The WASP Community Building Summer School gives new WASP PhD students an introduction to the program, the graduate school, and the wider WASP community. This year, 84 PhD students attended the summer school, which was held in Linköping and Norrköping over five days.

The annual summer school is designed to welcome new PhD students into WASP and give them the opportunity to build connections across universities, research areas and disciplines. The program introduces participants to WASP, the WASP Graduate School, and the opportunities available within the program.

“It is always inspiring to meet the new WASP PhD students and feel their excitement as they begin this new adventure. This year, we introduced some new elements that were appreciated by the students, while the company visits continued to be one of the highlights of the week. The CBSS is appreciated not only for its role in introducing students to WASP, but also for helping them meet other WASP students, connect with companies, and build their networks. Thank you to all students, invited speakers, companies, and organizers who contributed to making this a great week!” says Daniel Axehill, director of the WASP Graduate School and professor at Linköping University.

The program combined keynote and plenary talks with lectures, group discussions, workshops, and social activities, one of them held by Linköping Science Park. Participants also visited SICK IVP, Ericsson, and the National Supercomputer Centre in Sweden, giving them insight into both industrial applications and advanced research infrastructure.

A central part of the week was the opportunity to meet people from across the WASP network. WASP alumni Karin Stacke from Sectra and Mattias Tiger from Linköping University shared reflections from their own career paths, while representatives from Axis Communications and Saab contributed perspectives on research collaboration and opportunities beyond the PhD.

A new addition this year was an inspirational lecture by Anders Sahlman on how to present research clearly and concisely in one minute. The session was highly appreciated by the participants and added a practical communication perspective.

Positive feedback from participants

In the evaluation, participants rated the summer school highly, giving it an overall score of 3.9 out of 5. They also considered the week time well spent, with a score of 3.7 out of 5. Participants gave the question “Did you enjoy it?” a score of 4.0 out of 5. In the survey comments, participants particularly highlighted the networking and community-building opportunities, the welcoming atmosphere, and the chance to connect with peers from across the WASP community.

They also appreciated the organization of the event and the mix of interactive activities, including workshops and group exercises that encouraged collaboration. Several comments pointed to the relevance of the program content, including presentations, workshops, and industry-related activities that supported their development as doctoral students.