The ZHAW School of Engineering’s first PhD Student Meetup created a space for participants to connect across institutes, share experiences, foster scientific collaborations, and plan future events, promising an exciting year ahead for 2025.
In December 2024 a group of 17 PhD students from various departments of the School of Engineering met for the kick-off PhD student meetup. Organised by Anna Fedorova, Maryam Rezayati, and Andreas Binkert, this initiative was brought to life to create a space where PhD students can exchange ideas, support each other, and have fun together.
Over a cup of coffee, the participants engaged in ice-breakers, discovered the commonalities that unite them beyond their workplace and discussed the future of these gatherings. Together, the organizers and participants dreamed and planned, gathering ideas for the next events. On the agenda for 2025 they have research exchanges, lab tours, and social activities to look forward to. Furthermore, the team is already preparing the next monthly meetups and the kick-off for the board games night.
The main goal is to create a supportive community to share challenges and successes, seek advice and find solutions. Initiatives like this not only make the PhD journey less isolating but also encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing across departments, which is invaluable in an interdisciplinary environment.
Organisers invite PhD students of all institutes and centres of the School of Engineering to join the next meetup on January, 23rd. Additionally, the information about upcoming activities is available in the group Teams channel or you can reach out to Anna Fedorova with any further questions.
