New Program Directors for Kristiania's PhD Programs

 – I would like to thank Asle Fagerstrøm and Anne Haugen Gausdal for doing an excellent job as program leaders during an important phase of development. I am glad to know that both are still around and will support us when and if we need it, says Stephan Hamberg, Dean of the School of Doctoral Studies at Kristiania.

Audra Diers-Lawson is a professor at the Department of Communication at Kristiania. She will oversee doctoral candidates in the Communication and Leadership programs.

 – I will be very focused on supporting our doctoral candidates. This means being available to them, supporting their academic development goals, and being a driving force for an inclusive research culture, says Diers-Lawson.

Moutaz Haddara is a professor at the School of Economics, Innovation and Technology at Kristiania. There are several reasons why he is motivated to become the program director for the PhD program in Applied Information Technology:

 – I am passionately involved in research and education, and I have always been attracted to roles that involve collaborative research with students and facilitating academic development. Being a program director provides an opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of both the program and the doctoral candidates who will embark on their studies, says Haddara. 

Statistics: Difficult to complete within the prescribed time

Doctoral studies are normed for three years of full-time study, but statistics from all the country's universities and colleges show that only 15% of doctoral candidates complete within the agreed-upon time, according to this article in Khrono. Generally, there is therefore a job to be done to help and motivate doctoral candidates to finish their studies on time. This is also a concern for Dean Stephan Hamberg:

 – Our overarching goal is to offer a very good doctoral education where the doctoral candidates complete on time and are attractive in the job market. The two new program leaders will play an important role as we further develop the doctoral programs. They have a great responsibility for the quality of education and for taking care of our doctoral candidates, course leaders, and supervisors, says Hamberg.

 Dedicated Program Directors

Both Diers-Lawson and Haddara are concerned with how to help doctoral candidates complete within the normed time.

 – As a program leader, it is crucial to implement measures to support and facilitate doctoral candidates completing within the agreed-upon time, says Haddara. He mentions several measures to achieve this: good planning and setting realistic goals in collaboration with the doctoral candidates, training of supervisors that also includes personal development, regular evaluation of students, and clear and transparent communication between the management and doctoral candidates are some of the measures Haddara mentions.

Diers-Lawson also has thoughts on what it takes to keep Kristiania's doctoral candidates from becoming part of the unpleasant statistics. She is concerned with the recruitment process:

 – That so few complete within the normed time is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges in academia. Good recruitment processes undoubtedly mean a lot. We must choose candidates that we are confident will succeed. At the same time, as an institution, we must be very clear about our expectations for program progression. We also know that the role of the supervisor and the supervision team is a very important resource for ensuring good program progression for the doctoral candidates, says Lawson.