The University of Queensland is one of 10 Australian universities participating in an international initiative allowing PhD students to study at both an Australian and a French university.
Known as cotutelle, this form of study will be the subject of a Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation (FEAST) seminar to be held at the University this week.
The seminar entitled Joint/double-badged doctoral degree: the French-Australian PhD in ‘cotutelle’, will be held on Wednesday, June 2 from 5.30-7pm at the Queensland Bioscience Precinct at UQ’s St Lucia campus.
UQ’s Dean of Postgraduate Students Professor Alan Lawson said the event would highlight the benefits of the program and look at future developments in cotutelle.
“Cotutelle is an expression of UQ’s belief in the value of internationalisation and ongoing, strategically driven research collaboration with French universities,” Professor Lawson said.
“Typically, a cotutelle will raise existing research collaboration to a higher level and provide PhD students with international experience and personal links at the start of their career.”
Speakers at the seminar will include the Chair of the Deputy and Pro Vice-Chancellor (research) Committee of the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, Professor Lesley Johnson; the French Embassy’s Science and Technology Attaché, Alain Moulet; and Professor Lawson.
UQ’s Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield will provide the welcome address and UQ cotutelle PhD student Rachel Gee will speak about her personal experiences studying in the program.
Ms Gee’s PhD study, which is being conducted jointly between UQ and the French Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III), is examining how students use their first language while learning a foreign language in a university context.
She said studying in both Australia and France had enriched her project by allowing her access to literature and research that was specifically European and more relevant to her area of study.
“By extending the scope of the study and having access to French students this cotutelle has allowed research to be undertaken in a different context, highlighting differences and similarities between students here in Australia and students in France,” Ms Gee said.
Cotutelle students have their doctoral studies supervised jointly by academics from an Australian University and a French University and if successful the student will be awarded a joint doctoral degree by both institutions.
UQ currently has five cotutelle students who spend a minimum of one year at each institution.
The program is designed to enhance two way international research collaboration and facilitate international study and experience for PhD candidates who work in two countries and will have access to the latest research equipment.
To register for the seminar email amanda.patterson@admin.uq.edu.au
Media: For more information, contact Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2479, email: c.saxby@uq.edu.au).
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