Hi all, my name is Gilian van Duijvendijk and I work as a PhD programme coordinator at PE&RC since September 2024. It took a little long to introduce myself because I don’t have many pictures of myself, so I had to make one for this newsletter. A short background: I finished my PhD on ticks and Lyme disease at Wageningen University in 2016. After that I’ve worked for 6 years as a lecturer/researcher at the HAS University of Applies Sciences in Den Bosch. The covid lock down taught me that traveling 2h per day for work is a waste of time so I found a job as researcher at the Animal Ecology group at Wageningen Research to reduce travel time to 5 minutes. After two years, I realized I missed working with (young) people too much, so I started at the PE&RC, where I’m really happy. So, if you have any questions: the door is always open (and so is my outlook).
What should all 1st year PhD candidates know?
The most important thing for me during the PhD is to enjoy yourself. You can do a lot of new things and learn a lot. Of course, you also need to write a thesis, but the thesis is a means and not an end. If you are able to make a planning, prioritize and communicate with your supervisors, you should be able to finish in time. So don’t worry and be happy!
What has been your favorite part of your PhD?
I liked all of it and I really liked the defense too. I would not mind doing another PhD.
Do you collect anything?
‘Collect’ sounds a bit weird, but I do keep and breed reptiles as a hobby for 30 years. I try to focus on the smaller species and give them enough space for their natural behavior.
What is your favorite season? And what is your favorite activity then?
My hobbies are reptiles and bird watching, so my favorite season is spring, and activities are herping and birding. I also like hiking and cycling (again, preferably in spring). - What skill would you most like to learn? I don’t know why, but I would love to learn how to weld. I assume I will never need this skill though.
When did you first feel like an adult?
I’m born in 1983, have two children (2012 and 2014) so one could expect me to feel like an adult. This is however not the case (yet). I’ve always expected that something would happen to me at some point during life to make me feel like an adult. I’m still waiting for this moment…