Pranav S. Kulkarni

Author: Pranav S. Kulkarni

Pranav is currently a joint PhD student/researcher at the Faculty of Farm Animal Health at Utrecht University and Business Economics group at Wageningen University & Research. He is working on optimization modelling in dairy farming. Prior to that, he completed his master’s in Animal Science from Wageningen University where he started blogging for the international students’ advice board. Originally, he hails from Pune, India.

Besides his work, he loves to write, make Indian and fusion food and listen to podcasts. He blogs about his experience in academics, PhD life in the Netherlands, and gives general advice especially for international and expat students..

Recent blog posts

Transitioning into the last leg of your PhD journey

If you are a final year PhD candidate like me, this blog is for you. One of the most interesting phases of your PhD life is transitioning into the last phase. This phase is a rollercoaster of deadlines, opportunities, future career and administrativ…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

How to prepare for a PhD interview

One of the most important hurdles before you decide to embark on a career in academia is the interview with the hiring team. No matter whether it is a PhD position or a postdoc, an interview can make or break your chances of being selected. Here are…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

What to do after your Phd? Netherlands vs elsewhere

After ‘deciding whether to work in academics or in industry’, a PhD will face the decision of whether to look for work locally (in the Netherlands) or elsewhere. Of course, based on the opportunities available, this decision can be amended but there…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

What to do after your PhD: Academia vs Industry

Stay in academia or not? This is one of the most important questions that every PhD candidate deals with when they reach near the end of their PhD trajectory. Essentially, it is the question of whether to continue research in the traditional sense w…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

10 steps to find a job after your PhD (part 2)

In ‘10 steps to find a job after your PhD (part 1)’ I shared five first steps to prepare yourself for your next career step after your PhD graduation. Today I would like to add five more to get you fully prepared! Step 6: Assessment tests Sometimes,…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

10 steps to find a job after your PhD (part 1)

I am currently on the last leg of my long and wonderful journey of pursuing a PhD in the Netherlands. Looking back, I can say that it has been a rollercoaster with some pleasant and some hard times. Looking forward, I now need to decide on what to d…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

PhD researcher: employee or student?

PhD researchers all over the world fall into the gap between being formal students and full-time researchers/ professors. Depending on the system of academia followed by the country where you are pursuing your PhD, you can be regarded as a student o…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

Moving to the Netherlands for your PhD

It is exciting news to receive a letter informing you that you have been selected as a PhD candidate at a Dutch university. However, you might find yourself worrying about the practicality and the logistics of making the move from your comfortable p…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

Why you should do your PhD in the Netherlands

Being a third year PhD student who is scrambling to write and submit papers, start new analyses and brainstorm for the last year of my PhD, I have had quite some time to reflect on the question of why you should choose the Netherlands to do your PhD…

Pranav S. Kulkarni

How to keep yourself motivated in the middle of your PhD

Doctoral studies are akin to a roller coaster ride with lots of high intensity ups and humdrum downs. It is, therefore, easy to lose your motivation to continue and start questioning your decision to start the endeavour in the first place. But, as t…

Pranav S. Kulkarni