Preparations
Prior to the meeting, the PhD candidate and the main supervisors will be asked to complete separate online reporting forms. Links to these forms will be shared by email approximately two weeks beforehand. The reports will be shared with the follow-up committee and will be treated confidentially.
One week before the meeting, the following will be shared with the committee:
- The PhD candidate and main supervisor’s reports (to be treated confidentially)
- The PhD candidate’s project description
- The committee’s report from the previous year
- The reporting template to be completed by the committee
We recommend that the follow-up committee meets 15 minutes earlier to discuss how to address the feedback from the candidate and the supervisor during the project progress meeting.
Project progress meetings
The first project progress meeting takes place in the third semester (12-14 months after the date of enrollment in the PhD programme).
The third semester report is mandatory for all enrolled in the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. At NHM, PhD candidates report annually thereafter.
The project progress meetings are confidential and provide a venue for PhD candidates and supervisors to discuss openly any challenges related to the project itself or within the supervisory team.
Attendance at project progress meetings is mandatory for main supervisors and internal co-supervisors.
Meeting structure
The progress meeting lasts for 1.5 hours. The structure of the meeting is as follows:
1. The PhD Candidate's Presentation
- The PhD candidate begins with a presentation on their project status.
- In the third semester, the presentation must include a brief description of the project. In the following semesters, the presentation shall focus on progress rather than on the project itself, as well as on achievements since the last progress report.
- The duration of the presentation should be 15-30 minutes in the third semester and 15-20 minutes in the following semesters. The presentation should include the following elements:
- An assessment of whether the project is on schedule.
- The status of completion of the courses included in the educational component.
- Publications to date.
2. Overview of Supervision by the Main Supervisor
After the candidate's presentation, the main supervisor will be asked to describe
- How the supervision is organised.
- How co-supervisors are integrated and their role in the project.
3. Discussion
Following this, the committee engages in a discussion with the candidate and supervisors regarding:
- The current status of the project
- Possible directions and priorities
- Potential delays
- Supervision
4. Supervisory Relations
The last segment of the meeting focuses on supervisory relationships and is conducted confidentially. It begins with a discussion involving the follow-up committee and supervisors, without the candidate present. After this discussion, the supervisors will leave, and the follow-up committee will meet with the candidate alone.
The follow-up committee
The follow-up committee is appointed by the PhD Committee at NHM and must consist of at least three members, preferably with strong academic insight in the project's subject area and experience in supervising PhD candidates. One member shall be affiliated with the PhD Committee and shall lead the committee and the project progress meetings.
The role of the follow-up committee is to support the PhD candidate in their work and to mitigate in case of problems or delays. The committee shall
- Evaluate progress according to the timeline outlined in the project description.
- Provide input to the PhD candidate and supervisors regarding possible changes, adjustments, priorities, and potential needs to narrow the scope of the project..
- Identify problematic aspects and assess whether changes are needed in the project, the educational component, or the supervisory group.
The follow-up committee's report
The committee leader summarises the follow-up committee’s conclusions in a report. It is important that any potential problematic aspects are clearly detailed in the report. If the follow-up committee recommends specific measures, these shall be clearly outlined.
On the last page of the report, the committee can provide recommendations to be shared with the PhD candidate and supervisors.
The committee leader presents the report to the PhD Committee, who will evaluate the need for actions. If a supervisor is a member of the PhD Committee, the report will not be shared or discussed with them.