Lecture Abstract:

PhD positions and research vary a lot depending on country, university, discipline, and last but not least, supervisor. A successful completion however starts with an excellent proposal everywhere. Supervision, PhD programmes, research facilities and academic environment are other factors influencing the road to completion. In this seminar, Dr Noortmann and Dr Juliette Koning will share  their experiences as supervisors. They will discuss the requirements for an excellent proposal, provide tips on what to look out for when searching for PhD positions and what to expect over a period of 3 to 4 years of PhD research.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Math Noortmann joined the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) at Coventry University in November 2014 as Professor on Transnational Law and Non-State Actors. He is also Director of Studies at the university. Before that, he taught and researched at uUniversities in the Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, and the UK. Holding a PhD. in International Law and a MSc. in Political Science, his teaching and research combine the knowledge and understanding of international politics and public international law. Within the CTPSR, he leads the Research Cluster on Transnational and Maritime Security. He has published on such issues such as transnational criminal organizations, private military and security companies; and ASEAN – Australian Counter-Terrorism Cooperation after Bali.

Dr. Noortmann is, inter alia, Editor-in-Chief of the series Non-State Actors in International Law, Politics and Governance; Chairperson of the Committee on Non-State Actors of the International Law Association; Board member of the Terrorism and Political Violence Association., and Member of the programming committee of the Academic Council of the United Nations System. He held visiting professorships at various institutions, including Military Academy of Stellenbosch University, South-Africa; University of Calcutta, India; National University Singapore, Singapore; University of Politics and Law, Beijing, China; and Andalas University, Indonesia.

Dr Juliette Koning is Reader in Organization Studies and Asian Business at the Faculty of Business, Oxford Brookes University, UK. She holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Amsterdam. After a career in social anthropology, Juliette turned her academic interest to organization studies, in particular the study of ethnic businesses in Southeast Asia. She conducts extensive qualitative research (life and business histories) among ethnic Chinese business owners in Indonesia. Juliette combines anthropological theories and concepts with business, organization and management issues, which explains her research interest in entrepreneurship, identity, religion, ethnicity, and leadership. She has published widely on these topics in business and management journals such as Journal of Business Ethics; Entrepreneurship & Regional Development; and Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management. Her edited books include Chinese Indonesians and Regime Change (Brill, with Marleen Dieleman and Peter Post), Ropewalking and Safety Nets:. Local Ways of Managing Insecurity in Indonesia (Brill, with Frans Hüsken). She is currently working on New Religiosities, Modern Capitalism and Moral Complexities in Southeast Asia (Palgrave/Macmillan, with Gweneal Njoto-Feillard).