Doctoral Colloquium

The annual doctoral week is an essential part of the doctoral program. Every first full week of September, all PhD students and professors come together at the ETF in Leuven. Those who attend this annually occurring event find it to be a very stimulating meeting, with more than a hundred researchers from all around the world.

Part of the week program is open to all interested persons. ETF professors and internationally recognized visiting scholars give public lectures and public defenses of dissertations take place. In addition, the public program may include an inaugural lecture or a farewell address.

The majority of the week’s schedule is reserved for the participants of the doctoral program. Every day starts with a morning devotion, with international guest speakers being invited to lead the meditations. The collective mealtimes also contribute to the strengthening of the research and learning community.

An important aim of the non-public part of the doctoral week are the progress reports of the doctoral students. Each student presents the developments of his/her research to a small group of professors and fellow students, with a view to critical and constructive feedback.

The week’s schedule also allots plenty of time for individual interaction between the supervisor(s) and the student and for evaluations, possibly by means of an examination. The doctoral examination, which concludes the examination phase, also takes place during this week.

The PhD student council is actively involved in organizing the doctoral week. It is jointly responsible for the organization of a diverse selection of workshops and training sessions for doctoral students during the week.