Thank you for your interest in getting a PhD in Leiden! Below are some brief personal answers to frequently asked questions about working at the Instituut-Lorentz or, more generally, about studying physics in the Netherlands.

Wim van Saarloos

What is the scientific atmosphere in Leiden like?

Our theory institute welcomes students and postdocs from abroad, and in line with this my perception of the atmosphere at the Instituut-Lorentz is that it quite open and international. E.g., in the fall of 1999, we have postdocs and graduate students from eight nationalities. The scientific atmosphere in the theory group in Leiden is also influenced by the fact that all the active faculty members of our theory group have worked abroad for several years - it is our ambition to do physics on an internationally competitive basis while fostering an open and friendly environment and the fun of doing physics.

Research groups in the Netherlands are often rather small and not very hierarchical, and most professors try to get their students involved as fast as possible in the active research on the frontline of physics. This certainly holds for my colleagues and myself at the Instituut-Lorentz: you don't have to fear getting a "run-of-the-mill" type of problem here as a graduate student. Our attitude is that our very best graduate students, who have a real chance of getting a faculty position somewhere, have the best chances when they're out and independent and strong enough to compete on the postdoc job market when they're about 27 years old.

At the Instituut-Lorentz, we find it important to try to keep one regular theory seminar for the whole theory group. Of course, there are often additional more specific group seminars.

Can I apply directly to a graduate school like in the U.S.A?

No, it is important to point out that, like in most European countries, we do not have a true graduate school system like in the U.S.A. There, students are admitted to a graduate school on the basis of some open competition, attend courses for one or two years, and then find an advisor after passing the qualifying exam.

In the Netherlands, professors have to apply for funds to appoint a graduate student. They can do so at their own university or at the physics funding agency FOM. Once a professor has a position, it is basically up to him or her to decide who to appoint. This system implies that if you want to do a PhD in physics in the Netherlands, you basically have to try to find an advisor who is eager to get you.

There are two options how to do this. The first one is to contact directly a professor with whom you would like to work to inquire whether there are openings in his or her group. (Here is an overview of the groups at the Instituut-Lorentz.) The second one is to check the homepage of the Dutch research school in theoretical physics DRSTP in which all theory groups cooperate, to see whether there are positions being advertized. But keep in mind that most positions are not advertized there - the best route clearly is to follow option one.

It may be worthwhile pointing out that in recent years, there is a shortage of students in the Netherlands who are interested in doing a PhD in physics. So if you are well motivated and well qualified, you should in principle have a good chance of finding a PhD position in the Netherlands. In fact, most of us have the attitude that even if we don't have a position available, if we do have a very strong candidate who we really would like to have, we will do our best to somehow create a position. Luckily, our system allows this flexibility.

How long does it take to get a PhD?

When looking for positions, it may be useful to know that PhD students in the Netherlands are referred to as AIO's if they are on a university position, and OIO's if they have position funded by FOM.

The normal duration of an AIO or OIO contract is for four years. In theoretical physics, most graduate students are indeed able to complete their PhD in about four years. If there are good reasons why it takes longer, contracts can be extended.

Do I need to take courses?

This depends on the university. In Leiden, we offer a few courses especially aimed at graduate students, and it is expected that students take some of these.

In addition, the rule is that a graduate student attends at least one or two summer schools during his or her time in Leiden. In practice, most of our graduate students attend more than two, and in the condensed matter theory group, it is quite usual that a graduate student attends a meeting like the APS March meeting towards the end of his or her graduate studies.

Do I need to speak or learn Dutch?

The scientific language in physics in the Netherlands, and hence also at the Instituut-Lorentz, is always English. The only exception, of course, are private discussions amoung individuals who share the same mother tongue. All seminars and colloquia are given in English, and undergraduate and graduate theses are normally written in English. Actually, grant proposals in Holland are also written in English, as in practice about two thirds of the referees of proposals are foreigners.

At the Instituut-Lorentz, people usually gather around 11.15 am in our coffee room for coffee and social talk. At these occasions, there is often a bigger tendency to slip into Dutch (especially when the latest idiosyncrasies of Dutch university life or national politics are discussed).

In daily life outside the university, you can certainly get by with English almost everywhere in the country. For this reason, most postdocs who stay with us do not bother to learn Dutch. For graduate students, this is possible as well, but I personally advise foreign graduate students to learn some Dutch: it helps to get more social contacts at our institute and outside, during the 4+ years that they are in this country. Moreover, graduate students normally assist in some teaching duties, and it helps if they can interact with the undergraduate students in Dutch as well.

Graduate students who are employed by our physics funding agency FOM get reimbursed for the tuition and study material when they take Dutch language courses.

Do graduate students in Leiden have to teach?

Yes, like basically everywhere in Holland, they are involved in some light teaching activities, such as assistance with problem course. Typically the teaching load is of the order of half a day per week. Quite often, a graduate student assists a faculty member other than his thesis advisor with the teaching.

Do postdocs in Leiden have to teach?

Postdocs, of course, don't teach. When they are involved in educational activities, like in my "werkgroep" nonlinear dynamics, this is voluntary.