available for short or long-term working visits to
that country.
Euraxess describes a number of schemes on their website: www.euraxess.nl/
fellowships-grants/post-graduate. So does, Nuffic, the Netherlands organisation
for international cooperation in higher education. Nuffic also has a link to the useful
‘grantfinder’ on its website that includes research and education grants for PhD
candidates. Or go directly to www.grantfinder.nl
Ethics
Showing consideration for others and
for other people’s values and respect for
other people’s property: these are things
we usually do automatically. It also goes
without saying that we promote the
interests of TU Delft in our work and handle
public funds responsibly.
However, situations can always arise which
are not clear-cut. Especially in current
day society, in which the dividing lines
between the professional and the private
and work and home are fading more and
more, and we are increasingly confronted
with complex issues and difficult questions
in our work.
Scientists can, for example, be faced with
dilemmas regarding research financed by
commercial funding or whether or not to
accept additional positions. In such cases,
it can be useful to take a look at what
the guidelines say. The university has set
these down in a “TU Delft Code of Ethics”.
This Code of Ethics formulates the ideals,
responsibilities and rights that should be
taken as guidelines for everyone who is
part of TU Delft. The code of ethics is also
an umbrella for other codes that impose
stricter rules, such as on sexual harassment,
scientific integrity, or whistleblowing.
The last section of the Code of Ethics lists
these other codes of conduct, such as the
national Code of Conduct for Scientific
Practice. You can download the TU Delft
Code of Ethics from the employee portal of
the TU Delft website.
45 | Prologue
Interview
Stella van der Meulen – Project leader of the Delft Graduate School
With the Graduate School we aim to increase the PhD success rate and to make
the PhD process transparent. That also fits within the framework of the Bologna
declaration to which the Netherlands is a party. It stipulates that PhD work must
form an explicit phase of higher education. Graduate schools are now emerging
in Europe; elsewhere they are commonplace. Moreover, modern young people
expect us to have arranged the PhD process well.
The most important thing from my point of view is that the introduction
of the Graduate School is about quality improvement across the board. We
want to give PhD candidates a degree that’s worth more on the employment
market. You will follow an educational programme in which you will develop
various skills. Skills relating to your specific research area, academic skills and
in addition, general skills that you can use in your further career if you end
up working outside academia, as most of you will. It is a broad package of
subjects that can range from statistic analysis to presentation techniques. You
can choose for yourself which
subjects to include as individual
needs naturally differ greatly.
Part of the programme can
consist of on the job learning,
for example attending a
conference or teaching. Your
supervisor should help you
in your learning process and
explain to you why these
activities are important.
We also want to use this
graduate education to
stimulate you to look beyond
the confines of your faculty,
right from the start of your PhD.
We don’t go in for traditional
classes or fixed intake times.
Our ambition is to distinguish
Prologue | 46
Delft Graduate School by offering customisation. For instance, you compile
your own doctoral education programme. The University aims to create
independent scientists and each individual’s path to that end is different. Some
Phd candidates need to learn discipline, others to refrain from putting their
professor on a pedestal. Those are aspects the Graduate School wants to take
into account in the educational programmes we
Modern young people
offer and in the supervision.
‘My PhD student is a high potential in whom I like
us to have arranged
to invest time, attention and educational support’.
PhD process well
That is what we would like to be a supervisor’s
mind-set. If someone has to wait a month for a
reaction to a first article, then that can give rise to frustration and subsequently
to a decline in quality. There are differences in the approach of supervisors;
some PhD supervisors focus with great intensity on their PhD candidates,
others less so. That is understandable when you look at their own past
experiences. Some of them, when still being a student, used to have a brilliant
PhD supervisor who scheduled a half-yearly meeting from which they emerged
full of inspiration. But they received no further supervision or feedback. That
is now their frame of reference. We want to establish a promotion culture that
brings out the best in both PhD candidates and supervisors.
Taking a PhD is in any event an individual voyage of discovery in which you
have to have a tireless passion for your subject and in which you will uncover
all kinds of new things. It’s not a cut and dried process; there has to be scope to
make mistakes and be confronted with unexpected developments. You often
hear that one of the success factors in taking a doctorate is to what extent you
can cope with frustration and disappointment. Frustration is therefore part and
parcel of the process but it is good to have clear expectations. Knowing, for
instance, that there are numerous places you can turn to in the organisation.
That it is clear what you can expect from your supervisor and your mentor. And
that someone who hasn’t got a clue about his future career can obtain career
advice. Thus we want to ensure that any remaining frustrations are related to
the research rather than the process. (Sept. 2012)
expect
the
47 | Prologue
4. Representing
your interests
You supervisory team can help you on your scientific road. But other people
and organizations are also lined up to support you and help protect your
interests. Not the least of these is of course Promood, the independent
representative of PhD candidates at the TU Delft.
Background
Student representation
Traditionally, management in a Dutch university was an impenetrable bulwark, not at
all keen on power-sharing or student involvement. Then, towards the end of the 1960s
things changed. Students revolted against authoritarianism and bureaucracy. They
demanded to have a say in how things
were run. After all, universities largely
Nowadays, student participation at TU
revolve around students. The call for
Delft is organized through university
democratization of education was not
and faculty student councils
unique to the Netherlands. Students
rioted in many European cities, most
notoriously in Paris in 1968, where students and workers stood shoulder to shoulder in
protest against the government. In Amsterdam, students occupied the Maagdenhuis, the
administrative building of the University of Amsterdam in 1969. A year later, legislation
was passed that guaranteed student representation in decisions governing higher
education.
Nowadays, student participation at TU Delft is organized through university and faculty
student councils – studentenraad (SR) en facultaire studentenraad (FSR) in Dutch.
Through these councils students can influence management policy and decisions. Up
to a point that is, because on some subjects student councils have right of assent, on
others they merely have the power to make recommendations. TU Delft is one of the few
universities in the Netherlands with a fully-functioning, full-time student council.
Prologue | 48
Student unions
In addition to these student councils there are student unions, which act on behalf of
students, similar to a labour union. In Delft the VSSD protects the interests of all Delft
students, not just TU Delft students. Delft also houses two institutions for vocational
higher education, or hbo (hoger beroepsonderwijs), Hogeschool InHolland and a branch
of De Haagse Hogeschool. The VSSD is also member of national student organisations
LSVb and ISO, which in turn are members of the European Students’ Union. Delft is
unique in that it has student representation in the town hall as well. Student party STIP is
part of the local government.
Confused yet? Don’t be.
As a PhD candidate you are not directly represented by student unions or councils,
though their efforts may indirectly benefit you. This can however help you understand
a popular Dutch way of consensus politics and decision-making known as the polder
model. The polder model implies that all stakeholders should be heard before a decision
can be made. But every pro has its con. This can also dramatically slow down policy
making, as major decisions have to be fitted around meeting schedules of all parties
concerned, which can take months. In a more general sense, you may notice that Dutch
meetings can sometimes take hours of plenary debate without reaching any agreement,
or at best a compromise.
49 | Prologue
Promood
So who does represent you as a PhD
We count
candidate? Well, we do, for one. And
With over 2.000 Phd candidates, we make up a
we are Promood, the independent
considerable part of the workforce that is carrying
representative body of the PhD
out the groundbreaking research that TU Delft is
candidates at TU Delft. Promood stands
rightly proud of. Moreover, once we leave Delft, we
for PROMOvendi Overleg Delft (POD
will fan out across the world and become potential
having been rejected as an alternative).
ambassadors for TU Delft. Let this thought
Our board consists of around ten members
empower you, if you ever feel insignificant or lost
who all have their own responsibilities,
in the organization. We count.
from advice on career development to
organizing social events.
As a PhD candidate you are automatically a member of Promood. Joining the Promood
mailing list only takes a minute on our website www.promood.nl. We will then keep you
up-to-date on our own events and news. We also keep you abreast of any developments
or of activities organized by TU Delft and others that we think will interest you. You can
also find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Joining the Promood board can be an
interesting professional and social experience. Interested? Contact us.
What we do - representation
Our basic premise is that we as PhD candidates know what problems or challenges we
face. We are spread out over all corners of the campus and our research subjects vary
widely. But what we have in common is the arduous process of obtaining a doctorate,
so we believe we best represent ourselves. Promood has been the official representative
of the Delft PhD community since 1991. As such, we are a serious discussion partner
of the Executive Board and the
What we have in common is the arduous Graduate School management, with
whom we have regular meetings to
process of obtaining a doctorate, so we
discuss and resolve issues relevant
believe we best represent ourselves
to PhD candidates. When the need
arises we organize meetings with
other departments, such as Human Resources or the International Office. We signalize
bureaucratic obstacles and general problems that candidates encounter.
We also keep in touch with the representatives of the trade unions at TU Delft. The trade
unions negotiate the collective labour agreement (CAO) on behalf of all workers. The
collective labour agreement contains the terms of employment for staff at the fourteen
Dutch universities. Through the trade unions we can try to influence negotiations on
Prologue | 50
salary levels, travel expense, sick pay etc. This can benefit PhD candidates employed at TU
Delft.
Whenever the need arises, we also engage in the public debate and make sure our voice
is heard in media such as university newspaper Delta.
On a more personal level, if you have a serious conflict with, for instance, your supervisor,
we can act as an intermediary. There are others who can mediate for you, such as your
mentor. But in such a situation it is important to talk to someone you trust. So if the need
arises, do feel free to get in touch with us.
What we do – information
We keep you informed of what we do and what we feel you should know through our
website and our regular email newsletter, the e-zine.
Two or three times a year we publish a printed magazine, featuring interviews, articles
on TU Delft policy, opinion pieces, reports on events, and much more. Back issues can be
downloaded via our website. On our Facebook page we announce events, and it is also a
great place to join in discussion.
And this booklet is of course another way of keeping (new) PhD candidates informed.
You can also contact us if you need practical information. If we can’t help you, we can
usually point you in the right direction.
51 | Prologue
What we do – organizing activities
Birds of a feather flock together. That is why we like to organize events just for our
PhD community. Film nights, lunchtime lectures, and vrijmibo’s (abbreviation of
vrijdagmiddagborrel or Friday afternoon drinks) are regular happenings. Once a year at
our printers’ market you can meet with printers of theses and ask them all you need to
know about preparing your thesis for final publication. A yearly career event is another
important date on the Promood calendar.
Then there is the annual PhD symposium
Most of our events are of a social
with guest speakers from academe and
nature and will give you the chance to
from industry.
get to know your fellow PhD candidates
During our General Meeting we review
the activities of the past year and inform
and build up a useful network
our members of our plans for the future.
Most of our events are of a social nature and will give you the chance to get to know your
fellow PhD candidates and build up a useful network. At the same time, for the Promood
board it is an opportunity to find out what is on your mind and what problems you may
have encountered. Therefore at all gatherings Promood board members will be present.
Seek us out, when you have something you want to share with us. We need your input to
be able to represent your best interests.
Where to find us
Just like you, we can be found all over campus, so the best way to get in touch is via email
at [email protected]. You can find the individual email addresses of all our board
members on our website (‘about us’).
Several faculties also have their own PhD councils, so check if this is the case.
LinkedIn
Professional networking site LinkedIn has a huge following in the Netherlands. TU Delft
Prologue | 52
has a special PhD group you can join. On www.phdinfo.tudelft.nl, under the heading
‘PhD network’ a link is provided to the LinkedIn group (plus other useful links and
information).
PNN - the national PhD organization
Promood is the representative body for PhD candidates at the TU Delft. All universities
and most research institutes in the Netherlands have similar groups and these are united
in the national umbrella organization PNN: the Promovendi Netwerk Nederland. As such,
PNN represents over 10.000 PhD candidates, and aims to safeguard the interests of all of
them. Working on a national level permits PNN to interact with partners in science and
education such as ministries, unions,
the Association of Universities in the
Netherlands (VSNU), etc. Promood is
represented on the board of PNN to
ensure the voice of Delft is also heard
at a national level. Their website www.
hetpnn.nl provides a great deal of
information for PhD candidates, but
unfortunately only in Dutch.
Trade unions
If you are employed at TU Delft you can
join a trade union. A trade union can
support you when you get involved
in an employment conflict. Your trade
union can help you with questions relating to working conditions, your legal position
or any other issues that are related to your employment at TU Delft, and not specifically
related to being a PhD candidate. As a member you have free access to practical
information, legal aid and counselling. Trade unions also offer free assistance in filling in
tax returns. They represent your interests during collective employment agreement (CAO)
negotiations, and in the local consultations on the actual implementation of the CAO at
TU Delft (the “lokaal overleg”).
For more information check the TU Delft employee portal/on campus/personnel
associations.
Works council and Personnel committees
Under the Works Council Act , every business with 50 or more employees should have a
works council, an official body for employee participation. In 1996, the law was extended
to include universities, and since 1997 TU Delft has had a works council.
53 | Prologue
The Executive Board (College van Bestuur) and the faculty deans are the main decision
makers at TU Delft. The works council (Ondernemingsraad, or OR) has a number of rights
and obligations when it comes to influencing policy at the central TU Delft level. The
personnel committees (onderdeelcommissie or OdC) have similar rights and obligations
at the faculty level. There is also a personnel committee representing all support staff.
Depending on the issue, the works council has the rights to advise, agree, take the
initiative and inform. The Executive Board has to ask for advice in the case of an extensive
reorganisation, large investments, discontinuing departments or starting an extensive
form of cooperation.
Every three years elections are
On subjects regarding terms of employment, the
held for the works council and
works council has the right to agree – or disagree.
This could involve changes to the yearly evaluation the personnel committees.
system (R&O) or the regulations concerning health
and safety. The council also has the right to initiate discussion on existing policy, or
suggest new policy ideas. Lastly, the council has the right to receive any information it
deems necessary to do its job properly.
Every three years elections are held for the works council and the personnel committees.
If you want to become an active member of the OR or OdC, you should join the elections.
If you are elected, your department will be compensated for a set number of hours per
week that you can then devote to your duties as a member. However, for a PhD candidate
this is somewhat of an empty formality. After all, your research will not get itself done
Prologue | 54
without your continued work. If you are willing to invest the time though, it can be an
interesting activity and a chance to get to know the organisation and the corridors of
(faculty) power really well.
DEWIS
DEWIS (Delft Women in Science) is a network for female scientists within Delft University
of Technology. It was set up by female scientists in 2006, with the support of the
Executive Board. DEWIS wants to encourage women in their personal, professional and
scientific careers. There is no formal membership; all women in scientific positions are
automatically DEWIS members. DEWIS offers a variety of networking and coaching
activities, from lunch meetings to so-called intervision: informal coaching between
colleagues. The annual conference is the highlight of the calendar.
DISS
DISS is the TU Delft student organization for all international students. DISS aims to
encourage a more closely-knit community of international students and to improve
social interaction between international and Dutch students. To this end, DISS organizes
events for all students. DISS also represents the interests of international students with
the relevant bodies and organizations. For example, DISS regularly liaises with housing
corporation DUWO on issues concerning student housing.
www.diss-online.nl
55 | Prologue
Interview
Ken Arroyo Ahori – president of Promood
“There is definitely a need for what we do”
Coming to Delft was a combination of coincidence and circumstances for me.
I first heard of TU Delft at an information stand on a higher education fair in
Mexico City. I knew I liked the Netherlands, but I didn’t know anything about
the quality of education here. Then I read that the TU Delft ranked high as a
European university of Science and Technology in the Times Higher Education
Ranking. I decided to sign up for an MSc in Geomatics – that is the science
surrounding geographical data. After my MSc I wanted to stay in Academe, but
in 2010 at the height of the financial crisis, there were not a lot of opportunities.
Then, on my graduation day, opportunity struck. Jantien Stoter, who is now my
co-promotor, heard she was awarded a large ‘vidi’ research grant to work on
innovation in geo-information technology. I liked the sound of the project, and
my MSc supervisor recommended
me to her. I went home to Mexico
and returned six months later to
start my PhD research.
I now do fundamental research
into higher dimensional data
models for Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). Spatial information
is three-dimensional; with time
and scale added that makes five.
Take for example a model of a
building. You need more detail for
close-up viewing, which is scale,
so the model is four-dimensional.
To look at a piece of the model in
detail, you must effectively cut a
3D slice in 4D space and project it
on a 2D screen. Right now, we are
not very good yet at manipulating
Prologue | 56
information in different scales. I research how we can store objects like these 4D
models, and how we can slice them. I have clear ideas about it in my head, but
I still need to write them up, and work on images and prototypes to illustrate
them.
I joined the Promood Board in August 2011. Sylvie, our former president,
was also involved in Geomatics, and she asked me. I started as webmaster, a
kind of communications officer. Shortly afterwards, Sylvie left as she got too
busy, so I then took on the presidency as well. The presidency takes up a lot
of time, but it helped that I was
We also mediate in confidential cases.
not completely new to Promood;
I knew what needed to be done.
In those cases it helps that we are still
Being president is actually a bit
an independent body within the university
like being the webmaster: I divide
the work, coordinate and check that everything is done. I also keep up the
external contacts, such as with the national network for PhD candidates, PNN.
The Promood board has regular meetings with the university’s Executive Board
and with the Board of the Graduate School. I like to know what is going on, at
our university and on a national level. And doing these things you learn a lot
about how to run an organisation and about effective communication, so I get
something out of it too.
It is a good feeling to be doing something for fellow PhD candidates. There
is definitely a need for what we do. At the Promood email address we get all
sorts of questions and we direct people to the right department or person. We
keep in touch through our web and Facebook pages as well. Special projects
such as our annual Career event are very popular. We also mediate in a lot
of confidential cases. In those cases it helps that we are still an independent
body within the university. It is important that we have a very constructive
relationship with the Executive Board. We help them spread the word about
what is going on at TU Delft, and we get a lot of support in return. From
what I hear at PNN, that is not always the case at other universities.
57 | Prologue
5. Working at TU Delft
An overview of the terms of employment. A large number of PhD candidates
at TU Delft are employed by the university. That means they are entitled
to the same primary and secondary terms of employment – wages and
other benefits – as everybody else working at a Dutch university. If you are
employed at another organization, or you are doing a PhD on a grant, not all
of the information in this chapter applies to you, but some sections can still
be of interest, e.g. those on public holidays or expenses.
Collective labour agreement
If you work in the Dutch university sector you are employed under the terms of the
collective labour agreement, or ‘Collectieve ArbeidsOvereenkomst’, known as the CAO.
A CAO deals with such topics as employees’ rights and obligations, contracts, salaries,
working hours, holidays, personnel policy, pensions and social security. The CAO for
Dutch Universities is reached after collective bargaining between trade unions and
employers. During these negotiations, the Dutch universities are represented by the
VSNU, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands. The employees are represented
Prologue | 58
by four different trade unions for workers in the public sector and/or science and
education staff (see also chapter 4, Representing your interests).
Temporary employment
You will be employed on a fixed-term contract for the duration of your project, with a
maximum of four years when working full-time. If you are an EU national, it is possible to
work part-time, but not for less than 0.8 FTE (80%, or the equivalent of four days a week).
In that case, the maximum contract term can be extended to five years.
You are likely to be offered a short-term contract lasting up to 18 months, but usually
for 12 months. Then, after a ‘GO’ decision this will be
extended to cover the remainder of your project.
You will be employed on
fixed-term contract for the
duration of your project
lease note: Make sure to start the arrangements for the
P
renewal of your residence permit on time, at least three
months before expiration.
Salary
You receive a salary according to the P salary scale of the CAO, a scale specifically for PhD
candidates. The P scale has four steps: P0 to P3. Subject to yearly assessments, you are
entitled to an annual increment – a step up the scale – until you reach P3. However, after
the first twelve months of employment, your salary should automatically increase from
P0 to P1. This first increment is not linked to your performance. If your contract as a PhD
candidate is extended after four years, then your salary is frozen at the P3 level. The P3
level is equal to a scale 10, step 2 salary for other employees.
Tax exemption under the 30% rule
Under the ‘30% rule’, certain categories of international staff can receive a tax exemption
on approximately thirty per cent of their gross salary. This is to compensate for the extra
costs you incur in living abroad, such as having to rent temporary accommodation.
To be eligible for the 30% rule, you have to meet a number of conditions. If you start your
employment with TU Delft on or after 1 January 2012, these are:
• You must possess specific skills or expertise which are not readily available on the Dutch
labour market. As a PhD candidate you meet this condition.
• You must have been recruited directly from a foreign country.
• You must have lived at a distance of more than 150 kilometres from the Dutch border
during a minimum of two-thirds (16 months) of the 24-month period prior to your
appointment in the Netherlands.
59 | Prologue
Holiday allowance and year-end allowance
On top of your monthly salary, you are entitled to a holiday allowance of 8%. This is
built up over the months and paid out with the May salary. From June to May you can
therefore build up 12 x 8% of your monthly wages, adding up to 96%, or almost a full
month’s pay. However, as it is paid out on top of your salary, it is fully taxed. So the net
payment will work out to be less than your normal net month’s pay. You are also entitled
to an year-end bonus, to be paid out in December. This bonus amounts to 8,3% of your
monthly salary multiplied by the number of months you are employed during the current
year. It has a pre-determined minimum (currently 2,250.= gross).
Leave and special leave
As an employee you are entitled to 232 hours - or 29 days - of leave per year (part-timers
proportionate to the time worked). Leave days that have not been used up maybe carried
over to the next year, with a maximum of 120 hours. You are free to choose when you
take leave, but your supervisor has to agree with your proposed holiday dates. Naturally,
you don’t go on holiday in the middle of a series of important lab tests or such, unless you
have a family emergency. You should also take at
You should also take at least least two weeks a year in one uninterrupted period
of leave.
two weeks a year in one
uninterrupted period of leave
CAO negotiations
Salaries usually go up whenever a new CAO
is reached. However, the CAO for 20072010 has been extended several times
without a new agreement. This means that,
apart from a one-off payment in November
2010, salary scales are still set at the level
of 2009. In view of current inflation rates,
this results in most university employees
being less well off. The unions insist on
sustained purchasing power and the
protection of jobs. However, universities
Prologue | 60
argue that because of state budget cuts
to higher education, a pay increase is not
feasible without reviewing other terms
of employment. The VSNU proposes to
reduce or cut certain measures they feel
are out of date, such as extra annual leave
for older employees and the top-up of the
unemployment benefit. A survey under
employees should now provide insight
into their priorities (Sept. 2012).
In addition, extra paid leave may be granted for special (family) occasions, or on
compassionate grounds such as:
Moving house
(1× per year)
2 days
Getting a marriage license
(‘ondertrouw’)
1 day
Getting married
4 days
Becoming a father
2 days maximum (not that
anybody would expect you to
be back after 1 day)
originally one day for the
birth, and one day to go to
the registry office to register
the birth, but registering can
sometimes even be done in the
hospital.
The wedding of a relative
of 1st or 2nd degree
1 day
2 days if it is outside the place
you live, so you have to travel
Passing away of a family
member of 1st degree
4 days
Passing away of a family
member of 2nd degree
2 days
Passing away of a family
member of 3rd or 4th
degree
1 day
Anniversary 25th, 40th or
60th wedding anniversary,
for yourself or your
parents or parents-in-law
1 day
If you have to arrange the
funeral and/or inheritance
you will be granted a period
of leave up to a maximum of 4
days, instead of 1 or 2.
NB the maximum number of days of personal or compassionate leave per event is 4.
Degrees of kinship
1st degree: partner, children, parents and parents-in-law
2nd degree: brother, sister, grandparents, grandchildren
3rd degree: great-grandparents, nieces and nephews, great-grandchildren, aunts
and uncles
4th degree: great-great-grandparents, brother’s or sister’s grandchild, great-uncle,
great-aunt
Public holidays
The Netherlands has a number of Public Holidays, on which most places of work are
closed and public transport runs as on a Sunday. Most public holidays are related to
61 | Prologue
Christian festivals, and were originally marked by their Sunday atmosphere. However, as
Sunday is now a day of relaxation rather than of contemplation for most people, this is
changing and often shops and supermarkets are opened at least part of the day.
Some public holidays are on fixed dates: New Year’s day, Queen’s day, Liberation day,
Christmas day and Boxing day. The others are moveable: Good Friday, Easter Monday,
Ascension day and Whit Monday. Their date is dependent on the date of Easter Sunday,
which is on the first Sunday after the first new moon after the spring equinox, so
anywhere between 22rd March and 25th April.
Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day (on a Thursday) and Whit Monday are always
on actual working days and you can count on them as extra days off work. For the
others goes: if they fall during the weekend, bad luck. This is why the Dutch have coined
the phrase ‘bazenkerst’ or ‘Christmas for the boss’, meaning Christmas falls during the
weekend and doesn’t constitute any extra days off.
New Year’s Day:
1 January
Day of the week
Good Friday
Moveable
Friday
Easter Monday
Moveable
Monday
Queens’ day:
30 April
varies
Celebrated on former
queen Juliana’s day
of birth.
Liberation Day:
5 May
varies
Commemorating
the end of WWII. For
most sectors only a
day off once every
five years.
Ascension Day
Moveable
Thursday
Whit Monday
Moveable
Monday
Christmas Day:
25 December
varies
Boxing Day:
26 December
varies
Not a holiday in all
sectors of work.
The exact dates of the moveable feasts are published on the website.
Collective holidays
Under the CAO, TU Delft has the right to appoint collective holidays, up to a maximum
of seven per year. These are generally used as bridging days between public holidays
and weekends, creating long weekends or some years even a whole week of Christmas
and New Year’s leave. Most people enjoy the opportunity for a break. However, collective
Prologue | 62
holidays are deducted from your annual leave entitlement. Also, you have to take into
account that most buildings on campus will be closed.
Flexible working hours
The standard number of working hours under a full-time contract of employment is 38
hours per week. Salary is thus paid for 38 hours per week. Under the flexible working
hours scheme, you can choose to work 40 hours per week; this will give you 96 hours of
additional leave. Alternatively, you can work
It makes sense to choose the
36 hours per week, resulting in a reduction of
38+ option, which will give you the your leave entitlement by 96 hours. These are
known as the 38+ and 38– options. You can
additional 12 days leave
change you choice at the beginning of the
calendar year by filling out a form for the HR department. A lot of PhD candidates work
more than 40 hours a week, therefore it makes sense to choose the 38+ option. This will
give you the additional 12 days leave, which you can then take whenever you need them
or your work load permits it. You are also free to choose your daily working and break
hours, as long as your supervisor agrees.
TIM leave registration
All leave is registered in the TIM leave system. Logon
to www.hours.tudelft.nl and login with your Net ID.
In TIM you can request leave and special leave, check
how much annual leave you have left and see the
Public Holidays and/or collective holidays you are
entitled to.
Maternity leave
Female employees who are expecting, have the right to take pregnancy leave before the
birth and to take childbirth leave after the birth, to a total of sixteen weeks.
You can decide yourself when to take pregnancy leave, as long as it starts at least four
weeks before the expected date of birth. If the birth takes place before this date, the total
period of leave will be 16 weeks regardless. If the birth takes place after this date, the total
period of pregnancy and childbirth leave can exceed 16 weeks, because you are entitled
to at least 10 weeks after the birth.
Parental leave
You are entitled to parental leave if you have been employed by TU Delft for at least one
year and you have parental responsibility for a child under the age of eight.
Your maximum parental leave entitlement is 26 times your weekly working hours.
63 | Prologue
As an employee, you are entitled to 13 weeks of partially paid parental leave (62.5% of
your salary) under the terms of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
Anything over 13 weeks can be taken in the form of unpaid leave. Parental leave should be
taken over a period of 12 months and can only
Parental leave should be taken
account for half of your weekly working hours
at most. However, in consultation with your
over a period of 12 months and
supervisor, you can decide on a more flexible
can only account for half of your
arrangement that better suits your situation.
There are a lot of (financial) consequences to
weekly working hours at most
taking parental leave, including a tax reduction,
so we suggest you read the extensive information on the TU Delft website: employee
portal / terms of employment / leave / parental leave, and talk to your supervisor and/or HR
manager about this.
Commuting expenses
Delft University generally does not provide a commuting (home-work travelling)
allowance. You can, however, opt for a Travel/Mobility allowance in the IKA optional model
and thus gain a tax advantage.
Research & Development cycle
All TU Delft employees have to take part
in an annual evaluation cycle called
the Research & Development cycle.
Research and development is ‘resultaat
& ontwikkeling’ in Dutch, so you will
sometimes hear this referred to as R&O.
The R&D cycle is meant to be an instrument
to monitor and promote your personal
and professional development. Good
leadership is an important factor, therefore
employees also get the chance to give
feedback on their manager, though not
everybody will take up that opportunity.
Even the forthright Dutch can be reticent
about face-to-face criticism of an executive.
Prologue | 64
For PhD candidates the R&D cycle is
integrated in the PhD development cycle.
What is called the R&D meeting for other
employees, is your yearly formal progress
meeting. Instead of writing an annual
report, you will fill out a self-reflection.
And instead of filling out and eventually
signing the R&D form, you will update and
sign your PhD Agreement. The R&D cycle
takes place during the first few months of
the year, but that shouldn’t affect you. Your
PhD development cycle is related to your
starting date, and so is the planning of your
progress meeting.
Individual Terms of Employment (IKA)
IKA stands for the Individual Terms and Conditions
of Employment Options scheme, a.k.a. the optional
model. The optional model is part of the Collective
Labour Agreement, or CAO.
The model is also known by other names: the
cafeteria model or CAO à la carte.
A la carte means you can tailor part of your terms
and conditions of employment to your specific
wishes. Participating in IKA means a double benefit: you get to choose (part of ) your own
package of terms of employment, plus you obtain a tax advantage.
Participating in IKA means a double
benefit: you get to choose (part of) your
own package of terms of employment,
plus you obtain a tax advantage
How does it work? By trading in one
benefit for another. For example, you
might wish to exchange all or part
of your end-of-year bonus for a taxdeductible mobility allowance. The gross
amount you apply to the allowance is
then converted to a net compensation. You therefore do not need to pay income tax on
that portion of your year-end bonus. You can also trade in (a limited number of ) hours of
leave for additional income, or vice versa.
Once every three years, you can buy a bicycle under the ‘bicycle scheme’ and enjoy a tax
benefit on cycling to work. You can even buy your bicycle abroad, as long as you have the
correct bills and receipts.
The website www.ika.tudelft.nl gives more examples and the conditions for taking part.
The programme for entering your IKA choices – the ‘selection simulator’ is only open for a
limited period each year.
In 2014 a new ‘Werkkostenregeling’ or WKR (Expense Allowance Scheme) will come into
force. This will influence tax-free expenses and provisions available to employees. All
employers must submit to the new rules by no later than 2014. Current IKA provisions
may to change under the new Expense Allowance Scheme.
Professional expenses
For the purchase of expensive items, such as equipment, it is best to order on account
with the supplier. To make sure the supplier is paid directly by the TU Delft, you should
65 | Prologue
send in a purchase request form to the Finance department. The purchase request is
also known as ‘aanvraag tot bestelling’ or ‘ATB’, or by the name of the relevant form: C5.
The Finance Shared Service Centre (SSC) will order the products directly at the supplier,
or if you already placed an order (e.g. for repairs) the SSC will still send the order so the
company can send a correct invoice. Your
It is advisable to make your requests department will receive a copy of the
known before the departmental budget purchase order.
for the coming year is settled
It is advisable to make your requests
known before the departmental budget for the coming year is settled, especially in the
case of larger purchases. Be imperative about obtaining adequate financing for what you
need to do: you have a right to that. Smaller purchases, such as books that are essential to
your research, should also be funded by the department. Such books then often remain
in the possession of the department. In the case of smaller, sometimes unforeseen,
purchases you can also opt to pay these out of pocket and then claim a reimbursement.
You can do this with a digital expense claim form, or digiform, available on the website
(see also digiforms below).
BaaN code
Whenever you send in a purchase request or claim form you must enter the right BaaN
code (named after the former software company) for either the department or the
project. BaaN codes are always a combination of digits and capital letters.
Prologue | 66
Travel expenses in the Netherlands
You are entitled to the reimbursements of costs or the payment of an allowance for trips
you undertake for work. Travelling to and from your home and going around on campus
is not considered a business trip, but visiting a conference, another university or research
institution is. However, the part of the trip that lies on your normal route to work is
generally not reimbursed.
Travel by public transport is reimbursed fully, based on tickets and/or receipts (and
second-class train tickets, unless
For travel by your own car you can
you have permission to travel
first class). For travel by your own
receive an allowance per kilometer travelled
car you can receive an allowance
per kilometer travelled (currently 0.19 euro). You can get permission to claim a higher
allowance (currently 0.28 euro per kilometer) in exceptional cases, such as when you are
taking colleagues with you, or when you are transporting equipment. NB: tax is withheld
on the supplement in case of the higher allowance.
Hotel expenses are paid back on documentary evidence – bills, receipts – and up to a
maximum amount. You can claim hotel expenses (room, meals, and small expenses such
as drinks) for business trips that last over four hours. So if you spend an entire day on a
conference in Groningen for example, you don’t have to drive back in the middle of the
night.
Business trips abroad
Groningen sounds like a long way off, but often you will attend conferences or other
professional meetings abroad. For that, you need to apply beforehand through the
‘Application for business trips abroad and advance payment’. After you submit this digital
form, your budget holder gets an email asking for approval of your travel request. After
approval from your budget holder, you receive an e-mail with the reference number
for your trip. You can use this reference number for your trip - together with your BaaN
code - to book your business trip through Advanced Travel Partner (ATP), TU Delft’s official
supplier of foreign travel services. You can also book via the internet, but you still need to
get the reference number, indicating you have approval for your trip. You also receive a
number for the TU Delft travel insurance policy, meaning you will be insured during your
trip.
Advance payment
You can apply for an advance payment for your business trip, either together with you
application or at a later date, provided your trip has not taken place yet. An advance
payment cannot exceed 70% of the expected total expenses. The advance will be paid
out within two weeks before departure. Also, you have to send in a ‘final statement
67 | Prologue
of expenses for business trips abroad’ within six weeks of your return, otherwise the
advance will be withheld from your wages.
Digiforms
The Finance department is digitalizing all financial processes. Forms for travel and
personal expenses are already digitally available, the so-called digiforms. For most
expenses you can scan the receipt or
ticket on the multifunctional printer
Filling out a digital expense claim is a
bit of a hassle, especially the first time (‘scan to me’) and you receive the
scanned document as a PDF in your TU
Delft email account. You then attach the PDF to your digital claim form.
For travel with the OV chip card you should register an account with ‘my ov chipkaart’:
www.ov-chipkaart.nl/mijnovchipkaart. You can then download details of trips you
made on your card. You need a personal OV chipcard for this, not an annymous one.
Filling out a digital expense claim is a bit of a hassle, especially the first time. But then, so
was the old-fashioned paper variety. The advantage is that forms don’t get ‘lost’ anymore
and you generally get paid more quickly. Also, you can contact the Shared Service Centre
(extension 88622 or [email protected]) and find out the status of your
application.
For forms login at https://forms-fc.tudelft.nl
NB: the above describes official procedures. Things may be different at your department,
depending on circumstances. It never hurts to check with a colleague how things are done.
PhD and pension
Dutch pensions are usually based on two pillars: the old
age benefit or AOW, that is related to residency in the
Netherlands; and the pension schemes provided by
employers. A third, voluntary pillar are the personal
insurance arrangements.
AOW
When you live in the Netherlands you build up
pension rights under the Old Age Act or ‘Algemene
Ouderdomswet’ (AOW). A full Old Age Benefit is built up
between the ages of 15 and 65, or 2% per year of residency.
Prologue | 68
The maximum level of the AOW pension is 70% of the minimum wage, though your
entitlement depends on your marital status. Payment starts currently at the age of 65,
but the state pension age is set to rise gradually in the future. AOW will be payable at the
age of 67 by 2023, and a further rise of the pension age has not been ruled out. However,
social and political developments could change all this again. As an employee, you pay
AOW contributions as part of your wage tax. Contributions paid have no relation to
benefits received; the AOW is based on the solidarity principle. We pay now for people
who receive the benefit now. This is also the argument used to raise the state pension
age, as it is feared that in the future there will not be enough workers paying in to keep
paying out to an increasing number of pensioners, who are also expected to live longer.
Already, some 30% of the AOW payments are financed from tax money, as contributions
are no longer sufficient.
ABP
During your appointment with the TU Delft, you also pay pension contributions to
the National Civil Pension Fund, or ‘Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds’ (ABP). Your
contributions entitle you to a pension income in the future. The amount that you will
receive depends on the number of years that you have contributed and your salary,
among others. Over the first part of your salary – some 10.000 euro per year – you don’t
pay pension contributions and therefore don’t build up any pension. This is considered to
be covered by your AOW pension.
Pension transfer
If you switch employers your situation is likely to change. If you switch to a different,
non-governmental employer, but continue to work in The Netherlands, the arrangement
with ABP will stop, and you will probably continue
You can opt to transfer any
with a new pension insurer. You can opt to transfer
claims built up with the ABP any claims built up with the ABP to the new pension
insurer. This can mean less hassle, as you later on
to the new pension insurer
have only one pension insurer to deal with. Also,
your new pension scheme can be based on a final salary system. In that case, transfer
is advisable, because your ABP pension is
based on a career average. If you want to
transfer your pension entitlements, you
should contact your new pension insurance
company when you take up your new post,
as a pension transfer has to be requested
within the first six months after changing
pension funds.
69 | Prologue
International pension transfer
If you leave the Netherlands, you can apply for an International Value Transfer of pension
benefits (IVT). You can transfer your pension rights to various EU and non-EU pension
schemes as well as to supranational organizations. The ABP website gives ample
information on:
www.abp.nl/en/building-pension/what-to-do/transfer-from-another-country.asp
Unless you can transfer your pension rights, the slice of your pension you built up during
your stay in the Netherlands will remain behind when you leave. It will be paid out to you
when you reach pension age.
Lump sum
Before 2007, you could apply for a lump sum payment on the grounds of emigration.
You can no longer do so, but the possibilities for pension funds to commute your pension
entitlements has been extended. This was done on account of the high administrative
costs associated with the long-term administration
The possibilities for pension
of small pensions. Only the pension fund can take
funds to commute your pension the initiative for such a commutation of small
pension entitlements. If your pension entitlements
entitlements has been extended are very small – currently some 400,= per year is
Prologue | 70
the maximum – you may be eligible for a lump sum payment. though you will have to
pay taxes on this. There are lots of conditions attached to this. One of them is that your
pension has to be ‘sleeping’ for at least two years before commutation can take place. So
far, ABP only commutes small pensions at their date of commencement, i.e. when you
reach the age of 65.
Checking your entitlements
You can check your Dutch pension entitlements, including AOW, on
www.mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl
You can logon to this site with your DigiD. DigiD stands for Digital Identity. With a DigiD
(username and password) you can access a number of online services offered by Dutch
government agencies. If you do not have a DigiD yet, you can apply for one at
www.DigiD.nl; you will need your BSN (BurgerServiceNummer) for this.
ABP also has its own site, www.mijnabp.nl.
Recent developments
The Dutch pension system was considered
one of the best in the world and very robust.
Two things have been playing havoc with
that: the financial crisis and demographics.
Even before the euro crisis, a lot of pension
funds had adjusted their schemes from
final pay to average pay, as final pay
schemes were deemed unaffordable. Now,
the pension age is set to rise to 67. As
returns on investments have decreased,
the coverage ratio of pension funds has
also gone down. As a result, pensions and
pension entitlements have in many cases
not been adjusted for inflation in the past
few years. If coverage ratios don’t improve,
pensions could even be cut. There is a lot
of debate on the subject of pensions. Many
people believe it is unfair they have no
say whatsoever in what happens to their
pension contributions, because pensions
are, after all, a form of deferred pay.
For you, as a PhD, pension may sound like
a long way off. Recent developments prove
one thing though: pensions don’t take
care of themselves, not even in a country
where they were considered to be ‘safe as
houses’. Also consider that both you and
your employer contribute to it. In fact, it is
the second most expensive item after your
salary. Though complicated, it is a subject
you should immerse yourself in sooner or
later.
71 | Prologue
6. Nearing the end
As with most things in life, the last mile of your doctoral study is the longest
one. When you gradually start contemplating on how to defend your
thesis, you also need to arrange quite a number of things for the doctoral
graduation ceremony and the printing of your thesis. In addition, be aware
of the costs that are involved with both the ceremony and printing.
Doctorate Regulations
At some point in the final year of your appointment/ The protocol officer is also
research you should read the regulations for
known as the beadle or ‘pedel’
obtaining a doctorate. Once a highly bureaucratic
document, recent versions are greatly improved.
You can get a copy from the protocol office, or download it from the website. Read the
doctorate regulations carefully to prevent unpleasant surprises in the last phase of your
doctoral studies.
For questions you can contact the
university protocol officer at 015
27 86456, or [email protected].
The Protocol office is also known as
‘protocolaire zaken’ or ‘proza’ for short,
whereas the protocol officer is also
known as the beadle, or ‘pedel’.
The TU Delft guarantees that you obtain
your doctorate within a certain time
frame – 11 weeks – from the moment
you have finalised your thesis, provided
that you stick to the official regulations.
Your thesis
The manuscript of your thesis needs
to be approved by your professor/
supervisor before you can fix a
Prologue | 72
date for the ceremony. In
addition, you must give your
committee sufficient time to
read the thesis properly. The
committee consists of five
to seven professors and/or
university (senior) lecturers
and it is chaired by the
university’s Rector Magnificus
or his deputy. When called
upon to defend your thesis,
this same committee will
examine and question (‘oppose’) your thesis and your propositions. During that day
nothing can go wrong really, as defending your thesis is more or less a formal procedure
to conclude your PhD-degree, rather than a serious examination.
Apart from the members of the committee, the beadle ( who is the ‘master of
ceremonies’) and the university library should be given a number of copies of your thesis.
You also need to upload a PDF file of your thesis to the TU Delft Library. The electronic
version is used for publication and archiving on the website http://www.library.tudelft.
nl.
To present your thesis as an official publication, your thesis needs an ISBN (International
Standard Book Number). Sometimes the ISBN is included in the printing, in other cases
you need to specifically apply for it. In
You must give your committee sufficient
that case, you can get an ISBN free of
charge at the TU Delft Library by filling time to read the thesis properly
out the form on the website.
Generally, you have to pay the costs of printing your thesis yourself. These expenses will
depend on, among others, the number of copies (usually 100 to 200 copies will suffice),
the length of your thesis, the time pressure and your own taste (multi-coloured front
cover, quality of the paper). Always invite offers from different printers. Best way to do this
is to visit the Promood printer’s market, held twice yearly.
Propositions
A typically Dutch tradition is the writing of propositions to accompany your thesis.
Up to the middle of the 19th century, Doctoral candidates were expected to write up and
defend a number of propositions, instead of handing in a bulky research thesis. You had
to prove you were able to argue your point in public. Original research is now the basis
for your promotion, but the tradition of propositions is maintained at TU Delft.
73 | Prologue
Step
When
PhD Candidate
Promotor
1
week
1 to 4
1) Agrees on
topic of thesis
with proposed
promotor [2.2a]
2
week
4 to 14
1) Agrees on
supervision and
Doctoral
Education (DE)
programme with
proposed
promotor and
sends a report via
DMA [2.2c, 5.9]
3) Starts DE
programme [2.2c]
3
after
6 months
4
after
12 months
1) Go/No go
interview [2.4]
2) Submits ‘Go’
statement and
PROM-02 request
to the
Board for
Doctorates (BfD)
[5.7]
5
after
24 months
2) Sends report
on R&D meeting
to promotor via
DMA
1) R&D Meeting
with PhD
candidate
3) Approves
report in DMA
6
after
36 months
2) Sends report
on R&D meeting
to promotor via
DMA
1) R&D Meeting
with PhD
candidate
3) Approves
report in DMA
7
later on
1) Completes DE
programme
University
Graduate
School
Office of the
Beadle
2) Intake
interview,
diploma
check and
registration of
proposed
promotor [2.2a]
3) Informs
parties
concerned
of registration
[2.2b]
2) Approves
report in DMA
1) Progress
review meeting
with
PhD candidate
3) Informs
parties
concerned
of decision BfD
[5.8]
The Minimal Time Schedule – Graduate School / Preparations for the Doctoral Defence
(the numbers in brackets refer to the Articles in the Doctor Regulations)
Prologue | 74
You should append a set of between six and ten propositions to your thesis. Some
of these can relate to the subject of your theses, but not all of them. Your academic
knowledge should be broadly based, hence you are expected to comment on other
disciplines as well. The last few statements are usually more playful. All of your
propositions, even the playful ones, must be defendable. Also, you must submit
your propositions in Dutch, as well as in the language of your thesis. Article 17 of the
Some playful examples
The most significant discoveries in history happened unexpectedly or by
accident. This means that the one who makes thorough research plans,
does not expect to discover something great
Alexander Chernetsky
It is easier for a stupid man to understand Einstein’s theories than for a lazy
man to get a PhD
Lei Zu
Doctorate Regulations deals with the subject of propositions.
Total costs
Total costs – printing, renting a dress suit, hiring a photographer and organizing a
reception, can easily add up to 5,000 Euros.
NB: Always ask your department or section whether they will refund any of your expenses, as this is
sometimes the case.
Cum Laude
The procedure surrounding
A small percentage of candidates will receive their
the ‘cum laude’ is very strict
doctorate ‘with honours’ or ‘cum laude’.
If your promotor or another member of the Doctoral Committee feels that your thesis
and/or your scientific performance are evidence of an exceptional ability for independent
academic activity, s/he can submit a written
proposal for a ‘cum laude’ degree. Leading experts
in your field of expertise – and outside of TU
Delft - must agree with this assessment, as must
the entire Doctoral Committee. The procedure
surrounding the ‘cum laude’ is very strict,
because universities do not want the ‘cum laude’
distinction to lose its value.
75 | Prologue
Promotion ceremony
After exactly one hour the beadle
At the end of your years of effort, your
comes in, marks the hour by striking
reward awaits: the degree ceremony. After
experiencing life in the Netherlands,
a ceremonial staff and declares ‘hora
where for many people the workday
est’, latin for ‘it is time’.
uniform
consists of jeans and trainers, you could be excused for thinking this will be a casual affair.
It most definitely is not. The PhD ceremony is a very ceremonious and public occasion,
with formal attire and procedures going back centuries.
It goes something like this: the audience is seated in the ‘Senaatszaal’ or Senate room
in the Aula Congress Centre. The PhD candidate holds a short presentation (the
‘lekenpraatje’ or laymen’s talk) mostly aimed at family and friends. Then, the beadle
(‘pedel’) enters, asks people to rise, and the Rector Magnificus comes in, followed by
the committee. The committee consists mostly of professors robed in the garb of their
university. As a mark of respect, the audience rises every time the committee enters
or leaves the room. When the committee is seated, the beadle taps the floor with the
ceremonial staff, and leaves the room.
The rector opens the defense by striking a gavel. The candidate is asked to come forward,
accompanied by his/her assistants. These are known as ‘paranimfen’, a custom dating back
to a time when the academic argument could become very heated and the occasional
fight broke out. Nowadays, it is a job of honour, comparable to being a witness at a
wedding. However, in case the candidate completely loses the plot, the ‘paranimfen’
are asked to step in and provide an answer from the PhD thesis, a bit like a helpline in a
television quiz.
For the next hour, the candidate
is questioned by the committee
on the thesis, the propositions
and the scientific background
to the subject. Before the
ceremony, the rector (or his
stand-in) and the committee
have discussed the questions
to be asked and the time
allotted to each member of the
Prologue | 76
committee. The co-promotor and promotor are the last in line. After exactly one hour
the beadle comes in, marks the hour by striking a ceremonial staff and declares ‘hora est’,
latin for ‘it is time’. The committee retires and discusses behind closed doors whether the
candidate deserves a PhD (though this should be a foregone conclusion) and whether or
not the thesis merits a cum laude.
After a quarter of an hour the committee returns, holding a red tube containing the
doctoral degree. The rector speaks the ceremonial words which give the candidate the
title of Doctor – candidate no more. Finally, the promotor delivers a short
speech, or laudatio (Latin for laudatory speech), heaping the newly promoted Doctor
with praise. The ceremony ends with the rector striking the
gavel again. Throughout the ceremony, the PhD candidate and
After the official
the committee address each other formally in Dutch (‘waarde
part a reception at
promovendus, waarde professor’), even when the rest of the
the university follows
procedure is in English. Committee members don their caps for
questioning.
The dress code is very strict, ceremonial attire for representatives of the university and a
black dress suit (tails) for male candidates and assistants. Female
candidates and assistants wear formal clothing, such as a white
blouse with a black, dark blue or dark grey suit and dark shoes.
77 | Prologue
After the official part a reception at the university
follows, where the committee members are first to
shake hands with the new Doctor. Often, a dinner
at a restaurant and a party follow. These occasions
resemble a wedding, including the exchanging of
gifts and speeches.
Prolonging the appointment
The TU Delft strives to have PhD candidates finish
their appointment within four years. There are some
exceptions though. In the CAO (article 2.3 paragraphs
5 and 6) it says that contracts may be extended for the
duration of:
• maternity leave taken
• illness, if the illness lasted for a consecutive period of at least 8 weeks
• parental leave taken
• t asks performed related to a co-management position acknowledged by the Board of
Governors, such as joining a works council.
Furthermore, the additional ‘Agreements according the appointment of PhD candidates
at the TU Delft’ specify that your contract may
In exceptional cases, your
be extended only once, for the maximum
appointment can be converted to
period of one year. There can be other
reasons to extend your contract, such as
regular researcher’s contract
project setbacks, but this is rarely seen as a
justification. Your professor/supervisor needs to apply a request for extension with the
faculty board at least three months before the end of your appointment, preferably
sooner. In exceptional cases, your appointment can be converted to a regular researcher’s
contract.
Early termination of your contract
If you decide to terminate your appointment yourself, you have to give at least three
months notice, if you have been working for twelve months or longer.
It is also possible for the TU Delft to prematurely terminate your appointment, but only on
reasonable grounds (article 8.4 of the CAO). This should only happen if your supervisors
are thoroughly dissatisfied with your progress. In principle a ‘GO / NO GO’ decision will
be made between 9 and 18 months. However, later on you will still have to participate in
yearly progress meetings. So, if you get a ‘GO’ after one year, strictly speaking that is not a
Prologue | 78
a
guarantee that you cannot be dismissed. If you get a negative assessment and you do not
agree, you may submit a review request to the ’assessment authority’ (which is usually the
departmental dean of studies) within two weeks. If the outcome of that is negative, you
can lodge a complaint with the Executive Board (CvB).
The longer you have been employed and the more positive the assessments you have
behind you, the less likely it will be for you to be dismissed on the grounds of one poor
assessment result. When you feel that, for whatever reasons, the negative assessment is
unjustified, or when you have questions about the procedure, get in touch with Promood
as quickly as possible for mediation or procedural support. Furthermore, if you are
finally dismissed you may still turn to the Civil Service Arbitrator in order to contest your
dismissal. For details on affairs surrounding these procedures you are advised to contact
the HR department or Promood. In all cases, you should be invited for a final interview
(‘exitgesprek’) with the HR department where you can put forward your experiences with
and complaints about the (ending of the) appointment at TU Delft.
After your PhD
Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich-man, poor-man, beggar-man, thief. Have you decided
what you want to be when you grow up? That is, when you finish your PhD? Something
you should try and cast your mind over before the final hammer falls.
Networking
From your first day in Delft, you are working on your future: by building up your
networks. ‘Knowing the right people’ has always been a route to success in life. Now, with
the democratisation of communications, your chances of getting to know them, if only in
the virtual sense, have greatly improved. So
make sure they get to know you too. Keep a
profile on social and professional networks.
LinkedIn is very popular in the Netherlands,
but on a site like ScienceGate – nicknamed
the ‘Facebook for Professors’ – you can get
to interact with tomorrow’s Nobel prize
winners without having to coo over their
baby snaps. Closer to home there is www.
academic.eu.
79 | Prologue
Reference manager www.mendeley.com can help you organize your research.
It also gives you the chance to ‘network and discover’, e.g. follow other people and keep
up with what they are reading. On some sites it is enough to keep your profile updated,
e.g. LinkedIn. But on media that are big on interaction, such as Twitter, you are only as hot
as your latest contribution. So tweet, blog, post, or simply update, but make sure you find
the (virtual) profile that fits you.
Keep one thing in mind: prospective employers or clients are also out there, so consider
whether you want to keep personal and professional profiles separate.
Networking 1.0
And remember, from small
talk big things may grow
Naturally, good old face-to-face interaction is equally
important. So from your morning visit at the coffee
machine to the drinks after the conference, try to do the old-fashioned thing: strike up a
conversation. People are naturally interested, and they will be interested in you, especially
if you show you are interested in them. Don’t feel rebuffed if that one visiting professor or
CEO seems to snub you. S/he probably had a different agenda. Not every bit of chitchat
will result in a job offer or research collaboration. A new acquaintance - or even just a
pleasant conversation - counts as a result too. And remember, from small talk big things
may grow. So when you are enlisting for a conference or other event, don’t pass up on the
social events, such as dinners. They are good places to network, and you can get the costs
reimbursed as part of the conference costs.
Prologue | 80
Stay updated
Looking for your next career opportunity is not something you should have to worry
about in your first year, unless you get a ‘NO GO’ decision. Generally, it is enough to start
looking around in your fourth and final year. That is a good time to begin visiting career
events and to get in touch with colleagues that have recently made the step from PhD
candidate to a position with a company or a science institute.
Recruitment sites
A promising way to keep abreast of opportunities is to visit recruitment sites, where you
can search available vacancies. Often you can also upload your CV, so employers – or
even headhunters – can likewise find you. Monster.com is the largest international
employment site, but there are lots of others out there. Careersinholland.com for
example, specializes in IT, science and technology. Bird recruitment specializes even
further and brokers jobs in life sciences and chemistry. The career pages of expat websites
are a good place to start your
search.
NB: always get a CV check. You can
often get these at career events, or
via recruitment sites. Keep in mind
that the styles and rules about
content differ per country, so always
get local feedback on your CV.
Career events
Students in Delft once a year meet with prospective employers at the ‘Delftse
Bedrijvendagen’ (Delft Company Days). An informal event, where you get to meet people
from companies, or take part in workshops these companies organize. Though geared to
MSc students, the event can also be very useful for PhD candidates.
PNN, together with Academic Transfer and Careerevent, organize a yearly Research
Career Event, full of interesting speakers, debates, information stands and workshops on
personal branding, career planning, applying for funding etc.
Last but not least, there is the famous annual Promood Career Event, organized right
on your doorstep at TU Delft. Companies present themselves, and there are workshops,
discussions, networking and drinks. Don’t miss it.
Following courses
Broaden your horizon by getting trained in other fields than your own area of expertise.
81 | Prologue
Your Doctoral Education programme gives you ample opportunity to develop soft skills
in a wide range of subjects: presentation skills, conflict handling, teaching abilities and
much more. You can also learn Dutch or improve your scientific writing skills. All this will
benefit your career immensely.
Science or enterprise?
So what are the options after your PhD?
Basically, there are three paths
Basically, there are three paths you can
you can take: science, industry,
take: science, industry, and setting up your
and setting up your own business
own business. Whichever you choose, your
chances are very good. With a PhD from TU
Delft you have excellent career opportunities. The Netherlands has a lack of people with
a technological education and internationally a PhD from Delft doesn’t look at all bad
on your CV. In fact, a PhD in general is a sound investment in your future. A 2010 survey
of 565 recently graduated PhDs showed that 86% already had a job by the time they
defended their thesis. Mind you, some 80% of PhD graduates end up in a career outside
the academic scene. So you should be looking at opportunities in industry sooner, rather
than later.
Academic career
Have you fallen in love with the world of academia and your specific subject? Then a
good way of extending your scientific love affair is embarking on a postdoc. Postdoc
positions are usually two-to-three-year contracts to do research in a field close to your
area of expertise. Because of the shorter timespan, the projects are usually more intense,
so being a postdoc can be a tough job. Your tasks will be different from when you were
a PhD candidate, and will
probably include administrative
responsibilities and taking part
in finding funding. Ask around
for experiences form postdocs
in your department.
A postdoc can give you extra
credit and time to publish. After
one or two of these contracts,
you are on the right track to
get a permanent position with
a Dutch university, such as an
Prologue | 82
assistant professorship. Post-docs are sometimes also taken on-board in a project with
(several) PhD candidates to add supervision and/or specific experience.
Leaving Delft?
So where to find your preferred post-doc position? If you have done your PhD in Delft, it
might be possible to extend your contract into a post-doc position, for example to finish
the research that you couldn’t get done in time. In general, however, it is not seen as a
good career move to stay at the university where you did your PhD or even MSc.
The number of available post-doc positions in the field of technology is vast. You can find
post-doc positions almost anywhere in the world, depending on your field of expertise.
Ask your promotor about groups that s/he knows for a quick start to your search. You can
also start by choosing a country or looking up the origin of journal papers in your field.
Research grants
Another way of moving on in science, is to start from the financial viewpoint: get your
own funding. The TU Delft Valorisation Centre offers advice and workshops on how to
increase your chances of obtaining a research grant.
NWO promotes scientific research at Dutch universities and institutes through over a
100 different research programs and grants. Researchers can apply for subsidies within
research programs as defined by NWO or as a part of an open competition. Personal
grants stimulate individual researchers. Other subsidies facilitate (international)
cooperation, finance the use of large-scale facilities and enable investments or
publications. www.nwo.nl
It is also possible to obtain grants from the EC, under the People’s programme of the
seventh framework programme (FP7), which will probably be followed by the Horizon
2020 programme. Applying involves a lot of
paperwork but the allowances are very good. You get a position for a number
www.ec.europa.eu/research
Tenure track
of
years in which to build up your own
research and research group
New academic staff members at TU Delft are
emplyed in a tenure track position. You get a position for a number of years in which to
build up your own research and research group. The benefit is that you don’t have to
wait for people higher up the chain to leave their positions. The negative is that you get
(again) a temporary contract and you have to realize certain (preset) goals. This system
is based on the Anglo-Saxon system of up-or-out. That means that at the end of your
contract you either have to be promoted to associate professor or you have to leave.
Similar systems are in place elsewhere, therefore it may prove hard to get an appointment
as assistant professor if you have no more experience than your PhD degree.
83 | Prologue
Academic transfer
In the Netherlands you can find all academic positions on the Academic Transfer site.
For international positions you can try academics.com, academiccareers.com, or one
of many other sites. The website of the European University Institute has an excellent
section on international job databases, listing (and linking to) a number of sites and
resources.
Outside academia
At any point in your career you can decide to look for a job in industry. When you decide
to quit your PhD prematurely, this kind of career is usually where you end up in. Even
after doing a post-doc or as university staff you can still make the jump to ‘the other side’.
The other way around is also possible:
you can first go and work in industry for
Even after doing a post-doc or as
university staff you can still make several years and return for university staff
positions.
the jump to ‘the other side’
One way to go in industry is Research and
Development. Several multinationals in
the Netherlands have R&D departments, where both applied and fundamental research is
undertaken. Internationally, chances are even better. Another option is to find a position
in a consultancy firm. As a rule, these have a highly competitive and strict selection
process. Try recruitment websites and career events for openings in industry.
Prologue | 84
Entrepreneur
As a PhD at a technological university at the forefront of modern science and technology,
it must surprise you how few ideas are successfully taken to market, or ‘valorized’ as is
the fashionable term for this operation. So why
not step into the breach and start up your own So why not step into the breach
company? Having said that, the TU Delft is very
and start up your own company?
aware of this state of affairs and gives a lot of
support to prospective entrepreneurs. YES!Delft offers TU Delft high-tech startups not
only office space, but coaching, courses and a platform for their first business venture. So
have you found a new application in your field of expertise? Why not bring it to market.
Protect your intellectual property
Before you venture into business, it may be a good idea to talk to the experts at the TU
Delft Valorisaton Centre. They can advise you on whether you should protect your idea
with a patent. If your invention is new, innovative, applicable in industry, and there are
commercial opportunities, a patent is advisable. If your invention was made at TU Delft,
the university will become the owner of the intellectual property, and you will have
certain rights as the inventor. TU Delft will then also help you to introduce your invention
on the market through business development.
How to stay in touch - Alumni network
There are many ways to stay
in touch with your former
fellow PhD candidates and
colleagues. One of them is
to join the TU Delft alumni
network of over 40,000
members. Through this
network you can also keep
abreast of developments at
TU Delft and in your field
of expertise. Just sign up
at www.alumni.tudelft.
nl. You can then register for newsletters and magazines, join activities such as the annual
alumni event, or become a member of the LinkedIn group.
At www.worldofalumni.tudelft.nl you can get in touch with TU Delft alumni from all
over the world. The alumni network already has local chapters in several countries, but TU
Delft is always looking for new ‘ambassadors’.
85 | Prologue
Interview
Behnam Taebi – Assistant Professor of philosophy
“I studied Material Science and Engineering at TU Delft, and I did a minor in
Business Administration at the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management
(TPM). After graduation I longed for a career in science, but I wanted to broaden
my horizon beyond technology alone. TPM was the right faculty for that; there
I could investigate the social and ethical aspects of technology. I worked for a
year as a junior lecturer, and during that time I developed my idea for a PhD.
That idea was actually born from frustration. Around the time I graduated,
in 2006, there was a lot of debate in the media about nuclear energy – as
there still is today. But the issue was being oversimplified: people were either
for or against, without understanding the technology behind it or what its
possibilities are. Even many politicians seemed clueless about this technology.
My original aim was to contribute to a more nuanced nuclear debate. That was
my starting point, and from there the subject developed, as happens during
a PhD. I focussed on the notion of justice between generations, our duties
towards posterity and, more importantly, what those duties could tell us when
we choose between different options for nuclear energy production
There are a lot of issues surrounding nuclear energy that are at odds with each
other. Sustainability, safety and security to name a few. For example, the safest
nuclear reactor is not the most sustainable one: this raises potential conflicts.
Moreover, when we talk about the desirability of nuclear power, we should
include other
energy systems
in the debate,
and compare
their respective
promises and longterm effects.
Once I got going,
I finished my PhD
well within time:
in three years and
two months, to be
exact. It helped
Prologue | 86
that I had spent a year teaching before I started; I had been able to do a lot of
preparatory work then. It also helped that I had both a professor and a daily
supervisor, an arrangement that is now pretty much standard - I act as a daily
supervisor myself now.
It is important not to feel daunted during your first year. You are confronted
with mountains of information and you have to find your way around it, get
a feel for your subject area. Pretty soon you’ll realise that you don’t have to
read everything at the same level of detail. Publishing is another intimidating
aspect of doing a PhD. You are bound to get rejected a few times before you
get your articles published. That is a painful experience, but you should keep in
mind that it is part and parcel of publishing, especially when you aim for high
ranked journals. You shouldn’t forget
Pretty soon you’ll realise that you
that everybody gets rejections, even
the most famous professors. A ‘no’
don’t have to read everything at the
should not deter you and you should
same level of detail
definitely not take it personally: it
is not about you, but about what you are stating in the paper. Your article
is judged on its merits. If the comments are reasonable, than revise your
article accordingly and resubmit it. Getting stuff published will build up your
confidence.
There can be many scary moments during a PhD. You may start doubting
the validity of your subject: ‘this is so self-evident, somebody must have
thought of it before’. Don’t worry, that is all part of the process of progressing
in knowledge. If Google Scholar and Web of Science don’t know it, you are
probably on the right track. By the time you receive your doctorate, you will
probably know more about your subject than your promotor or the other
committee members. My advice: don’t be intimidated.
I got my PhD with a paper-based dissertation. That meant I could include my
earlier published articles in their entirety as chapters of my dissertation. That
sounds relatively straightforward, but it does mean you have to publish on a
regular basis. This requires good planning. In fact, I think that good planning –
especially during the last months – is one of the key ingredients to a successful
PhD. The others are being passionate about your subject and perseverance.”
87 | Prologue
7. On campus
The TU Delft campus stretches all the way from the faculty of Aerospace
Engineering and the Reactor Institute in the South of Delft to the Architecture
faculty and the Science Centre in the North – close to Delft Centre. You are
likely to spend a lot of your time on the campus. So what has it got to offer?
Buildings
Tastes differ, but the campus definitely houses a number of remarkable buildings.
Take for example the striking Aula building, dating from 1966. It is a prime example of
Brutalism, the architectural style that enjoyed its boom years in the Sixties. ‘Beton brut’
means raw concrete in French, hence the name. A great contrast with the building right
behind it, the futuristic looking TU Delft Library with its grass roof, dating from 1997. The
Library is both a treasure trove of knowledge and a meeting place for students and PhD
candidates. And the roof is a great place to enjoy the occasional bout of sunshine.
Prologue | 88
BK City
The same architects who designed the Aula - Van den Broek and Bakema - designed
the 1970 building of the Architecture faculty. Sadly, this was completely destroyed by
fire in 2008. Luckily no casualties occurred. Also, an important collection of chairs, and
the contents of the faculty library with its books, maps and prints, could be saved. But
a lot was still lost, such as scale models
This 1920s building was transformed
that students were working on, as well
as important historical models. Yet the
into a vibrant complex for students,
spirit of Bouwkunde lived on, first in tents
researcher and the public alike
and containers, later in a new landmark
building. Or rather, newly renovated , because the faculty now occupies the university’s
former main building at the Julianalaan. This 1920s building was transformed into a
vibrant complex for students, researcher and the public alike. Hence its new name: BK
City. In 2011 BK City even won the Europa Nostra Award, an important European prize for
the preservation of cultural heritage.
Science Centre
Just across the road from BK City you find the TU
Delft Science Centre, another great marriage of new
with old. The building at Mijnbouwstraat 120 (Mining
Street in English) used to house the faculty of Mining
Engineering and Petroleum Extraction. This discipline
developed into the wider field of Geotechnology,
which is now part of the faculty of Civil Engineering
and Geosciences (CiTG). The century-old building
at Mijnbouwstraat was recently renovated, but kept
all of its monumental splendor. It now houses the
Science Centre, a museum aimed at showcasing
science and technology to a wide audience, but
especially aimed at primary and secondary schools.
The building is worth a visit in itself. It also houses a
number of interesting rooms you can book for your workshop, presentation or meeting.
During a recent renovation of the Aula, the promotion ceremonies were also held here.
Mekelpark
In 2007 the former Mekelweg was transformed into the Mekelpark: lush green, no
more cars and ample bike and walk paths. The park even houses art: a collection of
‘engineering art’ designed by students and employees. Look out for exhibits such as the
Galileo thermometer, the Concrete Lips, and the Floppy Tower. The park will soon lose
89 | Prologue
some of its tranquil atmosphere though. By 2015 it will be traversed by the long-awaited
tram line 19. Tram line 19 connects The Hague and Delft, and is to be extended from the
Central Station in Delft to the Technopolis area. Technopolis is the science and business
park currently being developed at the South end of the campus.
Tip: a great way to see the Mekelpark and its buildings is from an upper floor of the
faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EWI).
Campus facilities
Campus card
One of the first things you need is a campus card. As university buildings are public
buildings, there is no entrance security system in most buildings. However, a lot of
offices or office wings are closed off and only
A lot of offices or office wings accessible with an electronic campus card.
The campus card also gives you unlimited
are closed off and accessible
access to the staff coffee machines.
with an electronic campus card
A definite bonus, though some people
maintain it is worth the walk (and the money) to go and get coffee from one of the coffee
shops, such as espresso bar STERK (Dutch for strong) in BK City or The Cone coffee shop in
the Library, or the cafés in the CiTG and EWI faculties.
With your campus card you can use the multifunctional photocopiers that also serve as
network printers and scanners. Simply swipe the card to login and you can print, copy
and scan to your heart’s content.
How to get this useful card? You have to get one made at the information desks of the
Central Student Administration (CSA at Jaffalaan 9a) or the Facility Management and
Real Estate department (FMRE at Kluyverweg 6). A digital pass photo is taken at that
occasion, so wear a smile. To get entrance with your card, you still need to activate it. This
is done through an authorization form that you have to hand in at the Service Desk in
your building. Authorization will take a few days, but you can get a temporary pass in the
mean time. Your department’s secretary can help you with this.
Service Desk
The Service Desk in your building is your
point of contact for all kinds of practical
matters regarding facilities. You can ask
them in person, or send an email with
your query or problem. In that case, your
Prologue | 90
query is registered and you can follow the progress by logging in with your net-id to the
service pages. The Service Desk webpages feature a useful FAQ section.
Library
Apart from an exceptional building,
The Library can help you with your
the Library is also a good place
search, and offers expertise on subjects
to be, with its extended opening
hours, project and meeting rooms
such as copyright and open access
and programme of workhshops,
exhibitions and other events. First and foremost, the TU Delft Library is your access to
scientific information. Besides housing an impressive collection of books on technical and
science subjects, the Library gives you access to digital collections of journals, articles,
newspapers and other digital sources. The Library can help you with your search, and
offers expertise on subjects such as copyright and open access.
NB Opening hours are eight to midnight on weekdays, and during exam periods even
later. However, during summer and winter breaks, the opening hours are limited. Check
to avoid closed doors.
Sports and Culture
Sports & Culture - S&C - is TU Delft’s leisure complex. At Sports you can work on your
fitness with activities from bouldering to badminton. Subscription for PhD candidates
cost the same as for students, and this is very reasonable. For some activities additional
costs apply, e.g. for equipment, lessons, or room hire. For other (team) activities you have
91 | Prologue
to join one of the many student sports clubs that reside under S&C.
Check www.snc.tudelft.nl or drop by at the sports desk.
At Culture you can take courses in dance, music, media, arts, and theatre. For each of
these categories you need an individual subscription, but if you take out more than one,
you get a discount. With a subscription you can register for courses and lessons, but you
can also book rooms for individual use.
Special Events
Take a regular look at the S&C website for
their programme of special events, ranging
from beach parties to pub quizzes. S&C is
also home to international events, such as
the yearly Holi celebration organized by the
Indian student association, but open to all.
Daily dose of distraction
Not just at the Library or Sports & Culture
you can join events. From lunch lectures
to the international TEDxDelft event, you
can get your daily dose of distraction on
campus. But how to find it? Try the ‘Agenda’
on the Employee portal for inspiration. It is
Prologue | 92
not guaranteed to be complete, as individual organisers have to submit their own events,
but it gives you a good idea of what is going on and where. Tip: you can even add your
own (PhD) event to the list.
Health, safety & environment
Under the Working Conditions Act (usually referred as the ‘Arbowet’) employers must
safeguard the working conditions of employees. Every faculty and division has an adviser
for health, safety & environment. A key task of these advisers is to identify risks at work
and to advise on prevention. Machine safety and lab safety are some of the important
issues they advise on. You can contact your local adviser for information about safety, the
environment and working conditions, or e-mail [email protected] to reach their helpdesk.
CANS
Another concern of the health, safety & environment advisers is the prevention of CANS.
CANS stands for Complaints of Arms, Neck and Shoulders, something you may know
under the older name of RSI, or repetitive strain injury. Most of us spend too much time
behind our pcs and laptops, leading to all sorts of aches and pains. If left untreated these
can turn chronic. Two things are important: take regular breaks from you screen and
make sure you sit in the right position. TU Delft offers Workrave software that can alert
you when it is time to take a break and do some stretching exercises. However, many
people find this patronizing and switch WorkRave off – at their peril.
With or without Workrave, good posture is paramount to preventing CANS. Your local
adviser will gladly visit your workplace and help you set your chair, desk and screen at the
right heights.
Human Library
A special Library event for PhD candidates
is the Human Library, where you can
‘borrow’ people instead of books. It is also
an opportunity to meet the rector, who
likes to stay in touch with
So who or what is a Living Book? Living
Books’ can be professors, lecturers, staff
members, other PhD candidates, trainees
or students at TU Delft. People with a
special story. Both the PhD candidates and
the rector assemble a collection of ‘Living
books’, and each chooses an example from
the other’s collection. During the informal
evening, the chosen ‘books’ then tell their
story.
www.library.tudelft.nl
93 | Prologue
Interview
Helene Clogenson – PhD candidate
I studied Biomechanical Engineering in France and Biotechnology in Norway,
where I also did an internship. My PhD in Delft is part of a European project
in biomedical engineering. My research is aimed at designing equipment for
vascular surgery that can be used with MRI imaging techniques, instead of
with x-ray, as it is currently done. I work with partners in the UK, Norway, and
Sweden and other countries. Getting started was a challenge, as the project
was not very well defined at first. I enjoy the freedom I have in Delft, such as
being able to set my own hours or to work from home but coming from France,
some things are very different here; eating sandwiches for lunch, for example.
And rock & roll.
In France, where I learned to dance, rock & roll dancing is very popular at
universities and each may have its own style. When I moved to Norway, there
was a very welcoming international student association, and they were looking
for new activities. I found a dancing partner from France, and together we set
up rock & roll dancing classes and other social and dancing activities. We could
use the facilities of the student organisation, and it was a great success.
When I came to Delft, I wanted to start something similar. I started looking for
an association that could assist me, but only Promood replied to my queries.
With their help I managed to organise a one-off workshop. I also found a dance
partner, who is still helping me. It took a full six months to arrange a second
Prologue | 94
workshop at the Culture centre. It felt as if nobody was interested in doing
something new, and we didn’t fit into any existing groups. In the end, the
Culture centre offered us a room for two hours a week, and Rock’n Delft was
born. A room was the most important thing we needed, really. Everything else
is done by volunteers.
Our rock & roll classes start from zero every semester, but we still take special
care of experienced dancers who are challenged to learn more complex figures.
After the class there is an hour of free dance, where people can practice.
Everyone is welcome to join. You can come on your own, we change partners
during the class anyway, so you will get used to dancing with different partners,
and get to know some people. You don’t have to be very fit to join, but it is
definitely a good way of exercising. You
can wear what you want, dancing shoes or I enjoy the freedom I have in
jeans and sports shoes, everything is fine.
Delft, such as being able to set my
When we give demonstrations we try to
wear similar colours, but we usually keep it own hours or to work from home
simple. And something else, it is not all ‘old’
music we play, but from the fifties to the latest hits. That way, you’ll learn you
can use your dance moves at all occasions, as long as the rhythm is right.
Rock’n Delft is growing; we have five board members, and there are enough
volunteers to help us when we need them. Without them we would have given
up, because it was a lot of work to get things started. There is a great demand
for activities though, especially from expats.
We organise a lot of social events, such as drinks parties and a monthly dancein. Once we visited a rock & roll festival in Lille together. When you come from
abroad you have to find a way to meet new people. Socializing in Delft can be
challenging, I have found. Rock’n Delft is a very open group of people from
various nationalities and we have lots of fun together. At the Christmas cake
party, for example, or during the Easter egg hunt. People bring in food, and we
always end up with more than we can eat.
www.rockndelft.nl or follow us on Facebook.
95 | Prologue
8. Living in the
Netherlands
We have tried to cover all you need to know in your first weeks and months in
the Netherlands. In this final chapter a few more items on where to go, what
to do and where to find out more.
City of Delft
Delft lies in the province of South Holland, and is part of the Randstad conurbation. The
town of Delft is close to the regional agricultural ‘Westland’ area – ideal for cycling tours –
and to the sandy beaches of the coast of South Holland, where walking, water sports, and
wining and dining are all on the recreational menu. Situated between Rotterdam and The
Hague, you are never from a city, but the compact town of Delft has a lot to offer. And the
best thing about Delft must be the city centre itself, which has managed to retain most
of its historic splendour. Canals, bridges and monumental buildings make the centre a
Prologue | 96
picturesque backdrop to your daily life, and are worth exploring further.
It could have gone very wrong with Delft, though. A major disaster was the Delft
‘thunderclap’ or gunpowder explosion in 1654, destroying half the buildings in the city
centre. That is why the new ‘Kruithuis’ or gunpowder storage was built outside the city
gates in 1660. Wars with France and England led to a period of economic decline during
the late 17th and the 18th century. The 19th century saw Delft bouncing back. The
coming of railways, industrialization, and the Royal Academy for the education of civil
engineers (now TU Delft) set Delft on the road to renewed prosperity.
Prince’s town
Delft is closely associated with the Dutch royal family, the house of Orange-Nassau.
This dates back to the Dutch war against Spanish rule at the end of the 16th century,
another turbulent period in the history of the town. Prince William of Orange, a.k.a.
William the Silent lived here during the war and was assassinated by a Spanish spy
in his Delft mansion in 1584. He was buried in the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ or New Church in
Delft, because the Spaniards
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, scientist and ‘father
occupied his hometown of
Breda. Most members of the
of microbiology’ also lived in Delft and is
house of Orange-Nassau – the
buried in the ‘Oude Kerk’ or Old Church
Dutch royal family since the
Netherlands became a Monarchy in 1815 – were buried here from 1584 onwards. Because
of William of Orange, Delft is often referred to as the ‘Prinsenstad’, or Prince’s town.
Another great man who lived in Delft and lies buried in the Nieuwe Kerk, is Grotius (Hugo
de Groot in Dutch), the humanist and founder of international law. His statue can be seen
outside the church. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, scientist and ‘father of microbiology’ also
lived in Delft and is buried in the ‘Oude Kerk’ or Old Church. TU Delft awards a special
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek professorship to some excellent young scientists in his honour.
Painter Johannes Vermeer was baptised a few days before Van Leeuwenhoek. Now an
icon of Delft, Vermeer was not very famous in his lifetime, and was only rediscovered in
the 19th century. Today, he is considered one of the masters of the Dutch Golden Age of
painting. Author Tracey Chevalier’s fictional account of his life and his painting of the ‘Girl
with a pearl earring’ became a bestseller and even a Hollywood movie starring Colin Firth
and Scarlett Johansson.
Water, beer and pots
The name Delft comes from the old Dutch word ‘delf’ or
canal (as in the English verb to delve). Around the year
1100 a natural creek was dug to form serve as a canal for
draining the land and as a waterway. A settlement grew
97 | Prologue
up around it and a second canal was dug later on; these two canals became known as
the Oude & Nieuwe Delft (old and new Delft), and still are today. The village surrounding
these canals acquired city rights in 1246.
The water from the canals was not suitable for drinking, unlike the beer that could be
brewed from it. With an estimated 200 breweries by the 16th century, Delft was an
important beer producer. However, the arrival of coffee, tea, chocolate as beverages, as
well as gin and wine, led to the decline of
With an estimated 200 breweries the Delft breweries. The premises vacated
by the breweries were soon taken up by
by the 16th century, Delft was an a new industry: the potteries, producing
important beer producer
the distinctive tin-glazed blue-on-white
earthenware known as Delftware. But the
heyday of Delftware was short-lived. Cheaper alternatives from e.g. Staffordshire forced
most of the potteries out of business by the 19th century. Only a few potteries survive in
Delft.
Top tips
A lot of people never really visit the town they live or work in, so don’t miss the
opportunity to visit the highlights of Delft; most of them are within walking distance in
the centre of town.
• Oude Kerk: oldest church in Delft, dating back to around 1200. View the famous graves
of Johannes Vermeer and others, but also take a look at the beautiful stained glass
Prologue | 98
windows. Heilige Geestkerkhof 25
• Nieuwe Kerk: Gothic church built between
approx. 1395 and 1495. Houses the royal crypt
and the monument of Hugo Grotius. Feeling
fit? Climb the 376 stairs to get a view of Delft
from 85 metres. On the Market, across from
the Town Hall. Markt 80
• Prinsenhof Museum: the former Sint Agatha
convent became the residence of William
of Orange and now houses a museum. You
can see the bullet holes of William’s murder,
but also a fine collection of pottery, silver,
tapestries and paintings. The museum exhibits
paintings from contemporaries Vermeer,
among them Michiel van Mierevelt, Emanuel
de Witte, Leonart Bramer and Cornelis de Man.
Sint Agathaplein 1
• Museum Paul Tétar van Elven: 19th century painter and collector Paul Tétar van Elven
lived from 1864 to 1894 at the Koornmarkt 67. The house is now a museum for much of
his art collection and for his own work and has rooms decorated in the style of the 18th
and 19th century. Tétar van Elven painted portraits and copies of old masters. He also
taught drawing at the Polytechnic School, now the TU Delft. Koornmarkt 67
• Legermuseum: the Dutch Army Museum contains pieces from Roman times to recent
peacekeeping missions. Uniforms, flags and banners, firearms, tanks, and even small
airplanes are on display. Korte Geer 1
• Mensert Museum: Only open on the first Saturday of the month, but definitely of
interest to engineers. Collector Willem Mensert displays a treasure trove of (historical)
tools in this former brewery. Rooms are set up as workshops for occupations such as
cooper, plumber, roofer, and carpenter. Drie Akkerstraat 9
• City Walk: discover Delft at your leisure with a little help from the Tourist Information
Point (TIP). For a few euros you can buy maps for various themed walks. The ‘historic
walk’ lets you take a closer look at sights you usually pass by. Available at TIP Delft,
Hyppolitusbuurt 4 – or via their webshop at www.delft.com.
Learning Dutch
Should you learn Dutch during your time here? Opinions differ. You will be able to get by
if you only speak English, as many Anglo-Saxon expats have found. However, to really get
99 | Prologue
involved in life in the Netherlands, you should be
There are several levels, and
able to read and speak the language. So if you are
you can even sit a state exam
planning on staying here after your PhD, it is best
to start as soon as possible. Also, even if you only
at the highest level
manage to pick up some of the language, it will help
you get around independently. Though most Dutch people speak (some) English, a lot
of information is only available in Dutch. To find your way around shops, public transport
etc. a smattering of Dutch will certainly help. Going on a course is a good way to meet
new people too.
Courses
• The Volksuniversiteit Delft offers excellent and affordable beginners and intermediate
courses, as well as conversation classes. Grammar is explained in English.
www.vudelft.nl
• Teacher Petra Kottman offers a personal approach in small groups, in Delft. Courses
range from beginners to advanced. www.kottman.info
• Another local option is Taalcollectief where Dutch Language teachers with extensive
experience teaching Dutch as a Second Language at all levels of ability.
www.taalcollectiefdelft.nl
• NT2 courses teach Dutch as a second language and result in an official diploma. There
are several levels, and you can even sit a state exam at the highest level. The Centre
for Languages and Academic Skills (ITAV) at the TBM faculty of the TU Delft offers NT2
courses.
• You can also follow Dutch courses as part of your doctoral education at ITAV.
• Try and check with the municipality in your home town. Depending on their budget,
some towns finance Dutch language courses as part of their social integration activities
for immigrants.
• To practice your Dutch conversation you can try and find a ‘taalcoach’ (language coach),
a volunteer who will help you with practical Dutch. It’s free of charge. On the website
www.hetbegintmettaal.nl you can search for a Taalcoach near you.
Shopping
Shops generally open on weekdays from 9 or 10 am to 6 pm. Chain stores are open every
day except Sunday. Smaller shops are often closed one day a week, usually on Monday.
Other shops, even department stores, often open later on Monday mornings. Once a
week, shops can extend their opening hours until 9 pm; in Delft this is on Friday evenings.
This phenomenon is known as ‘koopavond’ (shopping night).
Prologue | 100
In most towns, shops will
also open on one Sunday
afternoon a month,
known as ‘koopzondag’
(buying Sunday). In Delft,
this is on the first Sunday
of the month. In cities
such as The Hague and
Rotterdam, the shops
open every Sunday
afternoon. The law only
allows this in towns that
are designated touristic
areas. In fact, it is the Dutch you will see flocking to the shops on Sunday.
Supermarkets are often open until 8 pm, some even later. Many also open during part
of the day on Sundays. Additionally, there are shops that have a permit to sell late into
the evening and on Sundays, the ‘avondwinkels’ (evening shops). Evening shops are
good for last-minute buys, but expect to pay more than in a normal supermarket. Large
supermarkets often also offer internet shopping and delivery.
A good place for food shopping is the market, held in Delft on Thursdays and Saturdays.
If you are into biological food,
There are shops that have a permit to sell the Ekoplaza supermarket has a
large store on Vrouwjuttenland.
late into the evening and on Sundays, the
Here you can also buy gluten/
‘avondwinkels’ (evening shops)
wheat free products or other
diet products. For more exotic
foodstuff, try the smaller shops. At a ‘toko’ you will find a variety of spices and other
ingredients. Try Turkish bakeries for ‘baklava’, a lovely delicacy made with lots of honey. At
‘halal’ butchers you can buy lamb, something most supermarkets don’t store.
Post offices used to be a familiar sight in every shopping street. Liberalisation of the
postal market has led their virtual disappearance. You will now find post office stations in
larger supermarkets and in bookstores. The post office website www.post.nl has a post
office finder: ‘zoek postkantoor’.
Shopping is a favourite pastime for the Dutch, who like their bargains. So don’t be
surprised to see discounts and sales throughout the year. The downside of this is,
that many smaller shops have closed down. In most shopping areas you will now find
branches of the same chain stores, selling cheap toys, personal care items and clothes.
Delft still has an interesting selection of individual shops, though. A good alternative is a
visit to Haarlem, north of Amsterdam. A lovely town with excellent shops.
101 | Prologue
Eating out
Over the centuries, the Dutch have
settled all over the globe, but somehow
Dutch cuisine has not taken the
world by storm. Rather, Dutch people
returning from overseas brought exotic
foods back with them. So did recent
settlers from Mediterranean, Asian and
North-African countries. The pleasant
result is that you can now eat out in
restaurants serving food originating
from Belgium to China, taking in Morocco and Indonesia along the way.
The Dutch are generally keen on getting value for money. That is why they like to eat in
restaurants with buffets or all-you-can-eat options. A lot of Chinese wok restaurants and
Japanese sushi places that offer just that appeared on the scene in recent years. You will
also often find large notices on the
The Dutch favour sandwiches for lunch,
sidewalk advertising the price for a
set or choice menu. Good to know
and have made sandwiches into an art
what you are getting into financially,
form, inventing ‘broodjes’ with long lists
but it doesn’t really say how fresh
the fish is, or how imaginative the
of ingredients and even longer names
cook. To find out about the quality
of a restaurant, the Dutch often rely on websites such as www.IENS.nl and
www.Smulweb.nl. There, people vent their opinions and grade restaurants. These sites
are useful for finding places to go, but taking other peoples word for the quality of the
food can be risky, as taste is such a personal thing.
Eating out is not really part of the Dutch way of life, at least not as much as it is in
neighbouring countries. In Belgium and Germany you can walk into almost any
restaurant and expect to eat well at an affordable price, even at lunchtime. In the
Netherlands, there is a shortage of places where you can get a good, quick meal at
lunchtime or after work. Unless you like kebab, or are adventurous enough to try
something fried from the ubiquitous snack bar.
For many people, eating out is something for
special occasions. Having a takeaway is a favourite
option if they don’t feel like cooking: it is cheaper,
and you get to keep the leftovers (don’t expect
‘doggy bags’ in restaurants).
The Dutch favour sandwiches for lunch, and have
Prologue | 102
made sandwiches into an art
form, inventing ‘broodjes’ with
long lists of ingredients and even
longer names. The word ‘broodje’
means bun, but it can be
anything from an open-topped
sandwich to half a French stick.
In its cheapest form a ‘broodje’
is a soft, white bun, often filled
with a single slice of plasticlooking ham or cheese; you may see it served at office lunches or meetings, or sold at
train stations or other places where you have few options. In fact, Delft houses a number
of cafes that have produced prizewinning ‘broodjes’. These places are a nice option for
meeting friends for lunch. Nowadays, the often serve high teas as well. Try for example
Café Vrij, het Stads-koffyhuis Delft or Koffiehuis Uit de Kunst.
So where to go in the evenings? It is often best to avoid the main tourist area, both for
shopping and eating. In Delft that means around the Markt, the main market square. Off
the square, or on the Beestenmarkt, you will find better options. An exception is Greek
restaurant Minos at Markt 12. Here you can eat a well-prepared, affordable and quick
meal in a cafeteria-style restaurant. If you are looking for something more upmarket, try
the cuisine of Le Vieux Jean, Van der Dussen or De Prinsenkelder. A pleasant backstreet
surprise is Ethiopian restaurant Abessinie in the Kromstraat.
The official Delft website gives more options: www.delft.nl/delften/Tourists/Eating_
drinking. Or find out what other visitors to Delft think of the town at
www.virtualtourist.com. Just enter ‘Delft’ as your destination. A similar site is
www.tripadvisor.nl.
Dutch cuisine
Dutch cuisine has made a name for
‘Stamppot’ is a typically Dutch dish
itself on account of its blandness. A lot
and comes in many varieties: with kale,
of people are abhorred by the idea of
potatoes and boiled vegetables mashed
sauerkraut, carrots and onions etc.
together, richly covered in gravy. Yet this
‘stamppot’ (the verb ‘stampen’ means to stamp, or in this case: to mash) is a typically
Dutch dish and comes in many varieties: with kale, sauerkraut, carrots and onions etc.
Historically, Dutch cuisine was as rich and varied as any kitchen in Europe. The Dutch even
ruled the spice trade for centuries. But after the Dutch Golden Age - the 17th Century the Netherlands lost much of its wealth, and its cuisine moved from sumptuous to simple
and cheap.
103 | Prologue
Yet there is hope. Elaborate cooking is coming into fashion, and cooking and eating
together is a popular pastime. Dutch television now even boasts a dedicated food
channel: 24kitchen. With many and varied food shops, there is no reason why people
should stick to ‘stamppot’.
Some other Dutch ‘specialties’ you may encounter
• Pannekoeken: pancakes. Served in sweet and savoury variations, these can be eaten as
a dessert or as a main meal. The traditional topping is ‘stroop’ a thick, treacle-like syrup.
• Poffertjes: tiny pancakes, thickly covered with icing sugar and a generous dollop of
butter. A favourite treat for Dutch children, or for adults reliving childhood memories.
• Haring: preferably eaten raw and with onions, while standing at the herring cart
(‘haringkar’).
• Drop: liquorice, a black sweet available in many shapes and sizes. The thing Dutch
people miss most when going abroad.
• Patat ‘met’: fried potato chips with mayonnaise.
• Kroket: fried snack with a meat filling (often of dubious quality). Available as a McKroket
from the famous fast food outlet.
• Stroopwafels: thin wafers with a caramel filling. Another (sickly) sweet treat for children.
• Erwtensoep: pea soup. Thick soup made of peas and other vegetables, sausages, and
served with rye bread and bacon. A special winter dish.
• Hagelslag: chocolate sprinkles used as a sandwich topping.
Is it all bad? Read the blog of a self-confessed expat foodie in the Netherlands and find
out where she gets her gourmet shopping done. www.mykitchendiaries.net
Prologue | 104
Dutch idiosyncrasies
It would be unfair to tar all Dutch with the same brush, but there are some typically Dutch
habits. Courtesy is not really one of them. Dutch people are very outspoken, down to
the point of rudeness. However, this can be due to their limited knowledge of the use of
polite forms and pre-sequences in English, even though they pride themselves on their
language abilities. Outspokenness is one thing, but you also shouldn’t expect people
to queue up for buses, or give up their seats once they are sat on a bus. ‘Ladies first’ is
something the Dutch seem to have given up in their striving for sexual equality.
A telling Dutch saying is ‘doe maar gewoon dan doe je al gek genoeg’, meaning as much
as ‘act normal, that is crazy enough as it is”. The
Dutch don’t like bragging or showing off, and
Dutch people are very outspoken,
generally like to keep a low profile. However, this
down to the point of rudeness
modest attitude is thrown completely overboard
during sporting events, when whole streets are decorated with orange bunting, and
crowds of supporters dressed in orange, and with wigs and painted faces, occupy the
stands.
Though usually open and friendly, the Dutch value their privacy. People don’t call on each
other unannounced, and do not easily expand their intimate circle of friends and family.
Once you are invited over, for dinner for example, expect to shake hands when you arrive,
and exchange three kisses when you leave. Also, don’t be surprised if your hosts then
wait in the door opening and wave at you until you are out of sight. It is customary to
bring something for the host in such cases - flowers, wine or chocolates- but expect to be
told that you shouldn’t have done that (‘dat had je nou niet moeten doen’).
Chapters and books could be filled about the Dutch, and other people have done so.
Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen, a.k.a. the ueen of etiquette, wrote a nice book on the subject:
Dutch Ditz.
Another favourite is Undutchables: an observation of the Netherlands, its culture and its
inhabitants, by Colin White and Laurie Boucke The UnDutchables. First printed in 1989 it
is still widely sold today, and has been translated into Dutch and traditional Chinese.
Religious services
A predominantly Christian country since the Middle Ages, the Netherlands are now a
mostly secular country, with low church attendance. Nevertheless, most religions are
represented in the Netherlands. In The Hague with its large expat community you will
find many houses of worship. The American Women’s club of The Hague provides a list at
www.awcthehague.org/worship.php
At the International Student Chaplaincy (ISC) students from
all countries and religions can meet each other and the two
105 | Prologue
chaplains. For Christian students an English ecumenical service is held at 11.30am in the
chapel of the church in Raamstraat 78.
www.iscnetherlands.nl
The International Reformed Evangelical Fellowship holds an ecumenical service in English
at noon on Sundays. Heilige Geestkerkhof 25. www.iref.nl
There are two mosques in Delft: the Morroccan Al-Ansaar Mosque at the Vulcanusweg
265A and the Turkish Sultan Ahmet Mosque at the Duke Ellingtonstraat 201. The Sultan
Ahmet Mosque has a website in Turkish: www.delftsultanahmetmoskee.com
Find out more and make new friends
No doubt you will be left with questions after reading this booklet. You can find out more
on the net, but how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? Here are some websites
we found helpful, and some ways to get in touch with locals and internationals.
www.phd.info.tudelft.nl guides you to all sorts of useful information for PhD
candidates, often on the TU Delft website itself. The employee portal guides you to many
areas of interest across the TU Delft website.
The EURAXES website, www.euraxess.nl gives lots of practical information on ‘The
Netherlands for Researchers’, including a pre-departure section.
Prologue | 106
www.delft.nl/delften is the official English website for the municipality of Delft.
It has sections for residents, visitors and people wanting to do business in Delft.
www.access–nl.org. ACCESS is a not-for-profit organisation supporting the international
community in the Netherlands. Scroll down to the bottom of their homepage and you
find a comprehensive list of topics surrounding life in the Netherlands.
Couch surfing Delft
www.couchsurfing.org is a network for connecting travelers with local communities.
The couch surfing Delft group is good way to meet new people in Delft – both locals and
internationals. You can sign up via www.couchsurfing.org, or join them on
Facebook.com/CSDelft
Meetup Rotterdam
www.meetup.com/internationals-in-Rotterdam: close to the train station in Rotterdam
is where the internationals in and around Rotterdam – and from Delft - get together once
a month for after work drinks and socializing. Another good chance to meet new faces.
International Neighbour Group
www.ing.tudelft.nl: the International Neighbour Group (ING) Delft offers free
membership and a monthly programme of dinners, outings, handicraft and lots more.
Dutch and English classes are also on offer. At the weekly meeting point you can get
in touch with locals and fellow
internationals, and find out more
At the weekly meeting point you can get in
about the activities. ING is perhaps
touch with locals and fellow internationals,
not for the young, free and single,
but nice for the family-oriented.
and find out more about the activities
www.thehagueonline.com is one such site for expats in and around The Hague. Their
section on local arts and entertainment is extensive; The Hague (being close to Delft)
can be your starting point for a bit of international culture. The Hague even boasts a
television network for expats, www.expat.tv.
www.expatica.com/nl is part of a European wide network for expats. The Dutch pages
are somewhat focused on Amsterdam, especially the events. But then, why not take a trip
to the capital occasionally? Expatica even has a free dating service.
www.dutchnews.nl Read all about it. Dutch news in English. Check out their dictionary
of acronyms, abbreviations and general jargon.
107 | Prologue
Interested in the experiences of others? You can find expat blogs (and lots of other
information) through www.iamexpat.nl.
We recommend www.letterfromthenetherlands.blogspot.nl in the funny-but-true
category. Read e.g. the eight tips on eating out and prepare yourself for the unhelpful
attitude of some Dutch service staff.
Foreign student societies
Mixing with Dutch and international students is fine, but it can be good to meet with
compatriots. Several nationalities have set up their own student associations where you
can do just that.
Here is a list of the most active ones:
• ABC Compas, Technical Student Association
www.abccompas.com
(for students from the ABC Islands Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao)
• Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in Delft (ACSSNL)
www.sites.google.com/site/ilovedelft
• Hellenic Student Association Netherlands (HSAN)
www.hellenicsan.nl
• Indian student association Delft
www.isadelft.wikispaces.com
Prologue | 108
• Iranian student association
www.isstud.org
• Mexicanos en TUDelft
Wikispaces: www.mxtudelft.wikispaces.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Mexicanos-en-TUDelft/247981238563863
• Pakistani Student Society – Netherlands (PSS-NL)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/261130880592622
•R
omanian Association
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/
Is your country not on the list
delft123
yet?
Why not set up your own association?
For more information, and the complete list:
TU Delft website/student portal/student life/student associations
Expat community
There is quite a lot out there for expats in
the Netherlands. For example, The Hague
is home to a large expat community,
because of the embassies, international
courts of justice and multinational
employers such as Shell and Siemens
located there. Be aware therefore that
expat sites are sometimes geared to
the wealthier kind of expat. So informa-
tion on housing might lead you to
accommodation that can cost as much as
your monthly salary or more. Still, you’ll
find interesting items such as Dutch news
in English, local events, and discussion
forums. Also, if you are here with your
partner and/or family, you’ll find lots of
information on subjects such as schools,
child care, etc.
109 | Prologue
Interview
Eva Lantsoght – PhD candidate
After my degree in civil engineering in Brussels, I received a Fulbright
scholarship to go to Georgia Tech for a year. I would have liked to do a PhD in
the US as well, but by the time I arrived, in the autumn of 2008, the financial
crisis was in full swing and budgets were being frozen. So I looked around
for other options. In Brussels I had often heard speak of TU Delft’s professor
Walraven. When I contacted him, I found out he was going to start a new
research project on the capacity of bridges and other concrete structures. That
fitted in nicely, both with my interests and my schedule, so I was happy to be
hired.
Naturally it takes some getting used to another country and another university.
Even another language, though coming from Belgium my mother tongue
is Dutch. But Belgian Dutch – or Flemish – is still different. For example, we
almost always use the polite form of address. In Delft, hardly anybody does,
and you call professors by their first name. Meetings are also very informal,
with two or three people talking at the same time, and nobody really in charge.
The informal atmosphere has benefits too. I share a room with an associate
professor, and listening in on his conversations about projects, I learn a lot.
Most of all, I had
to get used to the
amount of freedom
you get. In the US, I
had experienced how
professors check on
their PhD candidates
on a daily basis. Here,
you have to find out
for yourself what is
expected of you; that
can be confusing at
first. However, I think
Prologue | 110
this is a bonus considering your goal of becoming and independent researcher.
Luckily, I had to start with lab work very soon, so my confusion didn’t last long.
I also went in at the deep end at conferences. I wrote my first abstract two
months after I arrived. To my surprise I was to go there alone, instead of with my
supervisor. I still get a little nervous holding a presentation at a conference, but
this is improving. Knowing more and more about my subject, my confidence is
growing.
After about a year I felt I had learned so much that I should do something
with my experiences. That is why
I started my blog ‘PhD Talk’. I used
Meetings are also very informal, with
to blog before, but usually just for
two or three people talking at the same
an audience of friends and family.
time, and nobody really in charge
This time, my blog really took off: I
have thousands of page views every
month. My blog is read mostly in the US, the Netherlands coming second. On
it, I like to share good advice and tips. I got one golden advice in the lab: to
start as soon as possible with writing reports on your experiments, and not wait
until you are finished. Otherwise, you will drown in data and have a hard time
finding out their significance. So my advice is, always listen to advice from lab
technicians and fellow PhD candidates.
After two and a half years of lab work, I am now working on my theoretical
model. I am a little bit behind on the theoretical side, but that was unavoidable.
We had a limited timeframe for our project, which involved developing
practical methods for ‘Rijkswaterstaat’, the Directorate General for Public Works
and Water Management. It was a busy time; I used to work from 8 am to 4 pm in
the lab and then from 4 to 10 pm I would do my calculations. I have now scaled
down my working week to 50 or 60 hours, that is not so bad. At least I have
some time again for my hobbies: going to the gym and reading literature.
www.phdtalk.blogspot.com
111 | Prologue
Prologue | 112
113 | Prologue
Colofon
This Prologue is brought to you by Promood, the independent representative body of
PhD candidates at Delft University of Technology.
Editor-in-chief
Agaath Diemel
Design & lay-out
Liesbeth van Dam
Text & editing
Agaath Diemel
Hadi Asghari
Ken Arroyo Ohori
Timothy Cayford
Illustrations Kenny the Caveman
Hoessein Alkisaei
Cover design
Matthijs Haak
Photos (pages 86 and 110)
Sam Rentmeester
Promood wishes to thank
Professor Karel Luyben, Rector Magnificus
The TU Delft Graduate School
Jorge Cham – PhD comics
And everybody else who contributed and gave their invaluable feedback.
Prologue is a guide and a reference booklet for
PhD candidates affiliated to the Delft University
of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands.
In this latest edition you can read all about
doing a PhD at TU Delft, from finding a position
to what to do after graduating with a Doctorate.