THESIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC)

Shortly after joining the program, each PhD student chooses his/her Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC is composed of the student’s direct supervisor and two additional supervisors one of which has to be an IMPRS-LM Faculty member. If the student’s project requires additional expertise that is not represented amongst IMPRS-LM faculty, then one of the supervisors can be from an external institution.

The TAC meets at least three times during the course of the doctoral studies (at 6, 18 and 30 months from the start of the student’s contract) and all TAC members must be present. In addition, the student can seek the advice of TAC members, scientific and not, throughout the PhD time. For the TAC meeting the student must submit a report, prepare a presentation, and following the meeting, summarise the discussion in a one-page bullet point word document.

What is the purpose of the TAC meetings?

• to assist and guide the doctoral students by monitoring the work progress,
• to advise the student in project decisions, in this way complementing the role of the direct supervisor. Scope, feasibility and risks of the project should be openly discussed,
• to help in defining project milestones,
• to mediate discussions between student and supervisor,
• to advise the student in matters such as career planning.

During the TAC meeting the student will receive feedback about the work progress, his/her presentation skills and the quality of the report. At the 2nd, or latest the 3rd TAC meeting, the supervisors will also ask the student about his/her career choices and are available as career advisers.

The format of the TAC meeting is such that both student and supervisor have the possibility of discussing with the TAC members alone. This allows both student and supervisor to disclose possible problems or concerns. The TAC supervisors are then responsible for suggesting solutions or proposing a course of action, if student and supervisor are experiencing conflicts or are not aligned towards common goals.