On November 15th and 16th, we visited the FLI in Jena to meet for the 9th Leibniz Ph.D. Network General Assembly. The discussions focussed on our network’s progress, challenges, and future initiatives aimed at improving the experiences of doctoral researchers across disciplines.

As a result of the assembly, we welcome the new Steering Committee 2024/25. Please find more information on your representatives here:

• Julius Petrausch (Spokesperson)
• Stefanos Somatakis (Spokesperson)
• Alexa Sanchez Mejia (Treasurer)
• Sophie Lindemann (Section A Spokesperson)
• Md Imtiaz Uddin (Section B Spokesperson)
• Advitiya Khandelwal (Section C Spokesperson)
• Johanna Richter (Section D Spokesperson)
• Melanie Hanser (Section E Spokesperson)

(The new and old steering committee on the left, the steering committee 2024/25 on the right.)

One focus of the PhD General Assembly was the reports from the working groups on the various ongoing projects:

• Mental Health: The network’s surveys indicate prevalent issues of anxiety and depression among Ph.D. students. Therefore, counseling resources are available on the this website, and a Mental Health Day is being planned, they look for volunteers to help.
• Sustainability: There was a paper on sustainability in Leibniz in 2023; there will be a comprehensive sustainability strategy of Leibniz association unveiled in November 2024. The group looks for new members.
• Power Abuse Prevention: A formal letter was send to the Leibniz association urgen them to strengthen its commitment to fostering a respectful culture. You can seek help here: ppa.leibniz@outlook.com
• Diversity and Inclusion: A significant event under the N2 banner is scheduled for Berlin in 2025, focusing on diversity. There will be a panel with the presidents of Leibniz, Max-Planck and Helmholtz Institutes.
• Communication: The PhD assembly is enhancing its visibility through social media initiatives and mailing lists. Please follow the PhD assembly in the socials. Representatives should write spokesperson@leibniz-phd.net to be part of the email list.
• Survey: Two major surveys are underway: one addressing mental health, with results soon to be analyzed, and another focusing on power abuse, planned for 2025. The latter survey invites individuals to anonymously share experiences of power abuse; responses remain confidential within the Ph.D. community and are not shared with the Leibniz association. Volunteers are welcome to assist with these survey projects: https://leibniz-phd.net/survey/

To summarize more items on the itentenary: The Leibniz Institute on Aging showed us their laboratories and research areas. Followed by, a panel discussion on mental health, featuring Prof. Sebastian Lentz, Selma Yagoub, and a representative of the FLI, highlighted the psychological challenges faced by many Ph.D. candidates. The Ph.D. Network General Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to addressing critical issues affecting doctoral researchers while fostering an inclusive and supportive academic community. The last item on the agenda was an exchange of experiences with other network speakers from N2. Elisabeth Bobkova at Max-Planck and Hanin Alkhamis at Helmholtz reported in detail how they had spoken to the official heads of the institutes about the concerns of PhDs.