Ph.D. Students Orientation Day
at the ICT School
October 23, 2009
Sal B – Forum
Program
10:00 – 10:30 Welcome message by Carl Gustaf Jansson, Head of
Graduate Education and Vice-Dean at the ICT school
10:30 – 12:00 Information and discussion lead by the ICT Ph.D.
Student Council. Guests: the Ph.D. Student Adviser
(Fredrik Häggström) and the SULF national
representative for Ph.D. Students (Lars Abrahamsson)
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Campus tour
15:00 – 15:30 Fika
Later Mingle downtown
1

Welcome!
• The school of Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) at KTH
Kista: European Silicon valley
International enviroment
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About us
• Our Research Groups:
• Material Physics
• Functional Materials
• Semiconductor materials
• Devices and circuits
• Photonics, Quantum Electronics and Optics
• Embedded Electronic and Computer Systems
• Communication Systems
• Software and Computer Systems
• Telecommunication Systems Laboratory
• Service Systems and Systems Science
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Centra
• Centers:
• Linné center in Advanced Optics and Photonics
• Wireless@KTH
• Kista Photonics Research Center
• Electrum Laboratory
• Center for Information Technology and Cognitive Science
• SPIDER
• iPack Center
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Important people for you
• Supervisor(s) {handledare}
Your main reference(s) throughout your doctoral studies
• Director of Studies{studierektor}
• Dean of Graduate Education {forskarutbildningsansvarig}
Carl Gustaf Jansson
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Outline
• Motivation
• The ICT Ph.D. Student Council
• Ph.D. Student adviser (Fredrik Häggström)
• Saco-S-KTH, SULF-KTH (Lars Abrahmsson)
• Ph.D. Students rights
• Discussion
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Motivation
• Welcome to the ICT School!
• Informe you about your time as a Ph.D. Student at the
ICT School.
• A way for us to better understand your needs and
worries, and therefore, better represent you at the school
meetings.
• The most important part of the meeting is the discussion,
so go ahead and ask any time you want!
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The ICT Ph.D. Student Council
A part of the Doctorand Section in the Student Union
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Who we are?
• At present it is five of us which are active in it:
• Constantinos
• Magnus (vice-President)
• Pamela (Treasurer)
• Stefano (President)
• Zhechao (Secretary)
• Blog: ict-phds.blogspot.com
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What do we do?
• Define the Ph.D. Council structure and rules
• Issues regarding your rights and responsibilities
• Inform you about any issues that may be of concern to
you
• We are represented in the School Board
• Promote social activities among us
• We welcome any idea you can bring to the Council
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The Ph.D. Student Advisor
{Doktorandombud}
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Doktorandombud
• Our doktorandombud (Ph.D. ”advisor”) is Fredrik Häggström.
• Contact information:
e-mail: doktorandombud@ths.kth.se
Tel.: 08-790 98 75
Visiting address: KårX at the main campus
Available on-site on Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays (morning)
• Contact the PhD Student Advisor if you need advice or a talk, or
if you want assistance in interacting with your supervisor, the
director of studies, examiner, occupational health services or
authorities.
• The PhD Student Advisor is employed by the Student Union THS,
not KTH, and your matter will not be documented at KTH unless
you request it.
• Your contact with the PhD Student Adviser is strictly confidential.
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KTHs och doktorandhandboken
• KTH Handbook:
Everything you need to know about KTH rules.
http://www.kth.se/info/kth-handboken/
• Summary in English.
http://www.ict.kth.se/ECS/quickref.php
• Doktorandhandboken:
Everything you need to know about your rights and obligations
as a Ph.D. Student in Sweden (edited by the Swedish
National Agency for Higher Education).
http://www.doktorandhandboken.nu/
You should visit this link, especially if you are a new Ph.D.
student.
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Doktorandsektionen
• Doktorandsektionen (Ph.D. Students ”section” of the
Student Union)
http://www.doktorandsektionen.se/site/
• E-mail List:
Send an e-mail to doktorander-request@dr.kth.se with the
text subscribe in the body of the mail.
• Technologia:
KTH's mentorship program for female Ph.D. students.
http://www.doktorandsektionen.se/Technologia/technologia_en
g.html
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Unions
• Sveriges Ingenjörer:
http://www.sverigesingenjorer.se/
• SULF (Sveriges universitetslärarförbund):
http://www.sulf.se/
• SACO (Confederation of Trade Unions for professionals):
http://www.saco.se/
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SULF
{Sverige UniversitetsLärarFörbund}
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Lars Abrahamsson
Chairman Swedish Association of Doctoral
Candidates (SDF)
Local labour union representative
of PhD students at Saco-KTH
lars.abrahamsson@ee.kth.se
790 70 58
Sveriges universitetslärarförbund
www.sulf.se
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Presentation of the Union, SULF
What do we work with right now
• SULF - labour union and professional association
• University lecturer
• Researcher
• Doctoral Student
• Negotiate, inform, debate
• Influence the formation of higher education and research
• Devote all our efforts towards the job issues and the
salary conditions of university personell.
Sveriges universitetslärarförbund
www.sulf.se
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What do we work with
Some important questions (1/2)
• An equal opportunity university
• Increased resources for high quality
• Competitive salaries for university employes
• Safety in the employment
• Research and competence as a natural part of your
employment
• Teachers without PhD degree shall be able to participate
in the research education
Sveriges universitetslärarförbund
www.sulf.se
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What do we work with
Some important questions (2/2)
• Ph.D. Students should be offered regular employment
(SDF)
• Better conditions for Ph.D. Students regarding
supervision, working place and other resources (SDF)
• Increased possibilities to international contacts and visits
to foreign universities
• More postdoctoral positions (SDF)
• Oppose the use of ”shadow” Ph.D. students (SDF)
Sveriges universitetslärarförbund
www.sulf.se
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Membership in SULF
• Full fee 192 SEK/month
• Half fee 96 SEK/month
• 1/4 fee 48 SEK/month
• 1/12 fee 16 SEK/month
Hel avgift : anställning med mer än 50 procents omfattning
Halv avgift : doktorandtjänst eller anställning om 21-50 procent omfattning
eller arbetar utomlands med lön från Sverige
Kvartsavgift: amanuenstjänst om 20 procent eller mindre, utbildningsbidrag
med tjänsteandel, post doc-stipendium
eller arbetar utomlands utan lön från Sverige eller som är stödjande
medlem
12-delsavgift : doktorand med studiemedel, stipendium, utbildningsbidrag
utan tjänsteandel eller medlem som börjat studera på heltid inom
grundläggande högskoleutbildning
AEA, Akademikernas erkända arbetslöshetskassa: 90 SEK/month
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Membership in two unions
• You can be a member of SULF and one other Saco-union
without increase of the fee!
• Sveriges Ingenjörer: 185 SEK/month (220 SEK/month to
be a member of just Sveriges Ingenjörer*)
• Naturvetarna: 121 SEK/month (cf. 100 SEK/month to be
a member of Naturvetarna)
* Annan avgift kan gälla de första åren efter examen från grundutbildningen. Avgifterna ovan gäller
den som har anställning som doktorand på heltid.
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Ph.D. Student rights
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Study plan
• The most important document throughout your doctoral
studies
• It is the legal document between you and KTH
• Eventual conflicts can be solved based on its content
• Salary steps are reached after fullfillment of the goals
which are set in it
• Make sure that you and your supervisor are keeping it
updated, typically once a year.
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Supervision
• All Ph.D. students shall have a principal supervisor
• If you have been admitted after June 2007, shall also
have at least a second supervisor.
• The principal supervisor has the responsibilities to
supervise you and to make sure that your studies and
dissertation work proceed according to the Study Plan.
• If your supervisor did not manage to supervise you in the
correct way, you may get your employment extended in
time.
• The main supervisor should have Docent competence.
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Supervision
• You have the right to change your supervisor.
• To do so, you must write to the Responsible for the
Graduate Education {Forskarutbildningsansvarig, FA}.
• You must state the reason why you want to change.
• It can be difficult to find another suitable supervisor, so it
is a good idea to try to find and speak to someone
suitable in advance.
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How to finance PhD studies
• Employment as Doctoral Candidate
• Education grant
• Scholarships
• Other employments
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Employment as Doctoral
Candidate
• Salary
• Collective agreement (ALFA)
• Holiday
• Living allowance (traktamente)
• Health insurance, insurance for parental leave
• Insurance
• Pension
• Unemployment insurance
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Salary levels for employed
doctoral candidates at KTH
Present agreement 1/4 2009 – 30/9 2010
• Level 1 (start) 23400 SEK
• Level 2 (30%) 24600 SEK
• Level 3 (50%) 27100 SEK
• Level 4 (80%) 28500 SEK
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When do I reach the next
salary level?
• From the agreement:
”Fordringarna för uppflyttning till steg 2,
steg 3, och steg 4 anses ha uppnåtts
efter 30 %, 50 % respektive 80 % av
den planerade effektiva studietiden
enligt en årligen upprättade individuella
studieplanen, såvida inte
huvudhandledaren ger annat besked
skriftligt med motivering utifrån
uppföljning av studieplanen.”
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When do I reach the next
salary level?
• No demand on a certain number of articles etc
• No demand on licentiate degree to reach level 3
• No demand of date for dissertation to reach level 4
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Study Grant
(not an employment)
• 15 500 SEK/month (tax)
• Employment when 2 years are left
• No health insurance
• You can keep education grants when you are ill or on
parental leave
• Since Försäkringskassan is not involved, the university
takes the risk
• No rights according to collective agreements
• General pension but no supplementary
• No unemployment insurance
• Can be combined with employment (maximum 40%)
• The employment is called “assistenttjänst”
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Scholarship
(not an employment)
• No health insurance and insurance for parental leave
• No rules for holiday
• No pension
• No unemployment insurance
• No tax - no demand on service in return. This means:
IT IS ILLEGAL TO PERFORM ANY KIND OF
DEPARTMENTAL DUTY WHILE ON SCHOLARSHIP
no matter what your supervisor thinks
no matter what you think
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Other employments
• Employed by the “industry”
• Working as a teacher, or some other university job
• other…
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Table
• Salary
• Parental Leave
• Illness
• Unemployment fund {A-kassa}
• Vacation
• Pension
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Discussion
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Some Discussion Topics
• Do you get enough support from your advisor(s)?
• Study plan, is it useful?, is it followed?
• Graduate courses: do they help or are they a burden?
• Discrimination & harassment
• Are you in the right salary step?
• Departmental duties
• Acceptance as licentiate student instead of as Ph.D. student.
• How would you improve the quality of the graduate education at
the ICT School?
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Take home message - 1
• Now you know the meaning of the following:
ICT Ph.D. Student Council
(part of the Student Union)
Doktorandombud
Labour Unions: Saco-S-KTH (i.e.
SULF and Sveriges Ingenjörer)
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Take home message - 2
• You know better your situation in
terms of the rights you have as a
Ph.D. Student here. Make sure these
rights are respected in your everyday
work, and contact us in case you
want help when they are not.
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Take home message - 3
• We do not inherit the Earth from our
fathers, we are borrowing it from our
children. (Native Americans proverb)
• You’re not going to be the last Ph.D.
Student on Earth, have some
compassion for the coming ones:
improve their conditions; get
involved with the Ph.D. Student
Council!
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Thank you! Tack!
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21:00 in Slussen!
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