Thesis Committee
The thesis committee, together with the candidate, shares the responsibility for the progress of the research work. The committee provides support, advice and the necessary infrastructure.
The rules regarding supervision are defined in the GHS regulations (Regulations for the degree program Art. 9).
At least two of the supervisors (thesis advisor, co-thesis advisor and co-referee) must be habilitated or possess equivalent experience.
Thesis Advisor
The thesis advisor has the ultimate responsibility for the overall supervision of the candidate.
The thesis advisor must be employed at one of the faculties of the University of Bern involved (Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Human Sciences and Vetsuisse Faculty) in one of the following positions:
- Full professor
- Extraordinary professor
- Associate professor
- Assistant professor with tenure track
- Assistant professor
- University lecturer (Privatdozent*innen)
- Habilitated lecturer
- Habilitated full-time postdoc
- Unhabilitated postdoc in the category "advanced postdoc“ or "senior research assistant“
The thesis advisor participates as examiner in the 1st and 2nd year exams.
They thesis advisor evaluates the thesis together with the co-referee and grades the thesis defense. They also sign the annual Progress Report together with the candidate.
A co-thesis advisor can be appointed to support the thesis advisor. The co-thesis advisor is normally a part of the research team or close network of the thesis advisor and takes on supervisory tasks and any requirements alongside the thesis advisor (please see the table below). The co-thesis advisor role can be taken on by eligible staff from the University of Bern or other higher education institutions (e.g. a University of Applied Sciences) in accordance with the list above. The Steering Board can, on request, appoint additional staff as co-thesis advisors.
It is possible for the co-thesis advisor to replace the thesis advisor in the 1st and 2nd year exams. However, the co-thesis advisor cannot replace the thesis advisor in the evaluation of the thesis and the defense.
The co-thesis advisor evaluates and grades the thesis and the defense together with the thesis advisor. If both the thesis advisor and co-thesis advisor participate, they agree on one common grade.
Co-referee
The co-referee is appointed by the thesis advisor and co-thesis advisor. The co-referee should be an expert in the research area of the thesis project but must not be affiliated with the same institute/clinic as the thesis advisor or co-thesis advisor. The co-referee meets with the candidate at least twice a year to discuss and assess the progress of the PhD project, as well as advise and support the candidate. The co-referee participates as examiner in the 1st and 2nd year exams. They also evaluate the thesis together with the thesis advisor and grade the thesis defense.
Mentor
The mentor is a member of the relevant Expert Committee and is assigned during the interview after application to the GHS. After the candidate's formal acceptance to the GHS, the mentor meets with the candidate and supports them in creating their curriculum reported in the Doctoral Agreement. The mentor also evaluates the yearly Progress Reports.
The mentor represents the GHS in the thesis committee and is the contact person in the event of conflict between the thesis advisor and the candidate.
The mentor chairs the thesis defense and writes the protocol, but does not give a grade.
Independent Expert
Independent experts are internationally recognized researchers from another university in the research field of the corresponding research project who have not published together with the candidate, the thesis advisor or the co-thesis advisor in the last three years.
An independent expert must participate as examiner in the 2nd year exam, the evaluation of the written thesis and the thesis defense. The independent expert participating in these three exams/evaluations can be the same person, but does not have to be.
The GHS Office is responsible for checking if the suggested independent expert qualifies for this role. Please contact the GHS Office well before the 2nd year exam and defense.
The independent expert is not part of the thesis committee.
