"All students and postdocs can actively shape this department"

From the very beginning the D-BSSE leadership supported the Scientific Staff Association’s idea of conducting a survey at the department with the aim to get a profound understanding of what was running well and what needed improvement. The response rate was about 80% which indicates a high emotional involvement of doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers at the D-BSSE.

Absolutely, I believe the survey was a big success. It was very well prepared by the Scientific Staff Association (Verein Mittelbau, VMB). They invited all doctoral students and postdocs to contribute to the development of the survey in a participatory bottom-up approach. It was certainly a lot of work, but worth the effort in my opinion: VMB reached most of the early-career researchers in the department, and we start seeing a more complete picture of where we stand and which improvements and changes will be needed in the future.
Some of the results from the previous AVETH survey from 2018 took us by surprise, and the department reacted instantly and set up a task force to foster the open dialogue between leadership and doctoral students. This process was very constructive, and we implemented several improvements, for example, regarding doctoral supervision and working contracts.
In the 2018 survey, the response rate was much lower (44%) and created more questions than answers, but we realized that there were issues that had to be resolved. The current VMB survey provides early feedback on those initial measures, and more importantly, it helps to get more precise answers to some of the issues that relate to respect, trust, mutual expectations etc., all of which are difficult to grasp.

The VMB survey now gives a more detailed picture. The overall result of the survey is more positive as compared to the 2018 survey…

In fact, the two surveys may be difficult to compare directly, but it is clear that the overall results of the current VMB survey are very positive. The improvement over the previous AVETH survey from 2018 is encouraging, and it is reassuring that we are moving in the right direction. For example, most scientific staff members find the atmosphere in their research groups pleasant (82% of PhD students, 89% of senior staff); this is a strong positive signal. However, the result also shows that not all scientific staff experiences the work environment in their group as pleasant, and this group deserves our attention.

The survey also reveals deficiencies at the department: one critical point is that many students are not proud of their work and that they have a feeling of working for their supervisor rather than with their supervisor…

Yes, the numbers here are worrying: when asked about their relationship to their supervisor (typically the professor), more than half of the doctoral students reported that they are working for their professor rather than with him or her. The reasons could be manifold and need further investigation: does the relationship lack trust or respect, and if so, what exactly causes this lack and how does it materialize? Or does the student expect a higher level of support than the supervisor has to offer?
In any case, taking ownership of one’s own work and project is a key step in the successful development of doctoral students towards their independence. We have to find out the reasons for this lack of identification and work on cultivating an atmosphere at D-BSSE that enables students and supervisors to work with each other.

Another issue refers to a feeling of inequality: one fourth of the students and senior staff reports that they feel not treated equally on the same employment level, in particular with respect to salary.

I was a bit surprised about this finding, but it is indeed a complex issue: two years ago, we matched salary levels between students on fellowships coming from abroad and students holding an ETH employment – a measure that was later adopted by the ETH Executive Board and implemented ETH-wide. Differences between groups have also been reduced, but they remain at D-BSSE reflecting the different disciplines. Within groups, there are no differences, except due to different levels of teaching obligations.
And then there is the issue of bonuses, which professors can award to individual staff members to acknowledge specific extraordinary achievements. The way bonuses are handled is tightly regulated ETH-wide and the ETH websites inform about it in a clear and transparent way. I encourage groups to discuss this issue to eliminate any uncertainty that may remain.

Discrimination also seems to be an issue at the D-BSSE. 20 cases of discrimination surfaced during the survey.

Yes, we take each of these 20 cases very seriously, and we have started immediately to follow up on them. People felt discriminated mostly (but not exclusively) based on nationality or gender; in some of these cases the language barrier seems to be the reason for feeling excluded from the remainder of the group. In order to act on the 20 reported cases, we need to get a clearer picture of what they actually entail.
Let me be very clear here: We do not tolerate any form of discrimination at the department! I encourage everyone who feels discriminated to report directly to me or to the VMB. Due to the anonymity and lack of detail it is difficult to draw specific conclusions from the survey alone.
Here, the persons of trust at the department come into play; they can help us shed light on specific cases and analyze the causes, while maintaining confidentiality. The picture on some issues remains blurry in the survey, and we have asked VMB to further investigate what exactly led to these feelings related to discrimination.
In addition to trying to follow up on the 20 individual cases, we also identified a general need to raise more awareness of discrimination and behavioral patterns that may cause it. A working group including VMB and led by a dedicated professor will define measures and training events to address discrimination and diversity on the level of the entire department.

The survey results were also presented to all professors and discussed at the professors’ conference. What were their reactions?

In general, professors acknowledge the positive effect of the measures that have already been implemented, but they are also concerned about some of the findings. All professors are very committed to address the critical issues raised by the survey. It is the aim of every one of us to create a pleasant and supportive work environment in which students and young researchers flourish and develop their talents. During the discussions it also became clear that feelings of discomfort (or dissatisfaction) and discrimination alone are difficult to address. As I said before: all of us want to address these issues, but it is necessary to know specific details in order to resolve the issues in a sustainable way.

The survey comes up with a set of recommendations to professors, the department leadership, doctoral students and senior staff. Which of the recommendations has highest priority to you?

The set of recommendations is very valuable and reveals a forward-looking and constructive approach. Communication between doctoral students and senior staff and their supervisors remains essential to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The key here is to manage expectations from day 1 of working together.
With the survey, VMB has laid a sound foundation for tackling the individual issues. The professors are committed to follow up on them and to improve working conditions and supervision at D-BSSE. They will hold a workshop dedicated to this topic in the fall. Now, the staff association has to help define specific needs and take concrete actions to make D-BSSE the best place for students and senior staff alike. All students and postdocs can actively shape this department with their own ideas and initiatives. I am convinced that together we will foster the supportive, collaborative, and open atmosphere we all strive for.