The structures dedicated to doctoral Candidates
UNIL: https://www.unil.ch/graduatecampus/en/home.html
UNIGE: https://www.unige.ch/doctorat/en/graduate-campus/missions
UNIFR: https://www.unifr.ch/graduatecampus/en/
GUIDES
Would you like to get an overview of PhD studies and the academic context in the French-speaking part of Switerland?
Available as PDF or printed, these guides has been edited by the Bureaux de l’égalité des Hautes écoles universitaires de la Suisse Latine (BuLa) and appear as the more complete resource about PhD studies and the academic world in Switzerland. Highly recommended both for female and male PhD candidates!
- Getting your thesis off to a good start
(The latest version (2023) is aimed specifically at doctoral candidates at the University of Lausanne. Nevertheless, it remains a mine of valuable general information for the beginning of the thesis). - Beyond the doctorate - Guide for advanced doctoral and postdoctoral students
A brochure about the conditions for a successful doctoral supervision, with with practical suggestions for doctoral candidates and their supervisors, has been published at the University of Fribourg (also available in German and in French)
Didactic and pedagogy
Do you need to improve your teaching practices?
The Teaching Support Centers are at your service!
- University of Lausanne CSE
- University of Geneva SEA
- University of Neuchâtel SP
- University of Fribourg Did@cTIC
- University of Berne Hochschuldidaktik & Lehrentwicklung (website in DE)
- HES-SO SADAP
Professional development
Are you looking for support for your career questions and professional development?
Tools and services exist on this subject!
- Available to all: the ePortfolio, developed at the University of Geneva, helps you in identifying, classifying and giving value to your skills.
- University of Lausanne: Graduate Campus offers career workshops and individual coaching for UNIL/CHUV doctoral candidates.
- University of Geneva: Career Center (website in FR) and support for PhD students (website in FR, some workshops in EN).
- University of Neuchâtel: Career Center (website in FR).
- University of Fribourg : Career Center (website in FR and DE).
- University of Berne : Career Service.
- IHEID Graduate Institute Geneva : Career Services and PhD support page.
- HES-SO : Relève et carrière académiques.
Diversity, gender equality
Any questions about gender issues in the academic world?
Your institutions are conscious about it:
- The REGARD workshops of the universities of western Switzerland, the HES-SO and the EPFL are intended for women researchers. A few workshops are open to both men and women.
- The Réseau romand de mentoring Réseau romand de mentoring pour femmes is a joint project of the western Swiss universities and EPFL offering personalized mentoring support for advanced doctoral candidates and postdocs.
- University of Lausanne : Equality Opportunities Office.
- University of Geneva : Service Égalité (website in FR).
- University of Neuchâtel : Bureau Egalité des chances.
- University of Fribourg : Office for Gender Equality.
- University of Berne : Égalité des chances.
Conflict and wellbeing
Some difficulties concerning professional relationships or mental well-being?
- University of Lausanne: page Help, Social Affairs and Student Mobility Office SASME, and psychological support.
- University of Geneva: page Conflicts, Malaise, and students’ Pôle Santé Social with psychological support (website in FR).
- University of Neuchâtel: Social Office, including a counselling service; mediation service (website in FR).
- University of Fribourg: Uni-Social service, including psychological support and mediation office.
- University of Bern: Counselling Centre, and contact person in case of conflict « ombudsperson »
- IHEID Graduate Institute Geneva: wellbeing and psychological support.
Foreign languages
Do you wish to improve your language skills?
The Languages Centre are here for this!
- University of Lausanne : Language Centre.
- University of Genève : Maison des Langues (website in FR).
- University of Neuchâtel : Language Centre.
- University of Fribourg : Language Centre.
- University of Berne : Language Center.
- IHEID Graduate Institute Geneva : French Courses.
Open data
Do you need to manage and share your research data?
The following units exist:
- University of Lausanne : Open Science
- University of Geneva : Research Data Management
- University of Neuchâtel : Open Access
- University of Fribourg : Open Science
- University of Berne : University Library service Open Science
- IHEID Graduate Institute Geneva : Research Data Management, Open Data Repository
Here some additional resources from beyond Switzerland
The Ateliers des jours à venir provide training in the link between research and society (in English!).
The Researcher Development Framework, developed by Vitae (UK), gives a breakdown of the different skills inherent in becoming a researcher.
The mydocpro is a skills identification tool for early stage researchers (in English) was created by the ABG (Association Bernard Gregory), the CPU and the MEDEF in France.
The Individual Development Plan myIDP, provided by the journal Science, is an online skills identification and career exploration tool, for the interests of researchers especially in the STEM disciplines.
The Imagine PhD, for PhD students in humanities and social sciences (SSH), based on the same principles as the myIDP, is also an online skills identification and career exploration tool.
Thesis planners, Writing, Project and Time Management tools and more downloadable resources on the IthinkWell website.
Academiac.net is a blog from a former CUSO PhD student (University of Fribourg) with career resources and recommendations for soft skills development.
Any other information that you think would be relevant to add to this resources page?
We kindly invite you to send us an email at competences(at)cuso.ch.
Thanks for your help!