Growing up, I was fascinated by stories of ancient scholars in my part of the world who would travel from one corner to another, seeking knowledge and connecting with people. As 'busy' PhDs, there is something intriguing about leaving our comfort zones (offices, foods, coffee, pillows, etc), and seeing what else is out there (which academia seems to value)!
Between April and May, I had the great honour of visiting Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (affectionately known as the 'VU'), and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity (including biking fully soaked in heavy wind; something changes in you after such an experience). The Netherlands is well-known internationally for its leading research in organizational psychology and behavior. The VU specifically has a rich research focus in most of my PhD areas, including meaningful work, callings, careers, and well-being. They also have very diverse epistemological and methodological backgrounds and various associate editors of our fields' top journals, which further enriched the expertise I could access and the feedback I received.
I'm very grateful to Evgenia Lysova for being such an amazing host and making the visit a deeply meaningful and enriching one! I would also like to thank Jos Akkermans, Maral Darouei, and Jakob Stollberger for generously carving time in their busy schedules to share career wisdom and immensely helpful feedback on my research and papers.
One thing I noticed is that in our capacity as 'PhD visitors, ' people generally go out of their way to extend help and offer support. They know we are there for a limited time, and so they want to be as generous (intellectually, but also socially) as possible. It's up to us to make the most of these priceless opportunities. It was delightful, though quite nerve-racking, to present my first two papers to the entire division during my first day. This, fastest ever, orientation allowed me to quickly get to know everyone and break barriers, leading to richer conversations and engagements throughout my stay.
It's not always possible, I guess, but timing our visits to take advantage of something else exciting taking place compounds the benefits of the visit (2-3 in one!). During my stay, the VU happened to host the 2nd Academy of Management Careers Conference (organized by my host and her group) and the division's annual PhD Day (a hybrid between our PhD Days and Group Presentations), which I was able to be fully immersed in. Being awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the Careers Conference was an honour and massive cherry on the cake that I'm so grateful for!
One of my biggest 'goals' of the visit (it helps to have a few to ensure you're making the most of your visit) was to deepen my relationship with my host, who, as a leading figure in the field, is always quite busy. Luckily, one thing led to another, and we are now collaborating on two promising projects (and a possible third)!
Overall, my stay exposed me to the intriguing culture of Dutch Academia (and by extension, Dutch Stroopwafels), fascinating research, wonderful future colleagues and friends and more Highland Cows than I ever encountered during my time in Scotland! It also happened to coincide with the King's birthday, apparently the largest birthday in the world, which showed a different side of the Dutch culture (eg vrijmarkts' free markets' everywhere and for everything). I appreciated the fascinating collegial culture at VU, where everyone shares hot desks, allowing faculty and PhDs to freely mix. A free touch-screen coffee machine was just another icing on the cake! It was inspiring to see other schools following our UEBS’s tradition of such collegiality that we deeply cherish.
I learned from different mentors that as we transition from our PhDs to the next exciting phases in our journeys, our 'pipeline' of projects and network of mentors and collaborators will be our most valuable assets. Institutional visit are gold mines for all of this.
Special thanks to our wonderful University of Edinburgh Business School PGR. This visit wouldn't have been possible without your generous support.
PS For anyone considering a similar visit but feeling intimidated by costs, logistics, or time, go for it. It will be a highlight of your PhD journey...I promise!