Marijntje Zeijen

The main objective of PNN is to safeguard the interests of all PhD candidates, regardless of whether they are employed at a Dutch University, a University Medical Centre, or otherwise engaged with a PhD research. PNN promotes the interests of PhD candidates at the national level. In order to attain these objectives, PNN regularly meets with policy makers from national organizations addressing PhD-related issues. These organizations are extremely diverse and include the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), various labor unions and political parties. Since 35% of all scientific staff in the Netherlands are PhD candidates, PNN’s voice is a strong one. Moreover, PNN is passionate about ensuring that all stakeholders work together to create an attractive research environment for current and future PhD candidates. Nonetheless, it is PNN’s opinion that several developments in academia are inhibiting the creation and maintenance of such an attractive climate for PhD research.