Practical leadership skills for PhD students
Practical leadership skills for PhD students
22 October 2026, 9h00-17h00
General context
Leadership for PhD students is less about managing large teams and more about everyday situations: guiding a thesis student, collaborating on projects, or influencing peers. These moments matter, and the skills you develop now will shape your future career.
This hands-on workshop introduces practical leadership tools tailored for early-career researchers. You’ll learn the difference between leading, managing, and coaching, explore your own style, and practice techniques for setting goals, giving feedback, and motivating others. Whether supervising for the first time or preparing for the next step, you’ll leave with strategies you can apply immediately in your research environment.
After this workshop, you will:
- Understand what leadership means in a PhD context and when to lead, manage, or coach.
- Recognize your leadership style and reflect on how it affects collaborations.
- Practice setting clear expectations and goals for students or partners in small projects.
- Give and receive feedback constructively to foster positive working relationships.
- Apply core leadership techniques in practical PhD scenarios through interactive exercises.
This is an interactive, practice-based workshop designed for early-career researchers. Using role-plays, real-life case discussions, and guided reflection, you will translate leadership concepts into practical skills you can apply right away in your PhD environment. The focus is on learning by doing, with tools and feedback to help you grow as a confident, effective collaborator and guide.
VIB PhD students.
Trainers
Robin Lefebvre
Robin Lefebvre, PhD, offers the academic community over 10 years of evidence-based leadership development expertise, with a proven track record of empowering researchers and professors across leading Belgian universities (VIB, UGent, UA, VUB, and others). He translates his extensive experience as an R&D Leader and corporate trainer at Procter & Gamble into highly hands-on training approaches that effectively bridge theory and practice. Drawing on his background, which includes leading significant innovation programs for global brands and contributing to organizational restructuring, he delivers leadership training focused on inspirational leadership, adaptive leadership, and cultivating collaborative innovation. Robin is dedicated to equipping academic leaders with essential skills to maximize their impact and foster an environment of continuous growth.
Program
- Training opener
- Have participants introduce each other
- Set key expectations for the training
- Discuss the flow of the training
- Session 1: Managing, Coaching, and Leading
- In breakout groups, what are managing, coaching, and leading, and what skills are required for each?
- Group discussion: How can you apply these in your current role?
- Session 2: How to grow as a leader?
- Short introduction to different leadership styles
- In breakout groups: what are some of the key skills and tools you know that are used in:
- Visionary leadership
- Individualised leadership
- Participative leadership
- Group discussion: how can you get more experience with these tools and competencies?
- Session 3: Setting goals
- How to ensure that the right work is done by setting goals
- SMART goals + individual exercise
- Process goals + individual exercise
- CLEAR learning goals + individual exercise
- Per three: role-playing how to set and communicate goals for one another and getting feedback.
- How to ensure that the right work is done by setting goals
- Session 4: Providing Effective Feedback
- The science, the why, when and how to give feedback
- Per three: role-playing providing feedback in specific case studies, and getting feedback.
- Wrap up—What actions will you take out of this training, and how and when will you act upon them?
Practical info
22 October 2026
Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg
Herestraat 49
3000 Leuven
Belgium
22 October 2026
Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg
Leuven train station is approximately 4 km from the campus Gasthuisberg. Buses depart very regularly to the Gasthuisberg Campus from Leuven train station.
For tickets and up to date schedules visit website De Lijn or use the De Lijn App.
Exit at the very last bus stop ‘Gasthuisberg Campus) make sure not to exit at ‘Gasthuisberg Kliniek =
hospital)
Once you get off the bus, go to your right and go up the street until you see stairs to your left. Climb the stairs all the way up between two buildings. Look for the signs containing blue circles and white numbers and follow them all the way from 2 up to number 12. You will cross several buildings and the walk will take max. 10 minutes. When you reach number 12, you have reached O&N 5, where you can find the reception.
22 October 2026
Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg
The Gasthuisberg campus is west of the Leuven ring. Our buildings are situated behind the hospital (see black arrow near ‘RING NOORD’ on the map). If you come from the city center, you will arrive on campus from the east side (taking Mgr. Van Waeyenberglaan and roundabout Het Teken). If you come from Heverlee or Campus Arenberg, you will arrive from the west side (taking the Celestijnenlaan and Taborweg). When you arrive uphill at the intersection with the Rega Institute and the Red Cross building, you need to take the road down to the bicycle parking at Rega Institute (see map) where you can park. Next, follow the ‘Onderwijs & Navorsing blue route’ description below (start point is #9).
22 October 2026
Leuven - Campus Gasthuisberg
You arrive via the E314 highway – EXIT 16
After 200 m, keep left to drive underneath the roundabout and into the tunnel.
Keep left and follow the arrows to Parking West.
You arrive via the Leuven ring road
At the roundabout, take the exit towards ‘Spoed / Ziekenhuis’.
Follow the ring around Campus Gasthuisberg and pass the entrance of SPOED.
Continue right until you arrive at a second roundabout.
Follow the directions for E314.
Near the Fire Brigade Station, make a U-turn and follow the directions for ‘Ziekenhuis’.
Keep left and drive downhill, underneath the roundabout and into the tunnel.
Keep left and follow the arrows to Parking West.
Next, leave the parking at level +1 using the big stairs near the vending machines.
Follow the red carpet and arrows to 'Onco Dagcentrum' to get to the O&N buildings. Take the stairs on your left after exiting Parking West. You are now in front of the O&N4 building; on the left you will find O&N5.