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ILLC PhD Trajectory

Programme: ILLC PhD programme
Coordinator: Maria Aloni

Description

The goal of the trajectory is to provide ILLC PhD candidates with information, training and extra support in their first year. It includes two soft skills courses, a DEI training and a number of lectures illustrating different research lines within ILLC.

Organisation

• Mandatory for 1st year ILLC PhD candidates (excluding CWI);
• Start in September 2025;
• New PhDs can join all year long. If they miss one (obligatory) session in year 1, they can follow it in year 2;
• Monthly meetings with a scientific + transferrable skills programme, some of the sessions open to the whole PhD community:

1. Introduction [September]
2. DEI/active bystander training (with supervisors) offered by Our Bodies, Our Voice [October]
3. LoLaCo lectures [September-December]: at least 3 lecturers obligatory. The lectures can be followed in different years although it is advisable to complete the assignment in year 1. Deadline to submit report in 2025/26: 15 December 2025. The report consists a short summary (max 100 words) of the 3 lectures attended. Submission is via email to m.d.aloni@uva.nl, subject: LoLaCo report 2025.
4. ILLC PhD day [January]: (Poster) presentations given by new and senior ILLC PhD candidates. PhD candidates who want to present their work should submit their abstract via email to phd-illc@uva.nl by 31 December 2025. Abstracts should be max one page long and clearly indicate whether the submission is for a talk or a poster presentation. First-year PhD candidates (those who started in 2025) are further expected to give a short (max 3 minute) one single static slide presentation to introduce themselves to the ILLC community.
5. Academic writing [May-June]: The Academic Writing training will be offered by senior ILLC researchers representative of different areas of ILLC (in 2026, Krzysztof R. Apt, Martin Stokhof and Khalil Sima’an) and will include plenary presentations by the instructors and individual feedback on writing samples submitted in advance by the participants.
6. Presentation skills [April-May]

Schedule 2025/26 (subject to change)

The lectures are normally scheduled on Monday afternoon.

1st Semester

• Monday, 29 September, 16.00-17.00, room F1.15, ILLC: Introduction (with drinks and pizza afterwards)
• Monday, 27 October, 15.00-17.00: Active bystander training (with supervisors) offered by Our Bodies, Our Voice
• every Monday, Sep-Dec, 17.00-19.00: LoLaCo lectures (3 obligatory)
• Monday, 26 January, 10.00-17.00: ILLC PhD day (deadline abstract submission 31 December 2025)

2nd Semester (TBC)

• Presentation skills (time and location TBA)
• Monday, 1 June, 11.00-16.00: Academic Writing