On 11 February, the University of Tartu organises the Estonian Doctoral School’s second Career Conference, The Value of a Doctoral Degree in the Job Market, in the conference hall of the university library. Doctoral and master’s students, supervisors, administrators of doctoral studies, and other interested parties from all universities are welcome to the event.
More information about the Career Conference is available on the Estonian Doctoral School website.
At the conference, doctoral students and top professionals from different fields will share personal stories, giving the audience a deeper understanding of the opportunities of doctoral studies and practical advice for paving their own path towards the degree. Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research, and Kristiina Rull, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Genetics, will talk about what inspired them during doctoral studies and how they have applied the acquired knowledge in their future work. In panel discussions, doctoral students speak about their objectives and challenges, and doctoral graduates share their career experiences from various sectors.
To participate in the conference, please register on 31 January at the latest.
The conference host is a TV journalist and editor Joonas Hellerma. The conference will be held in Estonian; simultaneous interpretation into English is available.
10:30–11:00 | Registration, coffee |
11:00–12:00 | Opening words by Mari Moora, Vice Rector for Research of the University of Tartu Kristina Kallas “Doctoral degree as a mindset” Kristiina Rull “What are the benefits of a PhD?” |
12:00–13:15 | Lunch and a Mentimeter survey |
13:15–14:45 | Doctoral students’ panel discussion “The journey to a doctoral degree: opportunities and challenges” Panellists: Mari-Anne Härma, Ragnar Kauril, Kati Käpp, Maarja Pajusalu and Veeda Kala |
14:45–15:15 | Break |
15:15–16:45 | Doctoral graduates’ panel discussion “How the doctoral degree has influenced career choices and broadened professional opportunities” Panellists: Kadri Haljas, Petri-Jaan Lahtvee, Martin Liira, Tanel Malakõiv and Maarja Mitt-Pichen |
16:45–17:00 | Closing remarks |
Kristina Kallas “Doctoral degree as a mindset” Kristina Kallas earned her doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Tartu in 2016. Her thesis focused on identity changes and democratic resilience in post-Soviet countries. Kallas has held various academic and leadership positions, including serving as the Director of the Narva College of the University of Tartu from 2015 to 2019. Since 2023, she has been serving as the Minister of Education and Research of Estonia, focusing on innovative reforms in the education system. She is the chairperson and co-founder of the political party Eesti 200 and actively participates in public discussions on multiculturalism and integration. Kallas is the President of the Estonian Handball Association and has years of experience as a professional handball player. She is fluent in Estonian, English, Russian and Polish. |
Kristiina Rull “What are the benefits of a PhD?” Kristiina Rull defended her doctoral thesis in Medicine at the University of Tartu in 2009. Her dissertation focused on the role of genes regulating the production of human chorionic gonadotropin in pregnancy loss. She has worked for over 20 years as an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist at the Women’s Clinic of Tartu University Hospital and, since 2023, as the Head of the Clinic. As the Professor of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Genetics at the University of Tartu, Rull’s primary research interests include pregnancy-related issues, including complications such as diabetes, preeclampsia, pregnancy loss, and prenatal diagnostics. She enjoys spending her free time with her family, including travelling and hiking in nature. She also loves orienteering, running, and skiing and has participated in several marathons. |
Mari-Anne Härma Mari-Anne Härma has been a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki since 2016. In her doctoral research, she analyses genetic alterations in the kallikrein-kinin system in patients with type 1 diabetes. Besides doctoral studies, Härma works as Deputy Director General of the Health Board of Estonia. She contributed to managing the Covid-19 pandemic in Estonia from 2020 to 2022. She enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, travelling, relaxing at home with a book or Netflix, and drawing or writing. |
Veeda Kala Veeda Kala is a third-year doctoral student at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre whose research focuses on improving text intelligibility in opera singing. She is particularly interested in topics related to the psychological processes associated with music and how these can lead to innovative solutions to societal challenges. In her free time, she enjoys ice skating, playing chess and the piano, learning languages, reading books, spending time in nature, and engaging in scouting activities. |
Ragnar Kauril Ragnar Kauril is a second-year doctoral student at the Tallinn University of Technology. His research focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of the refining industry. Alongside his doctoral studies, he works as a Research and Development Engineer at Enefit Power, a subsidiary of Eesti Energia, in the field of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage. In his free time, Kauril enjoys investing and analysing economic trends. He is into biathlon in winter and various ball games in summer. |
Kati Käpp Kati Käpp is a Junior Research Fellow in Linguistics at the University of Tartu for the third year. Her research focuses on the writing practices of Estonian upper secondary school students. In parallel with her doctoral studies, she works as an Estonian language teacher at an upper secondary school. Käpp envisions a future where all students and teachers understand writing as a form of communication. This is the only way to create meaningful and impactful texts that convey essential messages clearly to readers while helping writers deepen their understanding of the topics they explore. |
Maarja Pajusalu Maarja Pajusalu is a fourth-year Junior Research Fellow of Health Informatics at the University of Tartu. Her research focuses on developing methods and tools to visualise health data and care pathways. Pajusalu is the mother of three curious and active children. Her hobbies include dancing, painting, and spending time with her family in nature and on the sea. During her regular car journeys between Pärnu and Tartu, she calls friends or listens to podcasts on topics ranging from technology and design to psychology and philosophy. |
Kadri Haljas Kadri Haljas earned her doctoral degree in Psychology from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki in 2019. She is the founder and CEO of the health technology company Triumf Health. Haljas is committed to developing innovative solutions in mental health. Her company has developed a mental health management game for children, Triumfland Saga, which is particularly relevant as half of mental health disorders develop before the age of fourteen. In addition to her entrepreneurial work, Kadri Haljas actively raises mental health awareness, emphasising the importance of evidence-based mental health innovation in her presentations. |
Tanel Mahlakõiv Tanel Mahlakõiv received his doctoral degree in Immunology and Virology in 2014 from the University of Freiburg, where he studied the immune system’s response to viral infections in the respiratory and digestive systems. Mahlakõiv completed his postdoctoral studies at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, where he studied the interplay between the immune and nervous systems, as well as immunometabolism. His articles have been published in Nature, Immunity and other leading scientific journals. After leaving academia, Mahlakõiv worked for five years in the U.S. biomedical sector, developing cell therapies for cancer treatment. A year ago, he returned to Estonia and currently serves as the Director of Translational Research at Icosagen Cell Factory. His work focuses on advancing biopharmaceuticals developed and produced in Estonia to clinical trials. In cooperation with Estonia’s largest hospitals, Mahlakõiv is developing CAR-T cell therapies for patients with blood cancers. In his free time, Mahlakõiv enjoys running, triathlons, and skiing. |
Maarja Mitt-Pichen Maarja Mitt-Pichen earned her doctoral degree in Theatre Arts from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2022. Her doctoral research explored the effect of imagery on the qualities of an actor’s voice and speech. She now works as a freelance actress, creative entrepreneur, public speaking coach, and voice and speech trainer. Previously, Mitt-Pichen worked as an actress at the Vanemuine Theatre and a vocal technique instructor in the Drama Department of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Her most recent, real-life role is that of a mother. |
Petri-Jaan Lahtvee Petri-Jaan Lahtvee received his doctoral degree in Chemistry and Genetic Engineering from Tallinn University of Technology in 2012. He completed postdoctoral studies at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, where his research focused on systems biology of yeasts. After postdoctoral studies, Lahtvee started to head the ERA Chair in Synthetic Biology at the University of Tartu. He currently leads the bioengineering and food technology research group at Tallinn University of Technology and is a co-founder of the biotech company Äio Tech OÜ. |
Martin Liira Martin Liira defended his doctoral thesis in 2012 from the University of Tartu. In his research, he explored phosphorus removal from wastewater by active filtration on oil shale ash sediment. He currently works as a Research Fellow in Geology at the University of Tartu and as a Senior Geologist in the Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the Geological Survey of Estonia. Liira completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University Centre in Svalbard, where he focused on studying methane emissions from seafloor sediments. His main research interests include the geochemistry of seafloor sediments in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic regions. |
The conference will be held in cooperation with all Estonian universities. The Estonian Doctoral School comprises the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Estonian Business School. The 2025 Career Conference is organised by the University of Tartu.