Spring School 2025: “Space for Reflection”
2024-11-05 Doctoral students and advanced master's students are invited to discuss their perspectives in research and career in a digital and interdisciplinary setting from April 2 to 4, 2025. The Spring School “Feature Your Future” is a learning, reflection and networking event organized by the Institute for the Future at KU Leuven and the Graduate School at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Two former participants of previous summer and spring schools report on why it is worth participating.
Alexander Vaniev from Scotland was in the first year of his doctoral studies at the University of Glasgow when he registered for the Summer School: “There are only a few offers for students in the first phases of their doctoral studies,” says Alexander Vaniev. The educational researcher is doing his doctorate on the development of teaching skills in early career researchers. “Above all, I liked the international and interdisciplinary exchange during the Summer School,” he reports. International students study together.
The upcoming Spring School for doctoral and master's students offers interactive workshops on future-oriented methods, as well as opportunities for reflection on academic and non-academic careers and specialist lectures that put the methods into context.
Students will also participate in an intensive eight-hour workshop on strategic foresight methods from the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, as well as two shorter workshops focusing on methods for developing future scenarios. “Participating in the program has given me more confidence in my own abilities,” says Alexander Vaniev.
Katharina Buse is currently in the fifth semester of her master's degree in sustainability science at Leuphana University and is currently working on her master's thesis, which is scheduled for completion at the beginning of next year. Before coming to Lüneburg for her master's degree, Katharina Buse completed a bachelor's degree in geography at the University of Augsburg and then worked as a federal volunteer.
You took part in the Summer School 2023. Who is the Summer School designed for, and what topics were on the program?
Over a total of three days, we devoted ourselves to the topic of the future, both in terms of the academic world and personal career. I was able to establish valuable contacts with students from other universities. During this time, I had plenty of opportunity for self-reflection and to engage intensively with my own career planning.
How did you ultimately benefit from the experience at the Summer School and the knowledge you acquired?
For me personally, the space for reflection was particularly valuable, as it encourages you to engage intensively with your own professional development. In addition, as a Master's student, it was enriching for me to engage with doctoral students to get to know their perspectives and challenges better and to find answers to questions such as “What does it actually mean to do a doctorate?” This allowed me to explore another possible career path in more depth. Even though the program seemed to be designed primarily for doctoral students, it was a valuable experience for me as a Master's student. The workshops and methods offered by the Summer School are generally of great interest.
Thank you for the interviews!
The event entitled “Feature Your Future: Envisioning Research Culture in 2050” prepares participants to anticipate developments in research. In lectures, workshops and networking events, the budding researchers acquire important skills for the future, such as strategic foresight or Design Thinking . This program empowers participants to shape the research of the future and thereby improve their career prospects – in research and beyond.