Are you thinking about your future? Do you want to apply your mathematical knowledge in a company, or continue your education first by pursuing a PhD degree?
With this one-day event for students in both theoretical and applied mathematics we aim to showcase the benefits of doing a PhD to help students to make their choice whether they want to apply for a PhD or not. We have invited speakers from many different areas in mathematics within academia and industry.
The event is sponsored by YoungKWG.
Location: VU Amsterdam in Theater 7 (NU-4C11). The room is located on the fourth floor in the New University (NU) building. This is the grey modern building facing the De Boelelaan. Once you enter take the lift on the right. Travel costs for students coming from far away will be covered after the event. Make sure you have a ticket where the travel cost is mentioned (OV-pay, OV-card, digital ticket).
When: Friday January 30, 2026, ±10.00h – 17.00h
Target audience: master students in mathematics studying at a university in the Netherlands. Especially women and students from minority groups in mathematics are encouraged to join. If we have enough spaces, (3rd year) bachelor students will also be considered.
Registration: You can register for event via this link. For more information on registrations and late registrations, contact us at aphdisthatforme2025@gmail.com. Registration deadline: Friday January 23rd 23:59.
Note that the number of participants is limited so we may need to make a selection from the registrations. Hence, registration does not guarantee a place. We will inform everyone after the registration deadline.
Young KWG:
Young KWG was founded to foster a community of young mathematicians in th early stages of their careers. When we say “young mathematicians”, we embrace a broad spectrum, ranging from bachelor students to (assistant/associate) professors, from aspiring mathematics teachers to young industry professionals.
With Young KWG, we aim to create a community of young mathematicians in the Netherlands, a place where individuals can connect, interact, and learn from one another. We especially support international colleagues starting their careers in a new environment.
As a master student you may want to become from an early stage a member of the Dutch Mathematics Association, which can help you grow your network and have access to events organized in the Netherlands. Don’t miss this opportunity! You ask for a membership here.
Programme
Plenary speakers
- dr Rianne de Heide – Associate Professor of Mathematical Statistics in the Statistics group (STAT) at the University of Twente.
- dr Marlou Gijzen – a functional design engineer in metrology at ASML.
Rianne de Heide, University of Twente
Marlou Gijzen, ASML
- Rianne is an Associate Professor of Mathematical Statistics in the Statistics group (STAT) at the University of Twente, and a Senior Researcher in the Machine Learning group at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica. She works on problems and solutions in machine learning and statistics. She is also a member of the Young Academy Twente, is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and wants to contribute to academia being a workplace where everyone feels valued and can be themselves. She started an initiative for propagating kindness in academia (news article UToday, website). (Source: Rianne’s personal webpage).
- Marlou works as a functional design engineer in metrology at ASML and works with MATLAB to model and analyze data in image quality. She has previous experience in Systems Engineering, MBSE and requirements engineering at Philips and TWT GmbH. She obtained a PhD in Mathematical Logic from JAIST in Japan, where she conducted research in mathematical logic and theoretical computer science. During her master’s degree in Logic at the University of Amsterdam, Marlou initiated and organized a national referendum in The Netherlands, challenging a controversial law on intelligence and security services. She participated in debates, appeared frequently in the national media, and won the student of the year award for my civic engagement and leadership. (Source: Marlou’s LinkedIn).
Carousel session with informal discussions
This session consists of multiple small group discussions on various topics running in parallel. Participants will have the opportunity to pick a group, talk to the panel members in that group for around twenty minutes, and then rotate to a different group. Topics include: Ph.D. life, academic and non-academic careers, finding and applying for a PhD, teaching, and possibilities and opportunities during (and after) a PhD program.
Schedule:
Time Activity
09:30 – 10:00: Arrival, registration and coffee/tea.
10:00 – 10:05: Welcome by organizers
10:05 – 10:50: Academic speaker: Rianne de Heide (University of Twente)
10:50 – 11:15: Break
11:15 – 12:00: Industry speaker: Marlou Gijzen (ASML)
12.00 – 13.00: Lunch break
13:00 – 15:00: Carousel session and discussions in smaller groups
15:15 – 15:45: Young KWG session (
15:45 – 17:00: Closing and drinks
Organising committee:
Additional Information
A resource has been created by the organisers listing ways to find PhD positions in the Netherlands: PhD positions and subscription lists.