The Guild Summer School 2019
The First Guild Summer School for Ph.D. Candidates will be hosted by Université Paris Diderot from 6-13 July, 2019. The call for applications is now open!

Overview
The Guild Summer School will focus on career-readiness for current Ph.D. candidates across academic disciplines. In one intensive week, this school will give participants the unique opportunity to explore the professional applications of their research training in different contexts through a combination of courses, workshops, site visits, and networking events. Participants will benefit from cross-cultural, interdisciplinary perspectives on the real-world application of their doctoral training and leave with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to guide their future professional development.
Location
Université Paris Diderot, located in Paris’s modern and vibrant 13th arrondissement, will serve as the host site for the Guild Summer School. All curricular & co-curricular activities will be held on Université Paris Diderot’s campus or at other sites within the city. Paris itself, as a cosmopolitan cultural and professional hub, will allow participants the opportunity to draw from a true diversity of perspectives on Ph.D. career-readiness.
Faculty and speakers
The Guild Summer School will welcome faculty and speakers from across its member institutions, from an array of academic disciplines and research specializations. Check back soon for faculty and speaker bios!
Curriculum
This summer school will give PhD students a deeper understanding of the implications and applications of their research training. Specific classes, events, and topics are subject to change. However, curricular offerings will be focused on the following central themes:
- Identifying and Acquiring Doctoral Competencies
- Applying Doctoral Competencies in Professional Contexts
Identifying and acquiring doctoral comptetencies
Participants will explore:
- What is a competency?
- How can it be acquired?
- How to enhance the value of competencies gained as a Doctoral researcher?
Participants will attend courses with Guild faculty that explore the key competencies that make up their research training, in addition to exploring new competencies that will enhance their research background.
Possible Course Subjects:
- Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity
- Innovation and Individual Entrepreneurship
- Leadership and Conflict Management
- Public Engagement
Applying doctoral competencies
Participants will attend seminars, panels, and discussions on research topics across different academic fields. In doing so, they will gain a well-rounded, interdisciplinary perspective on the world of research and the breadth of its professional applications.
Possible Topics:
- Occupational Psychology and Change in Modern Society
- European Perspectives on Digital Technology
Participants will engage with a variety of professional contexts through which they can explore the diverse applications of their doctoral training and reflect on their future professional development.
Potential Visits:
- A Parisian Science & Technology Hub
- Renault Manufacturing Headquarters
- Paris City Hall: Exploring Research Contributions to Urban Planning
Participant requirements
Doctoral candidates at any of the member institutions belonging to the Guild of European-Research Intensive Universities are eligible to apply for the Guild Summer School:
Aarhus University University of Glasgow King’s College London Université Paris Diderot Uppsala University
University of Bern University of Göttingen University of Ljubljana Radbound University University of Vienna
University of Bologna University of Groningen University of Louvain University of Tartu University of Warwick
Ghent University Jagiellonian University University of Oslo University of Tübingen
The Summer School will accept 2-4 candidates per home institution, for a total of 35-40 participants in total. Candidates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply.
How to apply
The call for applications is now open!
Program fee
The program fee for participants will be covered by their home institution.
Included in the program fee:
- Accommodation (within a 30 minute commute to program locations)
- 5 on-campus meals
- 2 cocktail receptions (Opening and Closing)
- Group transportation to planned activities inaccesible by public transit
- 2 guided sightseeing activities (sites to be confirmed)
Not included in the program fee:
- Travel to and from Paris
- Personal expenses
- International Insurance (including Civil Liability Insurance)
Question?
For any questions related to the Summer School, please write to us at guildsummerschool@univ-paris-diderot.fr