Unlike a PhD, which focuses on academic research, an EngD emphasises the direct application of knowledge. Trainees work on design challenges such as process optimisation or product development while receiving mentoring from both university staff and industry professionals.
Theory and practical experience
Maas van Apeldoorn, a Computer Science & Engineering graduate from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), chose the EngD program to build on his theoretical foundation. ‘After doing a master’s, you have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but you still lack practical experience and knowledge of how to put the theory into practice,’ he explains. ‘Besides that, I really wanted to do something with a social impact. I’m much more concerned about climate change, and I would like to contribute to tackling it.’
During the two-year program, Van Apeldoorn has had the opportunity to work on several projects. ‘I really like the fact that you continue learning for two years in a real-life environment. This allows me to dive more deeply into the techniques used in practice, plus it means I gain useful knowledge and experience to take with me to future roles.’ He also values the international atmosphere: ‘At the start of our EngD program, we had twelve different nationalities in our group of around twenty students.’
Big project
Now in his second year, Van Apeldoorn is working on a major project at research institute DIFFER, focusing on the development of new materials to improve hydrogen production. ‘Ultimately, we are contributing to the setup of a lab that can autonomously synthesize new materials, conduct experiments on them and use the results to decide which material it will synthesize next. My project entails working on a simulation environment for that future lab.’
‘For me, the EngD program is the ideal next step after my master’s degree,’ Van Apeldoorn says. ‘You put a lot into it, but you get just as much out of it; it’s very rewarding.’ He emphasizes the importance of motivation: ‘To do an EngD, you have to be motivated to want to continue investing in yourself. If you are, then an EngD is tremendously rewarding.’
Interested?
4TU.SAI: a joint initiative of the four Dutch universities of technology. Discover the possibilities at www.4tu.nl/sai or email [email protected] for more information.
Open positions: www.4tu.nl/sai/vacancies. We currently have various openings in Delft, Eindhoven, Twente, Wageningen and Groningen.
4tu career special
This article appeared in the 4TU Career Special, a shared publication by the news editors of Cursor TU Eindhoven (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven University of Technology), TU Delta (TU Delft University of Technology), Resource Wageningen UR (Wageningen University & Research) and U-Today (University of Twente).
The magazine came into being in collaboration with industry, and is explicitly aimed towards students who are either in the final phase of their studies, or have just graduated.
