Starting the Project
Starting the Project
Doctoral agreement
To establish a mutually agreed framework for the entire doctoral research project, it is highly recommended to sign a doctoral agreement right at the beginning. This basic document outlines the task distribution between the doctoral candidate and the supervisor and their mutual commitments. It describes the topic of the project, the time schedule, the working conditions, and the tasks and duties of both, the doctoral candidate and the supervisor. By setting these terms, the doctoral agreement provides a reliable foundation for a faithful and successful cooperation.
Thesis Committee
In order to support the doctoral candidate with a wider range of expertise and with independent guidance, the supervision of the doctoral candidate preferably is in the hands of a thesis committee instead of only one single supervisor. Each thesis committee consists of at least three members:
- the main supervisor, who usually also is the project leader responsible for the research project the doctoral project is related to,
- a senior scientist from another working group, and
- a third scientist that could be the PhD student’s immediate research advisor.
Convening every six month (or more often), the thesis committee advises the doctoral candidate on all scientific and management aspects of the doctoral research project and monitors the progress. In addition, it also supports the doctoral candidate with respect to research training and career development issues.