Shows
Beyond PhD#40 When is a paper final?Writing a paper is like creating art. The artist chooses when to stop with the work of art.
But the artist can also get trapped inside their mind.
“Do I have the right results? Maybe I should try to get better ones. I have not done enough.”
These questions run in our minds as we stare at the screen, wanting to do something meaningful. And we find an activity to do for half an hour, to feel better.
Now we h...
2024-06-1721 minBeyond PhD#39 The one person who will read your thesisWho are the people who will get a glance at your thesis?
Some of the professors from the committee, because they have to.
Some of your colleagues and friends, because they want to see if they ended up in the acknowledgments.
Your family, who will use it as a trophy to show around.
The one person who will read many chapters of your thesis is described in this episode.
#phd #phdjourney...
2024-06-1010 minBeyond PhD#38 Dialogue about your PhD vision"I want to create a start-up after my PhD, but I am unsure if and when to communicate this to my PhD supervisor."
Because ... (finish with your own words)
- I might change my mind.
- I might not fulfill what we agreed upon.
- I might disappoint my supervisor // my expectations of myself.
It is perfectly fine to change your mind. It is perfectly fine not to fulfill exactly what you agree upon...
2024-06-0615 minBeyond PhD#37 Research(er) roles /w Vlasta SikimicVlasta Sikimic is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Eindhoven University of Technology. This interview could have lasted for hours, so we focused on topics related to the PhD and the roles of researchers nowadays.
Here are just some of the topics we touch upon in this interview:
- position of the PhD candidate and the supervisor
- individual responsibility and the responsibility of the academic system
- challenges that the future will bring to the scientific community
If you want...
2024-06-0657 minBeyond PhD#36 Supervisor asks for weekend workImagine a situation where your professor asks you to do something that requires you to work over the weekend. And this weekend you have planned to go on a trip. What do you do? How do you respond?
Are you bringing up your plans on the table, or rethinking in your head how to find a solution to do both things at the same time?
Thinking that the professor will not appreciate if you say no, that it will be inappropriate, that you will not be held in high regard...
2024-05-2010 minBeyond PhD#35 The most is up to you, but not allLet’s take the example of publishing a paper. The work that needs to be done is: finding a research direction, literature review, finding a missing part, aligning with the supervisor to aim for a publication, doing experiments for the paper, analyzing experiments, putting them in a publishable format, and submitting them to a research journal. Quite some steps to be taken.
After submission, it is not up to us anymore. Now it is up to the editors to find the reviewers, up to the reviewers to accept it, take their time, and provide qu...
2024-04-2918 minBeyond PhD#34 Supervisor is there to challenge youBy choosing the PhD journey, you have chosen to challenge yourself. You went out of the ordinary, out of your comfort zone, looking for ways to learn, acquire new skills, and grow.
The environment itself can be a challenge. People at work can deliver challenges. But ultimately, there is one person whose job is to challenge you – your PhD supervisor. Your supervisor will ask you uncomfortable questions and will ask you to do things you have not done before, all to provide opportunities for you to learn from.
We ca...
2024-04-2216 minBeyond PhD#33 PhD is just a jobIf PhD would be just one of the jobs you will have in your life – how would that make you feel? How would you approach it?
Would you be disappointed because for you working in academia is the highest expression you can achieve in your lifetime? Would this attitude take away the power and nobility that academic position has in your perception?
Or would you be relieved because you can focus on other things in your life as well?
The noble part about doing a PhD does no...
2024-04-1522 minBeyond PhD#32 Why have a life next to your PhD?I am just going to focus on the PhD for a few years, and then finally live my life. Then I will deserve to have some rest. Then I can focus on other activities as well.
Life does not care if we are doing a PhD or not. Because after the PhD might come a job, a family, and more on our plate than we imagined.
Having a PhD is not a ticket to freedom. Your thoughts and habits are a ticket to freedom. Which is great because you...
2024-04-0819 minBeyond PhD#31 No PhD is the sameMost of us publish papers, present our work at conferences, and defend our theses. But how we get to this point, and do each of these things is unique to every one of us.
For someone making a presentation is fun and easy, and presenting the same work to a large audience is terrifying. While for someone else it is the other way around. Seemingly the results are the same, but the process of getting to this result is very different.
Your weak points will become your superpowers during the PhD, because you will put more effort into mastering...
2024-04-0115 min
Being and DoingBeing and Doing with Marija Trajković on how to have success in (and beyond) your PhD - ep.51To support the channel make your donation here: https://gofund.me/99e09b6b
If you like what you hear please share, like and subscribe so these stories can reach more people.
Marija is an engineer and a coach. After having obtained her PhD in electrical engineering, she now uses her experience together with her training as a coach to help other PhDs find fulfilment during this journey. Having lived in 5 different countries, working in academia, a start-up, and as an entrepreneur, she keeps being inspired by different PhD stories and similarities between them. Some of those stories are sh...
2024-03-131h 13Beyond PhD#30 Building immunity during your PhD“I thought I was already immune.”
To criticism.
To tough conversations.
To hard questions during your presentation.
PhD situations are like chicken pox. If we do not deal with them during the PhD, while you are a kid, they will come back another time and have a stronger impact and longer recovery time.
The immunity you develop during the PhD will serve you far more in all the other areas of life than initially thought. Bravo for those of you out there who are exposing yourself and getting stronger by temporarily having setbacks.
Share this with someone who needs to h...
2024-03-1110 minBeyond PhD#29 International Women's Day 2024This video is a gathering of women who previously gave interviews 1-1 in this podcast. ☺️ They all have a PhD in STEM-related fields, yet each of them brings a unique flavor to her work and her presence. More about it in this episode 🎧
The 1-1 interviews are on the following links: Ep#1 Valentina Bonito, Ph.D. https://lnkd.in/ewPHeqa5Ep#3 Wieteke de Boer https://lnkd.in/e33kNN7YEp#5 Diana Leitao https://lnkd.in/eqwz6qX7Ep#9 Aleksandra Vancevska https://lnkd.in/eKWmUsur
Happy International Women’s...
2024-03-0853 minBeyond PhD#28 Coaching, consulting, mentoring & therapyIn this episode, I talk about the difference between coaching, consulting, mentoring, and therapy, and how they show up in my life. 🎧
If you want to check whether coaching is for you, I invite you to book a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/phdtalk-marija/phd-talk
#phd #phdlife #phdjourney #beyondphd #PhD #phdchat
2024-03-0416 minBeyond PhD#27 A hundred different waysIf you want something, ask a hundred different people. In a hundred different ways. Until you get a yes.
A PhD position.
A colleague’s help.
A ticket to attend a conference.
One no is one moment in time. Two no-s are two moments in time. Make it count until you have decided that it is statistics. You can do it. You are already here because you asked for many things in many different ways. You have the knowledge and the drive. Keep going 😊
If you want...
2024-02-2612 minBeyond PhD#26 Comparison through journalingThe only comparison that we can make is with ourselves from yesterday.
What is your way of remembering who you were a year ago?
If you are wondering how to use this for your PhD, I invite you to book a free discovery call.
https://calendly.com/phdtalk-marija/phd-talk
#phd #phdlife #phdjourney #beyondphd #PhD #phdchat
2024-02-1910 minBeyond PhD#25 The criticOne day while working in the lab, Suzan makes a mistake that brings her 4 steps back. “You idiot, you should be working in a supermarket.” Her critical voice fires automatically. This voice is pressuring her to be perfect, to not make mistakes, and to identify herself with her results.
After a few hours, she calms down, but the voice is still there. The pressure stays, and the stakes are higher the next time she enters the lab. Now she has to cover for her mistake. You are familiar with this scenario. It has been playing out many time...
2024-02-1208 minBeyond PhD#24 Is career linear?Bachelor, Master, PhD – and then?
We have it all lined up until this point, which makes it easy, safe, secure.
But is it?
More about it in this podcast episode 🎧
Let’s discover during a call what your career options could be: https://calendly.com/phdtalk-marija/phd-talk
2024-02-0810 minBeyond PhD#23 Four levels to masteryThe trap we fall into is mastering one skill and expecting to be at the same level in other skills. We learn to write a paper, and then expect to start at a higher level when preparing the presentation. Which makes us:
- Go back to doing what we are good at to make ourselves feel better
- Give up before we’ve tried enough times because we feel uncomfortable
A beginner’s mind combined with caring is a beautiful place to start. It requires openness, and admitting that we do not know, witho...
2024-02-0509 minBeyond PhD#22 How can you influence your PhD supervisor?Do you think to yourself that if you had a different supervisor, you could have gone further in your PhD?
If yes, you are not alone. Here is what other PhDs said:
- I wish my supervisor would help me change my perspective.
- I wish my supervisor would be more present.
- I wish my supervisor would realize what is needed.
Now you might get frustrated that this episode does not unfold how you expect it, but it might serve just the way it is.
I i...
2024-02-0209 minBeyond PhD#21 Do you have to work hard for a good idea?There is a narrative that we need to work hard because PhD
is difficult. And yet, here you are not afraid of the PhD being difficult.
What we are afraid of is: looking stupid when asking questions, looking lazy when taking holidays, and ultimately not being good enough as a researcher. When these fears take over, they get us in the mode of hard worker to prove that we are not stupid, or lazy.
While we are showing that we are hard workers who know all
the answers, there...
2024-01-2919 minBeyond PhD#20 Good student syndromeFocus on getting the right result
Stress rises because there is no clear direction on what is right. You end up overthinking which way to go to hit the jackpot. Your mind keeps running in all possible scenarios, and you end up executing none because you are tired just thinking of all the scary possibilities.
Focus on moving forward
Realizing that you can do only one thing at a time, and doing that one single, simple thing. Sending an email. Booking the lab. Asking a colleague for help. Shutting down distractions. Tapping yourself on the back when you do...
2024-01-2512 minBeyond PhD#19 Bad news & good news: it is the same after the PhDYou might be thinking that things will be very different once you have that PhD diploma. That people in another group will be better. That you will feel differently because you hold that degree. That you just need to push until the end and then everything will change.
And yes, circumstances will be different. But your way of being and doing will most likely be the same. If you are feeling like an impostor, it can be even worse once you have to "defend" the fact that you hold a PhD degree. If you...
2024-01-2114 min
Beyond PhD#18 Travel for free during your PhDLike the PhD, travel is about the journey.
Meeting people, exploring organizations, learning new ways of being and doing, opening your luggage, taking stuff out that you do not need anymore, putting new stuff in, bringing it back, and implementing what serves.
During your PhD here are some of the ways you can travel for
free:
- Finding a PhD that already implies traveling
- Making a collaboration with another institution
- Submitting your work to conferences
- Acquiring travel grants
- Finding (student) organizations to tr...
2024-01-1821 min
Beyond PhD#17 The believing partI do not know you.
But I know that there is a part of you that is absolutely certain, confident, has trust, and believes in yourself.
That you are getting that PhD.
That you are able to write that paper.
That you will grow and learn a lot. About the topic, about yourself.
Look behind you.
Look at the road you have traveled so far.
And tap yourself on the back. You have done an amazing job.
You are doing an amazing job.
2023-11-2218 min
Beyond PhD#16 Project proposal vs project executionBingo - a game in which you choose numbers and wait for the lottery pick to announce the winning combo.
How is a research project similar to playing bingo?
More about it in this episode.
If you are ready to take control of your PhD, check out the work I do with PhD ninjas and schedule a free consult: https://linktr.ee/marija.trajkovic
2023-09-0614 min
Beyond PhD#15 PhD ninjaPractice makes a PhD ninja.
The woman who inspired the term "PhD ninja" lives up to that title to this day. More about it in this episode.
What else defines a PhD ninja that is not covered in this episode?
P. S. Please do not go sneaking behind someone's back, while you practice becoming a PhD ninja.
P. P. S. In Japan, there is an official diploma for ninjas.
2023-09-0122 min
Beyond PhD#14 Having 4 jobs at the same timeCall it crazy, insane, impossible – PhDs are ninjas. As you master the art of uncovering your drivers and aspirations, you’ll realize your capacity
exceeds your current visions.
Take it from my example – I am not advocating having many jobs simultaneously for an extended period of time, but bring it as a testament to the boundless possibilities.
Whether you choose the academic track, the corporate landscape, or craft your own way, remember that you're not merely defined by your PhD. Join the ninjas and uncover what is possible for you: h...
2023-08-1521 minBeyond PhD#13 PhD as direction, not a destinationExpectations we put on ourselves for measuring performance during the PhD are often goal-oriented. Rarely do we use these expectations to motivate us to become the person who is X and Y.
Who is capable of fulfilling that goal.
Who has acquired the skillset for high performance.
Who ultimately feels peaceful and grateful for the journey and the challenges that help the growth.
And who believes that the goals we set are going to be met one way or another because this person knows the direction they are headed.
When you have a direction, you do not...
2023-08-0515 minBeyond PhD#12 Particle physicist and science journalist - Margriet van der HeijdenMathematics, physics, astronomy, science journalism, and science for children.
Margriet van der Heijden is a particle physicist by education. During her PhD research, she worked for four years at CERN in Geneva, where she obtained her PhD on quarks and their mutual interaction.
How her career developed from there onwards, what she is working on now, and which subjects she is passionate about – are the topics that we addressed in this episode.
🗏 https://margrietvanderheijden.com/bio...
#science #physics #sciencecommunication
2023-08-0548 minBeyond PhD#11 Relationship building: PhD + supervisorOne night stand or a long-term relationship?
How do you approach your relationship with your supervisor?
Expecting to get everything, giving anything in return?
Getting a PhD title has a lot to do with the quality of relationships we build on this journey. And the enjoyment skyrockets when there is a feeling of building the research together.
2023-08-0515 minBeyond PhD#10 Asking for what you need during your PhDFear often stops us from expressing what we want: asking for a talk with our professor because we feel lost at a certain point in our research, feedback on the paper that we started, setting up regular meetings to get more guidance and discussion on our research results.
This is an invitation to express to the relevant person what is it that you want. :)
2023-06-0410 min
Beyond PhD#9 The intuitive and the rational - Aleksandra VancevskaAleksandra Vancevska, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Francis Crick Institute in London where she is investigating DNA damage response in search of next-generation chemotherapeutics in the laboratory of Dr. Simon Boulton.
A word that is a driving force in her life is curiosity, and that drive has taken her places she could never imagine visiting. As a world-leading biomedical researcher she is passionate about science and rational thought and how can we use it to make our lives more pragmatic. As a yoga teacher, dancer, and trainee psychotherapist she is interested in the intuitive, the creative...
2023-04-301h 21
Beyond PhD#8 Finding your own way within the academia - Barry FitzgeraldBarry Fitzgerald is a physicist, keynote speaker, author, speaker trainer, event host, and science communicator. Barry has seen the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War more than 50 times, and his superpower will remain a closely guarded secret.
Via his company BW Science, Barry has spoken around the world at schools, science festivals, and companies about the science of popular culture, in particular superheroes. He’s a regular speaker as part of Science Week Ireland, and also spoken at other national science festivals in Portugal and the Netherlands.
With his YouTube channel ‘The Superhero Scientist’, Barry shares education...
2023-04-0354 min
Beyond PhD#7 How to build resilience? /w Nilufar BulutTalking from her experience, Nilufar takes the PhD as a metaphor for every other experience in life.
This talk goes beyond PhD, but uses this experience to check in with ourselves how we are dealing with different situations. Circumstances, boundaries, taking responsibility, taking action. All in the process of building resilience.
Trials and errors provide feedback.
Action or inaction shape who we are becoming.
Nilufar’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilufar-bulut-331a3136/
2023-03-0457 min
Beyond PhD#6 The turn of the century photonics star – Meint SmitIn the ’80 s PhD was not “a thing” in the Netherlands, but in the ‘90s the Dutch government introduced new regulations on how money flows.
Meint gives a historical perspective on the arrival of integrated photonics research in Eindhoven.
And shines a light on how it was for a freshman to enter the boxing ring and find a place for himself, his group, and his research.
Years later his legacy became the reason why I came to this group to do a PhD. :)
“If you have to invent the wheel again – you will nev...
2022-12-2331 min
Beyond PhD#5 Research ballerina – Diana LeitaoClassical ballet, teaching ballet techniques, teaching at the university, and doing research.
That is only a fraction of Diana’s interests that she shared in this episode.
As a professor facilitating her PhD students to do research, she asks them a very important question:
“What can I do to help you?” // “What do you need from me?”
This relationship with your supervisor is a conversation, not a monologue.
Take your chance to discuss your needs.
Not only once.
2022-12-1941 min
Beyond PhD#4 Change advocate – Milos ViktorovicDuring his PhD, Milos found himself in a situation where everything seemed “right” from an observer’s perspective. Nevertheless, one important aspect was missing: motivation. The lack of motivation can lead to a lack of commitment – and that is what happened in Milos’ case. Being honest with himself and the people around him, he was considered brave by his peers for taking the decision to stop the PhD halfway. The process of coming to that decision took some months and that is what he selflessly shares in this episode.
Checking in at half-time, Milos asked himself “Where do I see mys...
2022-11-1629 min
Beyond PhD#3 Standing up for yourself – Wieteke de BoerWieteke de Boer is my current boss. :)
Her journey so far went from physics researcher to the role of managing director. Amazed by the research, but not always with the environment, she has found herself a sweet spot in academia – on the other side of research. Striving for creating a happy community at work, she shares how this journey has enrolled so far.
2022-10-2737 min
Beyond PhD#2 How frustrations can lead to entrepreneurship? - Julià Delos AyllónJulià Delos Ayllón shares how he went from Barcelona to Eindhoven to do a PhD in electrical engineering and ended up bringing a part of Catalonia to the Netherlands in order to find fulfillment. He is a research engineer who is passionate about technology, an entrepreneur interested in bringing value to the market, and a passionate kite surfer. Unfortunately, this last story did not make it to the final edit of the podcast, but if you would like to know more – ask him yourself!
2022-10-0750 min
Beyond PhD#1 Biomedical engineer turned into a communication specialist - Valentina BonitoIn this kick-off episode Valentina Bonito shares personal stories throughout her PhD journey. The moments that made her (re)discover what she enjoys doing. As well as the moments of checking and evaluating the dreams she had before the start of the PhD.
Valentina’s education in Biomedical Engineering led her to pursue a PhD in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. After this experience, she decided to switch career and got specialized in science and technology communication, events organization and social media marketing. She worked as freelance science journalist, as a communication advisor, and as a press of...
2022-09-2131 min