Supervisory Committee

The overarching role of the departmental representative is to represent the department in relation to the individual doctoral students and their supervisors. This entails being responsible for both the quality and content of the education, which consists of courses, conferences, and other credit-awarding activities, as well as the PhD thesis research project (that is, to follow up that the research project progresses in a satisfactory way in terms of time plan, production of data and manuscripts, as well as to initiate and examine the half-time report). The key to the role of the Departmental representative is to oversee that the university's, the supervisors’ and the doctoral students' commitments are complied with. The departmental representative should have a general understanding of the research area of the thesis project, be able to understand the conditions for the doctoral student’s research task, and follow the progression of the education.

Duties for departmental representatives

• to ensure that an individual study plan is established, on behalf of the Head of the department and in consultation with the supervisors and the doctoral student
• to convene a doctoral student progress meeting at least once per semester, be responsible for following up that the individual study plan is revised, and document this
• to determine which courses and other activities are relevant to the doctoral student’s education and, therefore, reward credits (in compliance with the Faculty of Science guidelines), as well as oversee so that the relevant credits are officially registered in the Ladok system and then to attest these credits
• to be responsible for arranging and assessing the half-time review
• to offer the doctoral student a career planning meeting shortly after the mid-term review
• to ensure that all course credits are completed before the PhD thesis defence
• to compile if there are special reasons for prolongation of the doctoral student’s studies (other than sick leave, parental leave, and commissions of trust), which measures have been taken to adapt the education, and how long prolongation is requested, and to check that the requested prolongation is reasonable with the Director of postgraduate studies
• to ensure that the PhD thesis (that is, both the introductory summary, the included manuscripts and published articles, as well as the synthesis of the manuscripts and articles) is ready to be defended and meets the faculty guidelines
• to register the public defence of the thesis
• to chair the public defence of the thesis
• to follow up that the doctoral student applies for the degree certificate after passing the thesis defence

Besides the responsibility for individual doctoral students, the Departmental representatives have a joint mission together with the Director of studies to ensure that within the research education in Biology are enough relevant credit-awarding activities to fulfil the goals of the higher education ordinance for a Swedish PhD education, including that there are relevant activities that can fulfil the “5 credits of broadening within the research area” for all doctoral students.

Departmental representatives who can take new assignments

• Stefan Andersson, Biodiversity and Evolution
• Olof Berglund, Functional Ecology
• Charlie Cornwallis, Functional Ecology
• Stanley Heinze, Sensory Biology
• Caroline Isaksson, Evolutionary Ecology and Infection Biology
• David O’Carroll, Sensory Biology
• Ola Olsson, Biodiversity and Evolution
• Allan Rasmusson, Molecular Bioscience
• Johannes Rousk, Functional Ecology
• Claes von Wachenfeldt, Molecular Bioscience
• Helena Westerdahl, Evolutionary Ecology and Infection Biology
• Susanne Åkesson, Evolutionary Ecology and Infection Biology

The supervisor is the doctoral student’s teacher and guide for the research project and supports the doctoral student throughout the entire education. The supervisor must be qualified as a docent and have permanent employment, or be employed at least for the duration of the education, at the Department of Biology.

Duties for main supervisors

• to introduce the doctoral student to the study programme and the workplace
• to establish an individual study plan, together with the departmental representative, the co-supervisors and in consultation with the doctoral student
• to provide a scientific environment for the doctoral student, within as well as outside the research group
• to provide the conditions and guidance for creative research within the thesis project and for other components of the programme
• to ensure that the doctoral student has the necessary resources for his or her research and education
• to be available to the doctoral student and take part in the doctoral student progress meetings
• together with the doctoral student, discuss expectations of the supervisor and doctoral student, preferably using this document as a basis for discussion (new tab; pdf; 100 kB)

The co-supervisor should assist the main supervisor and act as a deputy supervisor if the main supervisor temporarily or permanently is no longer available at the department. The co-supervisor should have supervisory training (course information on the Faculty of Science website) and be employed in the department for at least the expected duration of the doctoral student’s studies.

Duties for co-supervisors

• to contribute to the supervision and development of the educational project on the basis of supervisory expertise and/or specialist knowledge
• to act as a deputy supervisor in the absence of the main supervisor
• to take over the main responsibility for supervision if the main supervisor is unable to complete the supervision assignment 
• to establish an individual study plan, together with the Departmental representative, the main supervisor and in consultation with the doctoral student
• to be available for the doctoral student and to take part in the doctoral student progress meetings

The doctoral student’s scientific mentor is a person who is outside the doctoral student’s research team and who can provide independent support, advice, tips and ideas on both research studies and careers. The advantage of having a scientific mentor is that the doctoral student’s network and perspectives are broadened. By meeting at least once per semester (for example, over lunch), the mentor and the doctoral student can also discuss topics that the student does not want to take up with the supervisors or the departmental representative (like work environment problems). The mentor meetings can be compared to an informal doctoral student progress meeting without the supervisors. The doctoral student is responsible for taking the initiative to these meetings.

We recommend that the Mentor is employed as a researcher, lecturer, or professor at Lund University.

Duties for scientific mentors

• to provide the doctoral student with independent support and advice
• to act as a sounding board
• to provide the doctoral student with an additional perspective and inspiration
• to be available to the doctoral student at least once per semester
• to participate in the first doctoral progress meeting, and in later progress meetings if the doctoral student wishes