22 June 2026
Preparing doctoral researchers for diverse career pathways: insights from YUFE shared at the EUA-CDE Annual Meeting
How can we better prepare doctoral researchers for the diversity of career paths ahead?
At the EUA-CDE Annual Meeting 2026, the YUFE Alliance shared insights from its mentoring programme within the YUFE Pilot on Doctoral Learning, exploring how structured mentoring can support researchers in their personal, professional, and career development.
The session “Preparing doctoral researchers for diverse career pathways: insights from a mentoring programme in the YUFE Alliance” highlighted experiences from mentoring initiatives at University of Antwerp and University of Eastern Finland.
The discussions at EUA-CDE showed the value of mentoring as a space where doctoral researchers can:
✨ explore different career pathways
✨ develop transferable skills
✨ gain new perspectives beyond their immediate research environment
✨ build meaningful professional networks
Feedback from participants showed that mentoring supported confidence, career reflection, personal growth, and stronger connections between academia and other professional contexts. Mentors also highlighted the rewarding experience of supporting researchers’ growth while gaining new insights themselves.
A key message from the experience: doctoral education is not only about excellent research, but also about preparing researchers for their future.
Discover more about the YUFE approach to doctoral learning and the outcomes of the pilot in the full deliverable:
🔗 Pilot of the YUFE Model on Doctoral Learning
