Who are the people engaged in making academia more equitable and accessible? We're back with our collegiality showcase, to highlight Raphaela Hemet's advocacy work, on a European and University of Graz level.
A Research Careers Campus team member since 2022, Raphaela Hemet is a religious studies scholar (more about her research here).
1 What is your activity called and why does it exist?
I am involved in various activities related to supporting equal opportunities in research and academia. At EU level, I am a member of a working group within the COST Association - European Cooperation in Science and Technology CCA on career development for young researchers, while on a local level I am involved in efforts to establish a peer group for first-generation doctoral candidates.
Although these activities come from diametral directions – one from an international institutional perspective and the other from the perspective of first gen scholars that have identified a need in this regard – I think they are united by the same ambition, which is to find ways of implementing the noble ideal of meritocratic-based access to research and academia for all.
2 What do you personally get out of your engagement with it?
It is very important to me to do something with my time that I can connect with as an individual, and that I can contribute to meaningfully based on my individual experiences.
In this regard, I feel well ‘seen’ in both activities on multiple levels: as an employee at University of Graz who is committed to equal treatment and opportunities for people of all genders, abilities, nationalities and social/social-economic backgrounds, as a woman, as a person with a chronic health condition, and as first-generation doctoral candidate; and in my contributions in the activities themselves, whose significance stems not least from all these aspects.
3 Why should others join and how can they join?
The First-Gen Peer Group for Doctoral Candidates is currently being established and is still looking to expand in a meaningful matter. It is aimed at individuals at Uni Graz who come from or were socialized in an environment in which the academic milieu was experienced as “unfamiliar”, who either aspire to or recognize an academic career as an option, and who are interested in exchange on shared experiences as first-gen doctoral candidates and networking.
Most importantly, anyone interested in making their first-gen voice heard in the discourse being held around the topic of equal opportunities should consider joining! Interested academics are welcome to contact me directly.
Thanks a lot, Raphaela Hemet, for being open to become part of our collegiality showcase, and for your fantastic work for the RCC!
The Research Careers Campus Graz showcases people and networks which shape our research environment here in Graz - towards a more collegial, friendly and diverse academia, where all research talents can thrive. More here.
Picture credit: University of Graz/ Andreas Schweiger
Interview: Johanna Stadlbauer, RCC, 27.10.2025