Lieke Schrijvers, Faculty of Humanities
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My academic background is in gender studies and religious studies. At Utrecht University I started my PhD in 2016, after graduating from the research master in Gender & Ethnicity. I am currently a member of a research project about religious conversion, at the department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Besides my academic interests, I am committed to intersectional feminist and queer social movements, where I can combine academia with politics and concrete actions. Over the past years, I have come to realize that there is a lot to improve in the rights of PhD candidates. Increasing numbers of temporary workers in academia – such as postdocs and teachers – are added to this group of precarious employees in times of financial crises. With UPP, I devote myself to improving the transparency and accessibility of PhD rights and responsibilities. Moreover, I am particularly devoted to meaningful accessibility and inclusivity, and will work together with (amongst others) the Task Force Diversity to counter exploitation and discrimination on the workfloor.
In the University Council, I am member of the committee on Finance, Staff and IT, as well as member of the PR committee and spokesperson for the Faculty of Social Sciences. In addition, I am a representative of Utrecht’s independent PhD network PROUT.
From April – August 2021, Lieke replaces Anne as vice-chairperson of the staff delegation and acting chair of UPP.
Anne van Veen, Faculty of Science
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I first entered Utrecht University back in 2003 as a Interdisciplinary Social Science student, returned in 2010 for a masters at the Humanities department and came back again in 2016 to the Natural Sciences department for a PhD. My research is on histories of animal testing and alternatives in the Netherlands. Since starting my PhD, I have noticed that there is room for improvement when it comes to the position of PhDs. Therefore, I decided to run for university council. Besides PhD rights, I am also passionate about the other issues UPP stands for. Through my work at the university council, I hope to contribute to making UU a sustainable university which is proactive about being inclusive and accessible.
In the University Council, I am member of the committee on Education, Research and Students (OOS) and vice-chairperson of the staff delegation. In addition, I am a representative of Utrecht’s independent PhD network PROUT.
Iris Yuping Ren, Faculty of Science
From April 2021 until August 2021, Iris replaces Anne as University Council member.
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2012 is the first time I came to Utrecht University for a short summer school of two weeks. Five years later, I came back for a much longer time: in 2017, I started my PhD at the Department of Information and Computing Sciences. My research topic is musical pattern discovery, whereby I compare annotated patterns and algorithmically extracted ones. During my PhD, I have learnt and am still learning a lot about research, but also noticed that there are many more influencing factors from life than objective intellectual pursuits. What fuels me includes a range of unfortunate experiences, such as RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), discrimination, and inappropriate behaviour towards me, as well as a range of fortunate ones, including a considerate supervisory team, supporting friends, colleagues and students, and great learning and teaching opportunities. I would love to do what I can to eradicate some of the existing issues and provide a voice for people and for myself that can be helpful, speaking up for diversity, cultural and language awareness, innovation and technologies, and effective communication. I hope to represent a diverse range of PhD candidates, connect with students, and facilitate communication with other employees.
In the University Council, I am a member of the committee on Education, Research and Students (OOS).
I’m also a member of the Science Faculty Council.