Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme

Ready to transform your career thinking and take your doctoral journey to the next level?

The Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme is a free, year-long opportunity for University of Auckland doctoral candidates from any discipline. This programme is designed to unlock your entrepreneurial potential and expand how you think about your future career.

Entrepreneurial skills aren’t just for start-ups – they’re essential across many contexts, from academia to social enterprises, government, and corporate settings. By joining this programme, you’ll gain the tools, frameworks, and mindset to explore new pathways, drive impact, and create value wherever your career takes you.

CIE’s programmes are free for University of Auckland students and staff. These co-curricular programmes help develop innovation and entrepreneurship skills alongside formal studies. While there are no formal assessments, participation may count towards the co-curricular recognition programme and the Distinguished Graduate Award.

Join a network of innovators: Connect with like-minded doctoral candidates from diverse disciplines across campus.

Learn from inspiring leaders: Meet innovative thinkers and entrepreneurial leaders across industries and sectors.

Discover the ecosystem: Explore professional service firms, social and commercial start-ups, investors, incubators, accelerators, and more.

Develop your potential: Be part of a diverse cohort that will challenge, excite, and support your growth.

Be inspired: Reimagine your career possibilities and take bold steps toward creating meaningful impact.

This is your chance to stand out, create value, and unlock new possibilities for your research and career.

Career pathways: Explore diverse entrepreneurial careers and how they align with your research.

Entrepreneurial thinking: Apply entrepreneurial approaches to research and career decisions.

Mindset development: Reflect on and enhance your entrepreneurial mindset.

Ecosystem insights: Build awareness of key organisations and players in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Network building: Cultivate meaningful connections within academia, industry, and beyond.

Identify entrepreneurial opportunities: Understand what an entrepreneurial career looks like and the steps to take.

Collaborative research: Improve your ability to engage with industry and external stakeholders.

Participation in the Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme involves a
year-long commitment with mandatory in-person workshops and additional self-paced learning.

Monthly half-day workshops take place from February to October, plus a 2.5-day residential retreat in March 2026.

Applications will open later this year and close on Sunday 2 November 2025.

Dr Deb Shepherd – Programme Design and Lead Facilitator

Deb is a part-time senior lecturer at the University, designing and delivering some of CIE’s programmes that support innovators and early-stage start-up founders. She also has roles as a board member, adviser, investor, educator and business owner, including a board role with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), New Zealand’s international business development agency. Deb is also Advisor to the New Zealand Government’s Minister of Small Business, and Chair of Soul Capital, a social impact investment firm.

“A lot of us struggle to see beyond our PhDs and perhaps feel insecure about what comes next – I know I did. DELP was of great value in helping me to make sense of the many pathways available to PhD graduates, to reflect on what I really want, and be more comfortable with that being an ongoing process. I developed personally and professionally in ways I wouldn’t have from the standard PhD process alone, and got to know a cohort of like-minded individuals who were navigating similar challenges. DELP has also been a great way to start building networks in the NZ entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Rupert Power

To apply, you must submit an application for the Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Award through the Scholarships Office.

Applicants are subject to a competitive selection process. To be eligible to apply:

• You must be actively enrolled in a doctoral programme at the University of Auckland.
• Your candidature must be confirmed by the start of the programme.
• Full-time and part-time candidates are welcome to apply.
• Candidates must be based in New Zealand and able to attend all in-person sessions.

For any inquiries, please contact cie_programmes@auckland.ac.nz