A part-time doctorate is challenging because it involves balancing everyday working life and academic research work as well as private life, family and much more. However, those who succeed not only benefit from relevant, application-oriented specialist knowledge, but also from significantly improved career opportunities. To give interested applicants an impression of how a cooperative doctoral program at the HSBA Graduate Centre can work well, we spoke to our doctoral student Sebastian Ebbing. He has been doing his doctorate at HSBA under Prof. Dr. Max Johns and at the University of the Aegean under Prof. Dr. Orestis Schinas since 2022.
Practice-oriented Doctorate at HSBA: A Field Report
Why did you decide to do a part-time doctorate?
First and foremost, it was important to me to advance my professional and academic development in sync. The option of a part-time doctorate allows me to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills and thus expand my professional expertise.
Another important aspect for me is the practical relevance of a part-time doctorate. The opportunity to continue working during my doctorate allows me to apply research findings directly in my working environment and compare them with my practical experience.
Another crucial aspect for the success of the research project is the financial stability of the research project. A part-time doctorate makes it possible to continue generating an income, which reduces financial burdens during the doctoral process and can therefore contribute to the financial stability of the research project.
How did you decide on HSBA? What criteria were decisive for your choice?
HSBA enjoys a very good reputation in the academic and scientific field, which is based on the very high quality of teaching in the various degree programmes as well as the excellent supervision of doctoral students and the practice-oriented research projects. HSBA is also characterized by its strong practical orientation and its extensive network in the business world. These factors were decisive for me in my decision to start my part-time doctoral studies at HSBA.
You are researching the sustainable decarbonization of international maritime transport and the maritime economy, which is a very topical subject. Could you briefly explain this and how you came up with it?
Shipping forms the backbone of the global economy and is a key driver of globalization. Around 90% of international trade takes place via the world's oceans. In addition to its important role in Europe's prosperity and security of supply, shipping is also responsible for around 2.8% of global emissions. To become climate neutral by 2050, it is crucial to use all available technologies to reduce emissions while increasing the availability of renewable fuels. The integration of "Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilization" (CCSU) on board ships could not only directly reduce emissions from shipping, but also indirectly contribute to the supply of raw materials and thus accelerate the production of renewable fuels. This requires the establishment of an effective CO2 circular economy as well as overcoming the technological challenges of CCSU technology on board. The research project provides the latest findings in this regard. Climate protection and the energy transition in maritime transport have been my professional focus for a long time. Due to the direct practical relevance, I have chosen a topic that has been less researched to date in the context of the energy transition and decarbonization of shipping.
How well do you manage to balance your work, doctorate and free time?
Good time and task management, efficient working and thematic symbioses between everyday work and research help me to balance my job, research and leisure activities. At the end of the day, I can't give a general answer as to whether you always meet your own leisure requirements and I think that everyone has to assess this for themselves. However, I think it is important and necessary to plan in active creativity breaks and reflection phases. For the sake of the quality of research and, in particular, for the sake of personal well-being.
With its Graduate Center, HSBA supports dissertation projects of outstanding graduates at the interface of science and practice. The part-time doctorate enables the systematic supervision and support of doctoral students within the framework of cooperative doctoral projects with our partner universities. Due to the application-oriented focus of HSBA, projects from industry are predominantly realized.
As of October 1, 2024, we are looking for part-time doctoral candidates (m/f/d) for the research focus Marketing.