Beginnings often carry symbolic meaning. October 25 marked a memorable moment for INESC-ID’s PhD students with the holding of the first official PhD Students Annual Meeting, bringing together around 40 PhD students from 10 different Scientific Areas, across two campuses of INESC-ID.

The special event took place during an exclusive parallel segment organised by INESC-ID at the INESC Lisboa Meeting 2024. In a session prepared by the INESC-ID’s PhD Students Volunteer Team and the Communication and Outreach Office, PhD student Daniel Gonçalves presented and moderated a collaborative discussion activity to address the challenges encountered by students at the institute.

In the first half of the session, divided into groups for a rapid ideation brainstorming format, students had a few minutes to meet each other (many for the first time) before diving into sharing the main difficulties they experience. In the second half, they enthusiastically discussed and presented actionable solutions, which will be further explored in depth and implemented at INESC-ID in the future. There was no shortage of ideas, only of time, and many students felt the discussion could have lasted much longer.

“It was an inspiring day where we gained valuable insights into our challenges as PhD students and discussed solutions to create a stronger, more supportive community,” shared Sahar Cherati, PhD student and one of the newest members of the Volunteer Team.

Following the PhD Students Volunteer Team’s motto: “To build a supportive community and promote collaboration among students”, which are key ingredients for the success of research at our institution, plans are already underway to make next year’s event bigger and attract even more students, making it an annual tradition at INESC-ID. Judging by the enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by students at this first meeting, the future looks bright.

Read more about the recent INESC Lisboa Meeting 2023 here.

Images | © 2024 INESC-ID