PhD Testimonials

Melanie Bakema, PhD Cultural Geography

Doing a PhD can be quite a bumpy ride. It is a process through which you as a researcher go by yourself. Especially due to the fact that you work a lot individually, I found it very important to have a nice and motivated group of colleagues around me. We could share a lot of work-related issues with each other and we really developed a group of friends. Starting and completing a PhD research highly depends on your personal motivation. continue reading

Julia Doornbos, PhD Cultural Geography

My experiences as a PhD candidate so far are positive and I am excited to further develop my PhD project in the upcoming years. I would definitely recommend a PhD position at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences. Not only because of the pleasant work atmosphere, but also because of the freedom and flexibility to develop a PhD trajectory which fits your personal goals and needs. continue reading

Lili Gonzales, PhD Cultural Geography

I applied through a scholarship from the Mexican government. During my PhD trajectory, I often encounter cultural differences. I think anyone coming to the Netherlands should be aware about “Dutch directness”. In the beginning I was quite surprised by it. Another thing that stands out is planning (way) in advance for appointments, social events, and basically everything. So now I have a “casual dinner” with friends scheduled 2 months in advance. continue reading

Isabelle Soares, PhD Planologie

Immigrating is never easy, even if you come from a country that is closer to the Netherlands than Brazil is. Even knowing this country already, it was challenging to adapt with the life here and the responsibilities that a PhD represents to me. This is something I always wanted, so I take it very seriously and with great enthusiasm. In general, the life in the Netherlands is very peaceful. However, there is nothing peaceful on doing a PhD! continue reading

Athanasios Ziogas, PhD Economic Geography

During my first days as a new member of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences, I have been very pleasantly surprised that when we address to someone we call her or him with her or his first name. This facilitates the communication with your colleagues. The facilities are extremely good and they can cultivate interdisciplinary research. One of the faculty’s aims is to promote this interdisciplinary involvement. The exchange of ideas is very important and this is only possible when people with sufficiently different backgrounds come together. continue reading