PhD Excellence Program | Third cohort launched

They embarked on their journey with a welcome event held on April 25, 2024 at Les Bois Chamblard, where the Doctoral School was thrilled to host around 60 attendees, including the 30 fellows from the new cohort, fellows from the previous two cohorts, members of the selection committee, and the EDOC team. During the event, participants were given an overview of the program and heard testimonials from previous cohorts about their experiences and best practices. This was followed by an aperitif dinner and games, giving everyone a chance to network. We're excited to see them immerse in the three-year program they've already started with the leadership training and will pursue in October with the 2-day course entitled: "Science of Charisma and Charisma in Science".

To overcome the increasingly complex challenges of today, we need graduates from higher education institutions that are not only equipped with technical skills, but who have also mastered transversal skills such as effective communication and the ability to excel within a team, whether member or leader. Indeed, the majority of EPFL PhD graduates choose careers outside academia – in industry, start-ups, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations - where these skills are critical for success.

The EPFL PhD Excellence Program accelerates this path by providing training in leadership, charisma, communication, management, science policy, risk management, and technology transfer beyond the traditional PhD education. In addition, the networking events provide them with a unique opportunity to connect with actors from industry, policy, and innovation (including EPFL alumni·ae) to start building their professional network even before applying for their first position.

With the third cohort, the EPFL PhD Excellence Program now counts 81 participants, from all EPFL campuses, as well as beyond, and from 19 of the 22 doctoral programs.

Want to know more? Read the testimonials from participants of the first cohort about how they are developing skillsets for later that are already useful now and how the community enriches their PhD life at EPFL.

Interested to become a part of this unique community and find your own path outside academia? The call for applications for the 2025 cohort will open by the end of 2024. Until then, stay tuned and visit the program's web page for more information!