Doctoral studies: the beginning of a fulfilling adventure

It is a rather unique day for these new doctoral students: one of the very rare occasions when the University of Bordeaux's doctoral schools all gather together. When will the next time be? By then they will be holders of doctoral degrees, assembled for a ceremony in their honour.

This introduction to the doctoral programme, led by Martin Teichmann, director of the Life and Health Sciences doctoral school, provides an insight into what constitutes a thesis. While the university's research and its organisation are on the morning's agenda, it is above all the interdisciplinarity and the wealth of the environment across the whole site which these young academics discover. So many opportunities to go and engage with other disciplines, to enrich their work, but a long and difficult path that will unfold over the course of these three (or more) years of doctoral study. This day, organised by the college of doctoral schools, began at the Agora du domaine du Haut-Carré and continued in various doctoral schools in the afternoon.

International opportunities

The adventure which is doctoral study will not just take place in their laboratories, owing to the numerous international mobility opportunities available to them thanks to the University of Bordeaux Graduate Research School project (UBGRS), the European ENLIGHT alliance, the Fulbright scholarships, as well as to Venice International University (VIU). These experiences, which are of varying length, are strongly supported and encouraged, and represent opportunities for these young researchers to expand their networks.

Nor will they necessarily spend all their thesis time in a laboratory. While outreach and sharing with the general public may have formed part of their previous experience, doctoral students can go much further in sharing their research thanks to the numerous initiatives led by the university's Science with and for Society (SAPS) team. Research night, science trail, or participatory science — the choice is huge, and the more adventurous can even opt for the My Thesis in 180 Seconds competition. No need to be as much of a virtuoso as Amine Es-Soufi for this, who represented the University of Bordeaux with panache and gave his all in front of an enthralled audience.

And to successfully complete all these different tasks, from pure research to communicating their research work, doctoral students can, of course, take advantage of the sports facilities and assistance available to them, not to mention the mental health support offered by the Bordeaux campus Student Health Space. A necessary reminder in this marathon which is doctoral study.
 

Some inspiring testimonials

The thesis awards ceremony, held in the latter part of the morning, provided these young doctoral students with an opportunity to benefit from valuable testimonials. The four winners, who received their awards in the summer and were honoured this early December, emphasised the human adventure that is writing a thesis: encounters, success stories but also failures, an imposter syndrome which all too often takes hold, but also a host of experiences. Whether on stage at My Thesis in 180 Seconds, interacting with younger students, attending academic conferences or participating in international mobility programmes, there is always something to enrich your doctoral studies even further. One of the award winners (Florent Monie, winner of the Science and Technology award) gave the following advice in a striking remark: 'Dare to be mad'. There is no anger here, since 'mad' stands for 'make a difference', but rather a call for originality, uniqueness and difference in this unique adventure which, in three years, will turn everyone into accomplished scholars, even though they are just starting out in their careers.