Dear doctoral students,
A warm welcome to the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology.
It is wonderful to see you all here. You are our much-anticipated 2026 cohort of PhD students, and we are delighted that you have chosen to pursue your doctoral studies with us.
One of our ambitions is to strengthen networks among doctoral students, especially in smaller disciplines, both within our faculties and across Sweden and the Nordic countries. We want you to be part of research environments with sufficient critical mass to support, challenge, and inspire you as you write a thesis you can truly be proud of.
Excellent dissertations are sometimes written by solitary geniuses. But for most of us, ideas develop best through collegial exchange. Scholarship is strengthened when thoughts are tested, discussed, challenged, and refined in conversation with others. I hope that we, your supervisors and colleagues, can provide stimulating research environments, generosity, and support. At the same time, you also have an important role in creating those environments yourselves. Strong academic communities are built together.
PhD studies are, most of the time, a wonderful experience.
They offer a unique opportunity: four or five years largely dedicated to learning, thinking, and creating new knowledge. The combination of intellectual freedom, relatively few formal obligations beyond coursework, seminars, and dissertation writing, and the possibility of immersing yourself in a topic that genuinely fascinates you is rare indeed. You may never again have a period quite like this until retirement.
The working conditions for doctoral students in Sweden are generally very good, and many of us who have completed a doctorate sometimes look back with a degree of envy. During these years, many people also experience important personal milestones and life-changing events. It is a special period, and I encourage you to appreciate it when you can.
The humanities and theology at Lund University are thriving.
We are home to several strong, nationally leading and internationally recognised researchers and research environments. We offer high-quality education and training, and we have developed significant infrastructures, including the Humanities Lab, digital archaeology initiatives, social robotics, and much more.
We are also in a phase of renewal. Across many disciplines, we are recruiting the next generation of senior lecturers and professors. At the same time, Sweden has become increasingly attractive to international scholars. As a result, many of your research environments are likely to become even stronger, more dynamic, and more international during the course of your studies.
Yet being a PhD student is not always easy.
Sometimes colleagues, or perhaps even we ourselves, become too competitive. Don’t be.
Sometimes we are not as generous as we should be. Sometimes we are so busy that we fail to take an interest in a colleague’s work. Try to find the time.
Sometimes doctoral students withdraw from the academic community in an attempt to focus entirely on their own projects. That is always a risk. By participating in seminars, reading the work of others, and contributing to the intellectual life of your department, you increase the likelihood that others will engage with your work when you need feedback and support.
At times it may seem that supervisors and research seminars ask you to revise your work yet again or read one more book that appears only marginally relevant. More often than not, however, this extra effort makes a real difference. Trust the accumulated experience that exists within the organisation.
That does not mean you should not be original, bold, and unconventional. Quite the contrary. Have fun. Be productive. Take intellectual risks. Ask unexpected questions. Explore new methods. Perhaps you will even create an entirely new field of study, or a successful start-up company.
There is another issue that deserves consideration, though not necessarily today, and perhaps not during your first year.
At some point, you should begin to think about what comes next.
Universities will always need talented young researchers, but permanent positions are limited, and sustainable research funding is often difficult to secure. Academic life can become more challenging after the dissertation, unless one is fortunate enough to obtain a stable position.
My advice, particularly to those who wish to pursue an academic career, is to spend time at another university after completing your doctorate. Even if you are convinced that Lund University is where you ultimately want to be, do not hesitate to leave for a few years. Build new networks, gain new experiences, and encounter different academic cultures. It will benefit both you and, eventually, Lund University.
At the same time, an academic career is not necessarily the most rewarding path for everyone.
The world beyond the university is at least as important and is equally in need of highly educated individuals with the analytical skills, critical judgement, and intellectual breadth that doctoral training provides. Keep an open mind about alternative career paths.
Beyond academia, you will draw not only on your research expertise but also on the broader abilities you develop during your doctoral studies: problem-solving, communication, collaboration, independence, and sound judgement.
The need for people who can contribute to a democratic and sustainable society, and who understand the importance of history, culture, religion, language, and human diversity, has rarely been greater. In this regard, the role of the humanities and theology is perhaps more important today than ever before.
I also believe that Sweden is beginning to recognise just how valuable graduates in the humanities and theology can be to organisations, businesses, public institutions, and society at large.
However, that recognition is most likely to come to those who remain interested in and engaged with the world beyond academia.
With that in mind, we have recently launched a new platform for students and early-career researchers interested in collaboration and innovation. We call it Lund Humanities Village, and I hope many of you will become involved. I recommend two Lund Humanities Village activities at once: register for our next Fokus framtid seminar, Democracy at the Crossroads: https://www.ht.lu.se/en/collaboration/lund-humanities-village/fokus-framtid/ , and apply to our brand new mentorship programme, https://www.ht.lu.se/en/collaboration/lund-humanities-village/mentorship-programme/ . Together we can build something in Lund that few other universities have.
Once again, welcome to Lund University.
I wish you every success and every enjoyment in the years ahead.
Good luck!
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