Supervisory panel members
In addition to your supervisor, others will also be on hand to provide assistance throughout your doctoral studies.
When you put together your admission application, with the help of your supervisor, you will put forward the names of various people who will sit on what is called a ‘supervisory panel’. This panel will comprise your supervisor(s) and two other members, at least one of whom must not be part of the research team of your supervisor(s). The members of the supervisory panel must hold a PhD, obtained after defending a thesis, or provide evidence of expert knowledge of an equivalent level.
Supervisory panel role
Not only your supervisor(s), but also the other members of the supervisory panel will guide and advise you on the direction of your research and help open up networking opportunities for you.
The members of the supervisory panel are at your disposal to give constructive help with your research. They are committed to providing you with regular support throughout your PhD studies. Meetings between you and the whole supervisory panel are scheduled at least once a year.
The supervisory panel is responsible for assessing the quality of your academic work. It will do so formally during the mid-term evaluation, and also to authorise you to submit a provisional manuscript and proceed with a private defence of your thesis.
Where a student is doing a joint doctoral programme, a joint supervisory panel will be appointed and will comprise members of both institutions in order to ensure balanced supervision.
Changing the supervisory panel’s members
It may be necessary to change the supervisory panel’s members during the course of your PhD studies. Any request for a change to the supervisory panel, duly signed by both the current panel and the intended new panel, must be approved by the subject-specific doctoral committee (CDD).