PhD Student Life
The CIS aims to facilitate ties and collaboration between UZH and ETH junior researchers from different subjects and research areas. We have one large annual event, which is the Zurichberg Colloquium, and several other events during the year, which allow for contact and exchange between doctorate candidates, postdoctoral researhers, professors, and external guests.
PhD Retreats
The PhD Retreats are self organised events held for one and half days, which aim to:
• Offer a low-threshold opportunity for all doctoral candidates to present their ongoing work, exchange ideas and provide feedback among peers.
• Foster interpersonal connections between CIS PhD students from UZH and ETH
The PhD retreats offer a platform for PhD students to present and discuss various stages of their research, from early drafts to complete chapters, and receive valuable peer feedback.
Participants are encouraged to facilitate workshops on topics such as methodological developments, open-source tools in collaborative research, or mental health in academia. Last year, self-organised workshops were held on “Measurement Error in Conjoint Experiments” (Susanne Rhein), “What to do with cross-sectional time-series data?” (Roberto Valli) or the “Academic Job Market” (Marc Jacob and Franziska Quoss). Invited external speakers provided insights into “Mental Health in Competitive Academic Environment” (Konrad Olszewski) and “Non-Academic Careers for PhD students” (Céline Colombo).
There are currently about 80 doctoral candidates at the ETH and the Universtiy of Zurich at different stages of their research. Please join the CIS PhD mailing list if you want to find out more. The next PhD Retreat for 2024 is currently being planned for April or May, and this is a great time to get involved.
Early Career Researchers (ECR) Forum
The ECR Forum provides guidance to early career researchers by facilitating discussions between PhD candidates, postdocs, faculty, and invited specialists. The Forum includes 3 to 4 events throughout the semester and covers topics that are essential for the participants’ career development, such as navigating the academic job market, prospects outside of academia, writing grant applications, when and how to publish papers, and networking and conference participation. Importantly, the Forum also focuses ondiscussions on mental health and maintaining a work-life balance in academia.
The Forum aims for a semi-informal structure which facilitates open discussions and incorporates relevant topics that are brought up by the participants. Each session consists of an internal or external specialist who provides an overview of the topic while reflecting on their experiences and a Q&A.
The speakers are mainly CIS staff members, providing an opportunity for early career researchers to become acquainted with the faculty and helping create a more cohesive, collaborative and cooperative community. Guest speakers are also invited, such as external academics or field specialists, allowing early career researchers to network and receive expert training to develop their skills. The Forum reduces the financial and environmental costs of inviting external speakers by coordinating with other academic activities, such as the CIS Colloquium, so that external speakers can make the most of their trip to Zurich.
Forum Events are to be found on the main page (upcoming week) or the Events page (semester) of the CIS website.
GESS WHO!
The student association GESS WHO! (ETH Organization for Humanities, Social and Political Science) was founded in Spring 2013 to increase student visibility at ETH and ensure their participation in relevant ETH and Departmental committees. The organization further tends to students' concerns and requests, and ensures their needs are met in appropriate and timely fashion.