Vice-dean of Católica appointed chair of the Steering Committee of the Council for Doctoral Education

Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Dean of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, has been appointed Chair of the Steering Committee of the Council for Doctoral Education, part of the European University Association (EUA-CDE).

Launched in 2008 on the initiative of the European University Association, this council was created in response to growing interest in doctoral education and research training in Europe and has been strengthening doctoral education. It is currently the largest European network in this area, bringing together more than 260 universities and institutions in 36 countries.

In this context, Peter Hanenberg co-authored an article with Ann MacPhail, from the University of Limerick, entitled “Supporting early-career researchers to become ambassadors for European higher education values”, in which the authors point out that researchers “are vital to the future of science, innovation and society” and draw attention to the challenges they face.

Using examples from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the University of Limerick, the authors also highlight the importance of respecting the fundamental values of European higher education, such as academic freedom and integrity, and institutional autonomy, in order to ‘promote a safe, open and inclusive educational environment that encourages critical thinking and tolerance.’

In the article, they also recall the need to listen to and truly consider the contributions of early-career researchers and to reinforce effective practices of equity, diversity and inclusion in the third cycle of academic studies.