Doing a PhD can sometimes feel like a solo expedition. You have your supervisor, your lab group and, if you’re lucky, a reliable coffee machine, but the wider research world can feel a long way from your bench.
That’s exactly the gap that research communities like PhD Circle set out to close. From its base in Zurich, it connects doctoral researchers, postdocs and professionals around the world so they can share ideas, mentor one another, and collaborate across borders and disciplines.
Here’s what PhD Circle is, who it’s for, what members get, and why it’s well worth keeping on your radar.
What Is PhD Circle?
PhD Circle (also known as AlbPhD Circle) is a non-profit association and global network of PhD professionals and researchers. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and was established in 2025. Its tagline, “Where AI Meets Life Sciences”, sums up its focus: bringing together researchers working in AI, molecular science and technology to support healthier futures.
The “Alb” in its alternative name hints at the association’s roots, and its partners include the Illyrian Brains Network, the Albanian American Medical Society (AAMS), the Swiss Albanian Medical Associations (LMSHZ) and SHSA, the federation of Albanian students in Switzerland.
Its ambitions are much broader than any one community, though. Its vision and mission is for every doctoral researcher to be “empowered, supported, and connected”, whatever their discipline, geography or career stage.
How International Is PhD Circle?
For an association that only launched in 2025, PhD Circle has travelled a long way, fast. It now has more than 180 members in over 24 countries, supported by 66 mentors and advisors, and these numbers keep increasing.
Its community spans researchers connected to institutions such as ETH Zurich, the University of Oxford, MIT, UC Berkeley and Yale University. There’s even an interactive Community Map on its website, so you can see just how far the circle reaches.
Who Is PhD Circle For?
PhD Circle is open to PhD students, postdocs, doctoral graduates and professionals working in science, innovation, academia, industry or entrepreneurship, regardless of nationality. Its focus is on AI and the life sciences, but its activities are deliberately cross-disciplinary.
In other words, whether you’re a first-year PhD student wondering how everyone else seems to have it figured out, or a few years past your viva and thinking about what’s next, there’s a place for you.
What Does PhD Circle Do?
PhD Circle combines mentorship, collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Its main activities include:
- Mentorship programme: one-to-one “tandem” mentoring, paired with a supportive community of fellow mentees. It’s designed to help early-career researchers take charge of their professional development, whether they’re heading for academia, industry or somewhere else entirely.
- Digital Labs: virtual workspaces that bring together experts from the same or different fields to collaborate on research proposals, publications and start-up pitches.
- Talks, webinars and retreats: monthly scientific talks, themed webinars and in-person retreats.
- Start-up support: help for members who want to turn research ideas into ventures.
- News and opportunities: a news section celebrating members’ achievements, open positions, and an AI Research Atlas.
Tip: Applications for the current mentorship cycle are open from 1 October to 30 November 2026. You’ll need your CV, a list of publications or research achievements, and a one-page motivation letter.
If you enjoy presenting your work, the monthly talks are also a friendly place to practise. Our guide to finding your voice in public speaking has a few tips to help you prepare.
How Do You Become an PhD Circle Member?
Good news: PhD Circle is open for new members. Membership costs 70 CHF, and you can apply through the join page on its website.
Members get:
- access to the mentorship circles;
- the chance to take part in Digital Labs;
- invitations to global retreats, webinars and monthly talks;
- support for start-up ideas;
- eligibility to join Horizon Europe project proposals through the association;
- networking with a growing international community of researchers.
Keep an Eye Out: A Conference in Albania in 2027
Here’s one for your calendar. PhD Circle will be holding a conference in Albania next year, in 2027. Details haven’t been announced yet, so follow PhD Circle’s channels to be among the first to hear when they are.
Conferences are one of the best ways to share your research and meet future collaborators. If you’re looking for more events in the meantime, take a look at our list of science communication events every researcher should know about.
Final Thoughts
PhD Circle is a fantastic initiative bringing scientists together across countries, disciplines and career stages.
Science has never been a solitary pursuit. It’s all about networking and community: conversations over coffee, unexpected collaborations, and mentors who have been where you are now. Initiatives like this make it easier for researchers to find each other, and research is better as a result.
PhD Circle also shares useful resources beyond its community, including a repository of 90 AI tools for healthcare. The tools span areas such as clinical documentation, patient communication, research and knowledge, practice management, diagnostics and imaging, and billing and coding, and you can filter them by category, setting and country.
To find out more, check out the PhD Circle website and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. If you’re new to building your research network online, our post on social media strategy for researchers is a good place to start.
And finally, we’re excited to be partnering with PhD Circle. We can’t wait to see what this growing community achieves next.
Great research grows when great researchers connect.
