Thesis committees

Each SFB 956 doctoral candidate research work is supervised by his/her principal supervisor. Additionally, supervision will be provided by a personal standing thesis committee consisting of one to two independent colleagues preferably with scientific expertise in the field. The thesis committee provides supervision of the scientific development of the doctoral candidate in general by surveying the progress of the research work as well as the education of the candidate.

It is the responsibility of the doctoral candidate to organize thesis committee meetings.

The thesis committee will meet for the first time latest 6 months after the doctoral candidate has started his work. Afterwards the committee will meet at least once per year for discussion and review. 

These meetings ensure that the:

• doctoral candidate gets the best possible support from his/her supervisor

• thesis project is sufficiently well defined and manageable in the course of three years

• project management and planning are in time

• project is reasonably well on schedule, and if not, to discuss how to fix that

• doctoral candidate can access all necessary data, numerical and experimental equipment, etc.

• doctoral candidate trains him/herself in the art of scientific presentation at internal occasions as well as at international conference

• doctoral candidate obtains international visibility via publications, conference participations and collaborations

• doctoral candidate, toward the end of the second year, is starting to think of – and prepare for – his/her career after the doctorate

Formal details on organizing these meetings can be found in the thesis committee instructions below.

Doctoral Program information and forms for download: