PCDI Postdoc Career Development Initiative

The mission of the Postdoc Career Development Initiative is to support talented young scientists in career orientation and development. Following a PhD thesis or postdoc position, researchers need to make important decisions on their career. The traditional academic career path is generally well-known, while alternative career paths are experienced as more difficult to oversee. At PCDI, we believe that PhDs -as highly qualified knowledge workers- have a lot to offer to the Dutch economy/society. PCDI therefore aims to be a mediator between PhDs and the world of Life Sciences: academia, industry, public private partnerships and others. PCDI encourages researchers to pursue continued personal development during their employment in order to make most out of their potential. PCDI supports early career researchers at identifying and the acquiring relevant professional competencies. This includes familiarization with science outreach, knowledge valorisation and entrepreneurship, matters that go beyond mere acquisition of scientific techniques. PCDI negotiates for the interests of early career researchers with policymakers from academia and businesses, involved in talent development to better liaise the availability of highly qualified knowledge workers and the economic demand. Started out as an organisation targeting life sciences, health and technology, PCDI aims to broaden her scope to other disciplines in the future.