TU/e - Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
TU/e - Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
09/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2025 20:30
‘I want to see something change in my lifetime’
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Andrea Kis' journey: From new country and new role to a burnout and seeking change
'I want to see something change in my lifetime'
September 16, 2025
Wellbeing series: Andrea Kis dealt with a burnout and personal change during her PhD. Now, she's pursuing change in the academic world through conversation such as the event Responsible Research Conversations on Thursday, September 18.
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
As a third generation PhD researcher from Hungary, Andrea Kis was following a family tradition when she arrived at TU/e in late 2019 to start her PhD. Her research focused on ways to improve academia and alleviate the pressure on researchers. However, three years into her PhD, Andrea's mind and body relented, and she had a burnout that lasted nine months. After defending her PhD earlier this year, Andrea has a new mission - to change academic culture for the better.
"I started my PhD in 2019, just before Covid. I spent a couple of months in the office and then everything went online," says Andrea Kis looking back on the opening months of her PhD. But for Andrea, who was new to Eindhoven, Covid came at the wrong time.
"Covid made it difficult to explore my new city, to meet new people, and to get to know the university and its community. I came up with different ways to replicate those social interactions, such as setting up a virtual office and weekly coffee moments for the broader group and participating in daily calls with lab members. When I look back at the Covid lockdowns though, it might have been an initiator for what was to come."
Understand and better academia
Andrea spent just over five years on her PhD thesis 'Surviving academia: Studies on the sustainability of science and academic careers'. "I worked on understanding and bettering academia for everyone."
For the project, Andrea was motivated to enhance ways for researchers to produce impactful content and be sustainable with their efforts.
"Academia relies heavily on the 'publish or perish' model and that often leads to superfluous or redundant publications. It's difficult to build on some of these, to replicate outcomes, and to trust some of the results. This model - combined with connected career incentives and funding structures - makes research life unsustainable and stressful for many scholars."
I worked on understanding and bettering academia for everyone.
Andrea Kis
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
Third generation academic
As a third generation academic, Andrea knows all too well about the stress researchers have in their lives. Her grandmother and father received PhDs in medical research and mathematics, respectively. "I grew up in an environment where universities were perceived as bastions of freedom, a bubble for open discussions and thoughts."
Yet, her grandmother and father had contrasting experiences. "My grandmother was an academic in the 60s and 70s in Hungary. She felt like she was pushed out of academia and her gender didn't help her. She was vocal about what she wanted to achieve, which was not the politically correct tone in academy in Hungary then."
"On the other hand, my father enjoyed the thought processes of mathematics. But he was not very good at the politics. Mathematics was a source of freedom, and he escaped into that world in his office. For him, pressure at university was less than the pressure of the outside world."
Despite their differing academic experiences, Andrea notes a common thread for her grandmother and father. "I saw from both that academia can pose mental health challenges for those not prepared to 'play the game' and who do not fit within the established norms of universities."
A foggy feeling
Every PhD journey is unique, and tests the fortitude of an individual physically and mentally. For Andrea, things started to not feel right during the 3rd year of her PhD.
"I was not smart enough to notice my mind's signals. I only noticed when my body alerted me at one point, and by then, both were struggling."
Andrea started to notice that she was exhausted every day and at one point it was difficult to even get out of bed. "I would take 30 minutes to read a single e-mail. I felt satisfaction in doing the things I loved, but now I couldn't do them. Just concentrating on small tasks was impossible. My mind felt foggy."
I was not smart enough to notice my mind's signals. I only noticed when my body alerted me at one point, and by then, both were struggling.
Andrea Kis
When Christmas 2021 came around, Andrea thought that distancing herself from work for two weeks would provide the reset she needed.
"I thought the break with family and friends would solve things - it didn't. I couldn't put any energy into enjoying myself. I didn't see a clear solution to what I was experiencing," says Andrea. "I kept wondering why my mind, my body, and my emotions just would not do what I willed them to do."
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
Supervisors' reaction
With no clear solution in sight, Andrea decided to tell her supervisors - Wybo Houkes, Elena Mas Tur, Daniël Lakens, and Krist Vaesen - about her situation. "I received their immediate support, which was the most important thing. I had a good relationship with my supervisors where I felt that I could tell them this was happening."
Her supervisors told her to immediately go on sick leave and to not think about work until she felt better. "They left the choice up to me, but they were direct in telling me that they thought this is the best course of action."
"I think that was exactly what I needed from them, because if they gave me a hint of extra guilt or shame, I wouldn't have been able to go on sick leave and then everything would have been so much worse."
Internal and external support
To assist in her recovery from her burnout, Andrea looked for support both inside and outside the university. "From my PhD research I knew about the support systems for PhD researchers. I availed of these services, such as the PhD psychologist, the company doctor, and the PhD counsellor Stijn van Puijenbroek. But I wanted to go further with ."
As Andrea discovered, it takes time to get an appointment with a psychologist. So, she decided to arrange one for herself online. "I felt that therapy was a good investment in my mental health."
Being on sick leave for nine months led to many uncertainties for Andrea. "I didn't know the ramifications for long-term sick leave, and I wasn't consulted as thoroughly about my options as I would have wished. I also didn't get clarity about the option of extending my contract, which put larger pressures on me as well as my supervisors as they struggled with a lack of information on how to handle the situation. We certainly didn't need them at the time."
I felt that therapy was a good investment in my mental health.
Andrea Kis
Greatest supporter
Despite these uncertainties, one of her greatest supporters through the burnout was her daily supervisor Elena Mas Tur. "Every week when I came back with a new guilt trip about my situation, she would shut it down and be there as a supervisor and kind person. The invaluable support from her transformed into the friendship we have right now. After I defended, we became very good friends - we still are."
Andrea recognises the important role that a therapist played in helping her through this difficult situation. "I had a very good working relationship with my therapist. To anyone going through a mental health challenge I would recommend speaking to a professional. In general, taking time for your mental health and personal development is important - it needs to be part of every PhD journey."
Andrea's Tips for Wellbeing
● Don't overwork. The quality of your outputs will decline if you don't rest. Remember: your work will not exist without you.
● Be compassionate. Practice self-compassion on a regular basis and care for your psyche and body. Make it part of your daily routine.
● Prepare. The PhD is a demanding journey, not one to start on a whim. Read up on it, also the mental health challenges.
● Allow others in. Share your struggles (as well as joys) with others. Don't withdraw and disappear from the lives of your loved ones.
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
New role, new mission
In February this year, Andrea started in a new role with a new mission. "I'm now the lead for the recognising and rewarding open science project at our university. I wrote a grant application to the Open Science NL call together with Julma Braat, who is an HR policy advisor at TU/e and my mentor in HR management services. With 20 plus years' experience, Julma knows anything and everything about academic careers. She's a truly inspirational leader, with a clear vision."
Andrea views her role as being unique too. "We wrote a grant dedicated to our goal and formed a role for me. I still do research as I did during my PhD, and I get to work with my supervisors - now valued colleagues and mentors. But my focus is less on publishing papers in the academic sense. Instead, I get to use my social scientific skills, psychological training, and policy knowledge to achieve practical change at my alma mater. I find this role challenging but deeply rewarding."
I can make things better for people.
Andrea Kis
While her PhD project gave Andrea the opportunity to explore the academic world in a theoretical manner, her new role offers the possibility of tangible practical outcomes.
"I can make things better for people. I engage with people every day. I learn about their perspectives and the social norms here. I look at ways to facilitate more responsible research environments through research assessment, improve how researchers are assessed, how they are hired, and how careers are advanced."
Responsible research conversations
To expand her efforts on responsible research, Andrea and her colleagues (Lisa Odebolo, Kristina Korshunova, and Julma Braat) are organising the event 'Responsible Research Conversations', which takes place on September 18.
"We want to bring together the community already thinking about connected issues and those who are looking to join the conversation," says Andrea.
"When we talk about policies, researchers don't really know what that means or how it impacts them. There's not really a conversation, and often feedback is lacking, which is of course difficult for our policy people too. Open dialogue is key, and that's what we hope to achieve with the event."
The event includes presentations, posters, workshops, and a panel discussion that includes Rector Silvia Lenaerts. "We'll discuss how TU/e is seeking to evolve future academic culture, and what that could mean for steps outside academy too. It's about promoting healthy academic cultures, which was a big part of my PhD."
"We want as many people as possible to be part of the discussion, to talk about research integrity, open science, and social safety. In our preparations, we've had enlightening conversations with the Rector, and we're delighted that she supports the push for change in academic cultures."
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
- Sign up for the event
Change
Change has been ever-present in Andrea's life, no more so than in recent years. "I moved to another country, I started a PhD, I had a burnout, I learned so much about myself, and I started a new role beyond traditional academy."
Change also permeated Kis' private life too as she went through the process of a divorce right before she submitted her PhD, and surgery for cancer just right after she started her new position.
"This year, I felt sad as a good friend of mine reflected on their own mental health difficulties with guilt and shame. I remembered my own burnout experience. I realized how valuable it was to reframe it as a part of my personal and professional development."
"I don't think I would have had the resilience to tackle the challenges I faced this year if it wasn't for the people who stood by me and those months that I spent on leave, learning about myself."
"I hope sharing this with others who might be struggling could help normalize these experiences and convey that in difficult times, it's important to be kind to each other as well as ourselves."
We need more people who want to have effective change, and I want to be part of the change.
Andrea Kis
Now, in her current role towards recognising and rewarding open science at TU/e, Andrea is seeking change in the academic culture. "We need to reimagine the role of universities - reclaim our position as guardians of free thought, strengthen individual resiliency through institutional care, and foster responsibility and kindness. We need more people who want to have effective change, and I want to be part of the change."
With her role set to conclude later this year, Kis is hoping to have another opportunity to drive change, and change for the better in our academic culture. "I want to see something change in my lifetime."
Media contact
Barry Fitzgerald
(Press Officer)
+31 40 247 8067 [email protected]
From our strategy: about wellbeing
At TU/e, people matter. With our four core values of Curious, Open, Respectful, and Responsible, we are a community where we create a personal, welcoming, and vibrant environment that enables individuals and groups to grow professionally and personally. Wellbeing is an integral part of this and therefore one of TU/e's most important strategic priorities. The well-being of our students and staff is not only related to their social environment, but also to the feeling of being part of our community. It also helps them to function and perform in other areas, such as study and work.
Wellbeing falls under the theme of Resilience in our Strategy 2030.
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke
- All about student wellbeing at TU/e
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