Meet a PhD graduate: Viability of the EU’s Transport System
- Peder Jensen
- Project Manager at the European Environment Agency
- MSc and PhD from Center for Traffic and Transport Research, today a part of DTU Transport
- Recreational interests: Mountain climbing
- Age: 45
The purpose of the European Environment Agency is to contribute to a viable development and to communicate current, targeted, relevant and reliable information to the politicians and the public. The Agency has its offices in Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen, and this is where project manager, PhD, Peder Jensen works in the Environmental Assessment group Transport and Air Pollution.
'At present, I mainly work on converting research on transport and it effects on the environment into messages that the politicians can understand and act according to. You could say that I am a kind of gate keeper in terms of being able to see through all of the analyses and research results that the decision makers are flooded with', says Peder Jensen, who finished his PhD at DTU in 1993. He has worked at the European Environment Agency since 2003.
What did you devote time to during your studies?
I worked on methods that can be used to assess road project in third world countries. It is common to apply standard methods for such assessments. These include a great deal of analyses and data compilation which are used to establish whether it is appropriate to carry out a road or bridge project. However, these are extremely elaborate in relation to road projects carried out in third world countries where it often merely concerns construction of gravel roads. In my PhD project, I developed methods for making the standard methods more efficient in order to maximise the ratio between the available resources and the benefit of the facility to the country.
How did you experience the change from being a PhD student to entering the labour market?
At the end of my PhD studies, I got the opportunity to present some of my ideas to the World Bank, among others. It was extremely motivating to experience that someone out in the big world was interested in my work. After my PhD studies, I expected that the employers would be standing in line to hire me, but the labour market was not what it is today, and the company that I had worked together with the most during my studies, went bankrupt. So there was not exactly a job ready and waiting for me after my PhD studies. Fortunately, the Road Directorate was hiring and I was employed there to work on traffic control on expressways. You could say that it as not exactly a content which was in direct continuation of my PhD, on the other hand, I could apply my basic research qualifications. I ended up staying for five years, and one of the reasons was that it was an extremely sound working environment.
However, I could no longer ignore the wish to work more theoretically. Consequently, I applied for a job at DTU where I got an associate professor’s position within traffic management at the then Centre for Traffic and Transport Research which today is part of DTU Transport. After a year and a half at DTU, I did however receive an offer that I found it hard to refuse: A job in Seville in the south of Spain at the United Research Centres which is part of the EU Commission. My work there primarily focused on fuel policies within the transport sector, technical analyses of different kinds of fuels, as well as advantage and disadvantages in respect of both financial and environmental aspects. I stayed in Spain for three year and my children settled down well, however we had to recognize that it was difficult for my wife to find employment. So we returned to Denmark where I, shortly after my return, got the job that I have today at the European Environmental Agency.
What is the impact of your research and your work on society?
I believe that the work I do is part of advancing the process of improving the overall viability of the European transport system. My work helps support the political process and enables politicians and government officials to make the most appropriate decisions. The main thread in both my research and my work has been ‘research dissemination’ and always with an international angle. Over the years, I have of course gained a lot of experience and knowledge as to transport and the environment, and these qualifications will definitely be in demand in future.
What were the positive and negative aspects of doing a PhD project?
It is a fantastic opportunity to design your own research project, and I had a huge influence in deciding what was to be researched. I contacted several companies within my field because the subject I had chosen was very much directed towards application, and I experience that it was extremely beneficial to have a relation to the real world outside the university. I cannot think of any negative aspects as I worked on a subject which I found interesting.
What is your advice to others who are considering studying for a PhD?
It is important to focus on the possibilities you have in terms of your subject rather than on the actual product which the thesis is. You see, my project was about the basis for the methods used within transport research. It is important to understand the methods behind the research as the area of transport contains a large number of partners with both financial and environmental interests, and they try to influence the decision makes. Knowledge about and the ability to analyse the numerous research results are vital in order to be able to translate and communicate the contents to the decision makers. The methods which I have acquired will never become outdated, on the other hand, the knowledge contained in specific research results will. Therefore, focus on the methods and not only on the product.
Last but not least, it is also important to find a supervisor who fits your academic ambitions and who you think you can work with for three years. My supervisor, for example, only stepped in when I needed a little push to move on, and this suited me just fine.