Lund's Doctoral Student Union
Lunds doktorandkår
How It All Fits Together!
Get to Know Lunds doktorandkår's Organisation
Lunds doktorandkår is a special organisation, and to fully understand something special, you sometimes have to experience it for yourself... or get a really good explanation!
Scroll down to learn more about what's what and who's who.
For Meeting Minutes, do check out our:
How Decisions Are Made
In order for us to fully reflect the opinions of our members in the pursuit of our common goal - to do our part in making the research education at Lund University the best possible - the activities of LDK are decided and fulfilled by democratically elected representatives in the Presidium, the Board, the Governing Assembly, the Councils, and the Councils’ Working Committees. LDK consistently works to make sure that our decisions are made in accordance with the principle of proximity through each body's respective area of responsibility.
The Governing Structure
What's What and Who's Who
Even though most of the day-to-day operations within LDK is carried out by the faculty-based councils, sometimes all doctoral students must come together to find a common solution to a University wide problem. In one way you can see LDK as an umbrella organisation - we gather the best ideas from all the councils to find the best possible way forward on a University wide level. To make sure that everyone is duly heard and represented, LDK's governing structure is based on a bottom-up organisational model, where all the central decision-making is anchored through the councils' representation in the Board and the Governing Assembly. Here is how it works:
The Faculty Councils
This is Where Everything Starts
Since the representation in both the Board and the Presidium is gathered from the local councils, they basically set the agenda for what is decided within LDK.
The Governing Assembly
This is Where Things Are Decided
The Governing Assembly is LDK's highest decision-making body and it is here initiatives from the councils and the board is brought forward to find a common, university wide solution for all doctoral students.
The Presidium and the Board
This is Where Things Get Done
Whilst the Presidium represents the student union, handles the day-to-day management of its operations, and leads the activities of LDK, the Board works strategically to prepare the implementation of the decisions made by the Governing Assembly.
Who's who:
'Ahhh! This is confusing! Can't you give me an example?'
Sure:
Charlie has just had a discussion with her friend and fellow doctoral student Franky about the possibilities of attending a course in pedagogy that she badly needs in order for her to get a permanent position at a Swedish university. Apparently, everyone at Franky's faculty is allowed to go whilst Charlie's faculty just grants five people to attend to the popular pedagogy course. She's furious (and rightly so) and decides to bring it up at the next council meeting. After a heated debate, Charlie's council decides to take action - let's bring this to the next level and make sure that Lund University gives equal opportunities to all doctoral students!
1. The Presidium
Acting as 'the spider in the web' (although with fewer legs) the Presidium works to coordinate Charlie's motion and interacts closely with her council to initiate the matter to be discussed in the Board. It is here the initiative starts and the necessary preparatory work is done.
2. The Board
Once the Presidium has prepared a motion based on Charlie's idea, the Board then decides how the initiative should be carried out, basically who should do what, where and when. It is within the Board the details are fleshed out and different alternatives and approaches (if needed) are decided.
3. The Governing Assembly
Finally - time for some action! As LDK's highest decision-making body, it is at the Governing Assembly (GA) things come to a democratically ensued climax for Charlie's original proposal. It is here the different council representatives discuss and debate in order to find the best solution to Charlie's problem. It is at the GA the final decision is made.
Once the decision finally passes the Governing Assembly, it is up to the addressed parties (usually the Presidium or the Board) to carry out the decision made. In Charlie's case, the Governing Assembly might have given the Presidium directions to pursue the issue within the Research Programme's Board or even bring it up to the Vice Chancellors offices through LUS.
Decisions That Have Been Made
Lunds doktorandkårs Governing Documents
Even though Lunds doktorandkår first and foremost is made up of people and their ideas, these ideas are expressed through documents that governs our day to day business.
The Councils
Your Local Representation
The very backbone of Lunds doktorandkår is the organisation’s faculty councils. Through our local representation at Lund University’s many faculties, the core of our activities is carried out by doctoral students within the departmental and faculty affiliated decision-making bodies. Each council elects a Working Committee, which is made up by a chair, a vice-chair, a secretary, and a maximum of three other members. The Working Committee leads the council’s activities and handles the day-to-day management of its operations, much like the Presidium. Read on to get to know more about each individual council!
EDR
The Economics and Management
Doctoral Student Council
The Economics and Management Doctoral Student Council (EDR) is the doctoral student union council at Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM), representing approximately 150 doctoral students placed at the Department of Business Administration, the Department of Business Law, the Department of Economic History, the Department of Economics, the Department of Information Systems, the Department of Statistics, and at the Research Policy Institute.
EDR functions as a platform for communication, driving doctoral student matters at LUSEM and looking to assure doctoral student representation at various faculty-level and, for the Department of Business Administration, also departmental boards and committees.
Chair of EDR 2021/2022: Vinzent Ostermeyer
HTDR
The Humanistic and Theological Doctoral Student Council
The Humanistic and Theological Doctoral Student Council (HTDR) works to advance issues of relevance for all doctoral students at the HT faculties and has representation in all councils at the various departments. HTDR represents approximately 140 doctoral students placed at eight departments: The Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, The Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, The Department of Educational Sciences, The Department of History, The Centre for Languages and Literature, The Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, The Department of Communication and Media, and the Department of Philosophy.
HTDRs main task is to monitor and advance doctoral student issues within the joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. That is, HTDR represents the doctoral students at these faculties and acts to further their interests, especially with regard to employment conditions and the quality of the research education. All doctoral students at the HT faculties are welcome to the HTDR meetings, which take place three times per semester. During these meetings, we discuss issues that concern all doctoral students. The HTDR working committee sends out a summons and agenda before each meeting, so keep an eye on your inbox for emails from us.
This year, the HTDR working committee consists of Vera La Mela and Jorunn Joiner. As the working committee, we organize the meetings and function as a connector between the various boards and the doctoral students. Don’t hesitate to contact us or any of HTDRs representatives if you have any questions concerning your work as a doctoral student or if you feel like you might want to get involved in a representational task. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you at the next meeting.
JDR
The Law Doctoral Student Council
The Council of Law Doctoral Students (JDR,Juridiska doktorandrådet) is the doctoral student union council at the Faculty of Law at Lund University, representing around 30 active doctoral students placed at the faculty.
The most important task of JDR is to guard the interests of the doctoral students at the Faculty of Law. The council does so by taking part in boards and committees at different levels at the faculty.
Chair of JDR 2019/2020: Lovisa Häckner-Posse
NDR
The Science Doctoral Student Council
The Science Doctoral Student Council (Naturvetenskapliga Doktorandrådet, NDR) represents about 500 Ph.D. students at the faculty. The most important task of the NDR is to guard the interests of the Ph.D. students at the Faculty of Science with respect to the quality of education and supervision as well as the availability of resources. We currently occupy about 120 positions at various levels. The faculty level includes, e.g. the research education committee, the working committee, the teacher appointment board and the scholarship committee, to mention a few. You can also get active at the department level for example as a unit council or in the department board. Having so many different options and boards to be part of there is always the need for new engaged Ph.D. students who want to become active within the NDR.
Each year the NDR decides on some focus questions regarding the research education, which will be discussed and tried to be solved or improved. For that, NDR invites all the Ph.D. students to a lunch meeting three times per term. Here we pass on the latest news from our representatives from various boards and committees. During those meetings we also try to gather feedback from the attending Ph.D. students on what should be improved or focused on in the future. The organization of these meetings is done by the NDR working committee, which usually meets 1 or 2 weeks before those lunch meetings discussing the agenda and hot topics for the upcoming meeting.
Besides discussing, collecting and spreading information, and trying to solve common or local problems, these lunch meetings are also intended as a forum for Ph.D. students to meet across departmental boundaries.
For more information please visit the science faculty website and join our Facebook group.
Chair of NDR 2021/2022: Bibiana Prinoth
MDR
The Medicine Doctoral Student Council
The Faculty of Medicine at Lund University has approximately 1 000 PhD students at six different departments in both Lund and Malmö. The Medical Doctoral Student Council / Medicinska Doktorandrådet (MDR) is the doctoral student council for all PhD students at the Faculty of Medicine. MDR represents students across 35 different boards and committees including the faculty boards, departmental boards, research education committee, and strategic research areas.
For more information please visit our Intramed website and join our Facebook group.
Chair of MDR 2020/2021: Vibha Kumra Ahnlide
SDR
The Social Science Doctoral Student Council
SDR represents all doctoral students at the Faculty of Social Sciences, who each year elect representatives to a number of important bodies within the Faculty, such as the Faculty Board, the Faculty Research Committee and the Academic Appointments Board. Doctoral student representatives have the right to vote and we have representatives in all bodies where issues that concerns doctoral students is addressed. In addition, the SDR is your representative in the Lund University Student Union (LUS) and Lund Doctoral Student Union (LDK).
Co-chairs of SDR 2021/2022: Claudia Di Matteo & Amanda Klysing
LDK Archives
Reimbursment Form
Valued Partnerships
The People We Like to Do things With
The Student Union at the Faculty of Engineering (Teknologkåren vid LTH) organises, through the affiliation Dokt (Doktorandsektionen), the doctoral students admitted to third cycle education at the Faculty of Engineering. To ensure that Dokt and LDK are aligned in respective organisations pursuit to influence third cycle education at Lund University, LDK not only cherish this important collaboration partner but continuously discusses issues to make sure that the student unions, and not the University, sets the political agenda for improving third cycle education at Lund University.
Lunds universitets studentkårer (LUS) promotes students' interests in a variety of areas, primarily focusing on services for first and second cycle education, with some activities pertaining to third cycle education discussions as well. LDK views LUS as an important collaboration partner. LDK participates in regular LUS meetings, which thus provides an additional forum to meet with representatives of first and second cycle student unions at Lund University.
The Swedish National Union of Students (SFS) is a national collaboration between 47 student unions at universities and places of higher education throughout Sweden. Through its members, the organisation represents approximately 275 000 students of whom many are doctoral students.