PhD Pitch Competition 2015

-        WINNERS PHD EVENT 2015:

• 1^st and Public price – Tomas Sinnige – AWEP/FPP2E
• 2^nd price - Jeff Newcamp – CO/ATO
• 3^rd price - Kirk Scheper – CO/CS

In science there is a strong competition for grants, funds, jobs and space in the high impact journals. Pitching is an essential skill for anyone who has to compete for these resources. Also, for an interview, a job application or to persuade your boss to let you attend a conference halfway across the world, professional pitching skills can be extremely important.

Therefore, in some countries (e.g. in the UK), publicly funded academics are nowadays even required to make a persuasive case to show evidence that their work has social, economic or cultural effect on society. Hence, there is a clear acknowledgement by the research community that professional pitching techniques are needed to ensure their research is communicated in the most effective way.

Pitching is about making your thoughts and ideas clear in order to persuade people that your work is of value. Therefore, the Graduate School of the faculty of Aerospace Engineering (GSAE) has decide to hold a pitch competition in 2015 amongst its PhD students.

To determine the nominees for this final event, scheduled for 27 November 2015, preliminary rounds were organized at section level in October 2015. In the final round on 27th of November 2015, the best PhD candidate of each section will compete against his/her colleagues from the other sections. Each of the ten finalists has to convey his/her research in a 3 minute pitch, supported by one static slide. The price winning pitchers will be selected by a jury consisting of:

-    Ir. Colin Beers, manager of the division Aerospace Vehicles of NLR

-    Professor Hester Bijl, dean of the faculty Aerospace Engineering

-    Professor Johan Bleeker, former director of Netherlands Institute for Space Research    

     (SRON)

-    Ir. Tjaard Sijpkes, Chief Technology Officer, Fokker Landing Gear B.V.

-    Professor Dick Simons, director Graduate School Aerospace Engineering

-    Professor Peter Wieringa, Vice-Rector TU Delft and director Graduate School

In addition, there will be a public price.

The program of the pitch event on 27 November 2015 is as follows:

(location: lecture room B, Faculty AE, TU Delft)

10.45 – 11.00       Opening

11.00 – 12.00       Pitch competition

12.00 – 13.30       Lunch

13.30 – 14.00       Awarding of prices and closure