Doctoral school annual lecture 2025 : mental health in academia : towards a more sustainable future

Abstract

With what has been dubbed ‘the mental health crisis in academia’, and mounting evidence that mental health issues such as depression and burnout are more prevalent amongst academics than in the general population (with PhD candidates and postdocs most affected), it is time for the research community to introspect and to break the silence around researcher psychological well-being and ill-being. In his keynote address, Stefan Mol will talk about the state of mental health in academia, introduce a number of manifestos he collaborated on, and present the initial outcomes of the Sustainable Working Conditions in Academia Survey (STAIRCASE). This was the result of the Researcher Mental Health Observatory (ReMO) Cost Action project, focused on creating the largest ever European Benchmark of the contextual antecedents of Mental Health across more than 30 countries. In addition, some training opportunities that early career researchers may benefit from in nourishing and sustaining their own mental health, will be introduced.