Masja van Meeteren stops as PhD Dean
As of 1 September, Masja van Meteren will stop as PhD Dean at Leiden Law School. She looks back on a great learning experience with many rewards.
In her role as PhD Dean, together with Jean-Pierre van der Rest, Van Meeteren was responsible for the day-to-day affairs at the Graduate School over the past four years. 'We worked on many issues together. For example, using information from surveys and focus groups with PhD candidates, we introduced some important policy changes in the training of PhD candidates’, she says. 'We wrote manuals for new PhD candidates and supervisors clarifying all rules, rights and obligations in relation to the PhD process. And we made drastic amendments to the Training and Supervision Plan. These policy aspects of my job as PhD Dean, working with the Director of Research, the Research Board and the staff of the Meijers Institute, have all been a great learning experience for me.
But what I found most rewarding was the contact with PhD candidates, says Van Meeteren. 'I provided PhD candidates with information about the PhD process during their first meeting at the faculty. I held evaluation meetings (go/no-go) where I became accustomed with some great research projects that are being conducted at our faculty. Over the years, I was an important point of contact for many PhD candidates to discuss their research in addition to their supervisors. It has been incredibly inspiring to talk with young researchers about their research and everything it involves.'
On 1 March of this year Van Meeteren started a new position as Professor of Criminology at Radboud University (0.6 FTE). 'Although I will still work for two days at Leiden Law School, I felt that I was unable to combine my work as PhD Dean with my other commitments. And after four years in the position, it’s time to pass the baton on to someone else.'