Thesis Advisory Committees

Thesis Supervision

In general, the TAC is composed of the primary supervisor and 2 additional research group leaders from the IMPRS or DIGS-BB faculty. The second and the third supervisors are chosen on the basis of their scientific expertise. One TAC member must be a University professor, in order to comply with the formal requirements for PhD students at the TU Dresden. If scientifically justified, the TAC may be complemented by a fourth TAC member.

Meetings

TAC meetings follow a defined structure and include a written report to be submitted one week before the meeting. The meeting starts with a presentation by the PhD student, followed by a joint discussion of the results and future plans. Beyond this, TAC members may have independent discussions as needed, without the student or the primary advisor’s presence.

Feedback

The recommendations of the TAC are formally documented and made available to all participants by the PhD Program Coordinator. If progress is not up to expectation, the TAC meeting will be subject to revision and repeated in the presence of the Dean and the Program Coordinator.

Thesis Timeline

• Project proposal:
  The project proposal is jointly written by the PhD student and group leader. 
• Initial Report:
  A detailed outline of the thesis project, and how to approach the scientific questions. Specification of in-depth theoretical knowledge required for mastering the project.
• Annual Reports:
  Review of results obtained and research to be done in the following year, including tasks to be accomplished for publications.
• 3.5 year TAC meeting
  Finalizing PhD thesis work for writing up within 4 years.
• Thesis Submission
  Opening the doctoral proceedings at TU Dresden.