AI training for PhD students. What is needed?
Artificial intelligence is changing the work of PhD students: from the impact on research methods to the writing processes. As a result, PhD students need AI training courses. Is the current offer sufficient? Which courses exist already, and which are missing? And can students find their way towards them? VAIA examined the offer of AI courses for PhD students in Flanders (2023-2024) and formulated several takeaways and recommendations.
158 AI Courses for PhD Students
PhD students are at the intersection of study and work: they build academic expertise with an employment contract, with the associated responsibilities and expectations.
Like all employees, they need training, especially about artificial intelligence, given its growing impact on research methods, data analysis, and writing processes.
But do PhD students have sufficient access to relevant AI training?
To answer this question, VAIA collected all AI courses for doctoral students from 2023–2024, organised by the Doctoral Schools of Flemish universities or external providers (e.g., FLAMES or VIB). In total, we mapped 158 courses.
How to expand the AI training offer for PhD students
More AI courses are needed that respond to the concrete learning needs of PhD students.
Here are a few tips to help you develop such an extended offer:
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Some PhD students lack the technical foundation to follow advanced AI courses which currently dominate the landscape. That’s why it’s important to offer accessible, practice-oriented AI training. These can serve as a stepping stone to more technical modules or as an end in themselves.
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Domain-specific AI training is extremely valuable, but can seem harder to organise. However, remember that the necessary expertise is often already available in-house. Don’t mind collaborating with other institutions or external partners to find the best fit.
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AI literacy is about more than just the technical aspects. Integrate themes such as bias, privacy, responsible data use, transparency, copyright, and scientific integrity into domain-specific courses. This content is relevant for all PhD students, regardless of their field, but don’t forget to customise your presentation of the subject-specific relevance.
How do you boost the existing range of AI training courses?
And the existing offer? That could use a boost. For example, PhD students do not easily find the right AI course in Flanders, because the offer is spread across different platforms and websites. On top, they do not always understand the added value for their research or teaching.
Tips for a searchable offer
How to Recruit PhD students for your AI Programme
At this moment in Flanders (May 2025), there are not enough basic training courses and not enough domain-specific training courses, targeted at doctoral students and their specific work context. Moreover, it is not easy for doctoral students to find the right training course: they are advertised across different platforms and the added value for their work is not sufficiently emphasized.
That is why we are calling on you: let us hear from you! Which programmes are still missing? How do we strengthen the existing range? And how can we collaborate more smoothly, both within and outside the universities? VAIA is happy to think along and help you on your way. Together, we ensure that doctoral students are up to date with AI.
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Tine Goovaerts
Tine Goovaerts is doctor in de bioinformatica. Ze werkte als onderzoeker en bioinformaticus aan de UGent en in consultancy. Nu werkt ze bij VAIA als UGent liaison en Project Leader.
Lisa Hilte
Lisa Hilte is doctor of linguistics. For years, she worked as a linguistic researcher and lecturer at the University of Antwerp. Today, she works for VAIA as an AI expert and liaison for UAntwerp. In addition, she is a freelance writer with a focus on science journalism, and a freelance teacher in AI and language technology. She has published two sets of course materials on language technology, for pupils and teachers in the third grade of secondary education (Plantyn publisher).
Ilse De Vos
Ilse De Vos studied Latin & Greek at UGent and obtained her doctorate in Byzantinism at KU Leuven. She lived in the United Kingdom for five years, where she worked as a researcher at the University of Oxford and King's College London. In late 2015, she returned to Ghent as coordinator of an interdisciplinary research project on medieval Greek poetry and as a teacher of Ancient Greek. From 2020, she coordinated the interfaculty honors program Think&Talk and led the Humanities Academy as director. Since 2023, she has been co-coordinator of VAIA, the Flemish AI Academy that strives to ensure that more people (can) learn more about AI.
Lifelong learning is right up Ilse's alley. Every year she takes a course somewhere, from Gothic to Learning Psychology. In 2021, she completed the Specific Teacher Education program and started Business Administration.
