In academia, there seems to exist this prevalent notion that the most basic and vital elements that constitute the academic life – receiving grants, research positions, publishing one’s own research, even the access to higher education itself – are made accessible solely based on talent, effort, and achievement. The Doctoral Academy Day 2022 challenged this myth of meritocracy by providing an open space for discussions, in order to raise awareness of the non-academic factors that can hinder career progression as well as explore strategies to create equal career opportunities for all researchers.
In her opening statement, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and Equal Opportunities, Mireille van Poppel emphasized the importance of considering factors outside academia when providing access to higher education and (paid) research activities, thus creating truly equal opportunities within all academic fields. Director of the Doctoral Academy, Reinhard Alkofer, who endorsed this sentiment in his speech, also addressed the importance of educating and training a diverse set of researchers, who are equipped to provide valuable insights and diversified skill sets in handling the manifold crises of todays societies. Following these opening remarks, former Director of the Doctoral Academy Peter Scherrer presented the newly established Office of Ombudspersons of the Doctoral Academy, which offers independent and non-partisan counselling and mediation for PhD candidates via its ombudspersons. Said ombudspersons are experienced researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds who follow the principles of strict confidentiality, independence and neutrality.
Do We All Have the Same Opportunities?
The keynote on “Do We All Have the Same Opportunities? Equality of Opportunity in Higher Education and Academia” was held by Ann-Kristin Kolwes. In her talk, Ann-Kristin Kolwes engaged the participants not only by providing insights into the perspective and issues of first generation researches via sharing her own experiences, but also by creating an interactive discussion space, in which participants where asked to participate in different surveys as well as share their own observations, experiences and opinions on the subject matter. After a short coffee break, this self-analytical sentiment was carried over into the table talks, where participants were asked to join two table talks for 25 minutes each and discuss different aspects that might influence academic work and careers. These talks were hosted by experts within their field and dealt with:
- unequal career success patterns for women and men in academia, the variety of causes and dynamics involved and success factors in breaking up those patterns (table hosted by Christa Neuper);
- classism within academia and its implications for epistemology, equality and the mental well-being of researchers (table hosted by Iris Mendel);
- the effects of permanent transit for displaced and/or international scholars, such as the constant requirement of adaption to new cultures, languages and other factors (table hosted by Derya Özkaya);
- and the urgent need for a reconsideration of vulnerability in academia and the development of a caring university in light of mental and emotional struggles that accompany academic careers and are more often than not caused by organizational structures and processes themselves (table hosted by Ulla Kriebernegg).
The Doctoral Academy Day 2022 ended with an informal buffet and drinks.