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Short abstract

This initiative, led by four PhD candidates at Leiden University, Netherlands, advocates for a more flexible PhD trajectory that formally recognizes and rewards the diverse activities and “non-traditional” outputs they generate.

Long abstract

Our initiative advocates moving away from a culture that equates progress within a PhD trajectory with increasing number of traditional outputs. Instead, we promote PhD trajectories that value learning, reflection, and diverse ways of doing research. We believe that the goal of a PhD trajectory should be to become well-rounded professionals, not just highly productive ones.

This diversity in PhD dissertations is particularly relevant in the context of the very interdisciplinary field of STS, where various forms of expression can showcase quality scholarly work. Together, we propose that work such as art, advocacy projects like this one, policy briefs, teaching, internships, public engagement, and others should have space and be recognized in a PhD trajectory.

Taking the approach of “by and for PhD candidates,” we want to put PhD candidates at the center of PhD policy debates and their own trajectories. At the same time, we recognize that a PhD trajectory is shaped collectively by individuals and institutions. Moving toward more non-traditional forms of the dissertation therefore requires active support from supervisors, graduate schools, evaluation committee members, and universities as a whole. This shift also invites these actors to engage with a fundamental question: what defines a PhD in an interdisciplinary landscape?