Principles

• The thesis advisor is primarily responsible for regularly monitoring the progress of the doctoral student.
• However, monitoring thesis progress is also an essential mission of the doctoral school (ED).
  The ED, in remaining relatively light in its expectations, aims to reduce the risk of leaving without a degree or studying for an excessive length of time. Its modalities are framed by official texts. Our approach gives each student the opportunity to take stock of their training program, their scientific progress, and their professional development. Each board member is responsible for monitoring the students registered in his/her respective institution.

Modalities

Specifically, the monitoring procedure is organized as follows (the actual schedule may vary slightly from one institution to another):

During the first six months of his thesis, each PhD student chooses a mentor (internally in the laboratory, but not part of the host team), and a tutor (a researcher who knows the scientific field but does not publish with the supervision of the PhD student), validated by the laboratory director and the ED. If a PhD student is a member of a laboratory having a monitoring system in accordance with the texts, the one set up in the laboratory may replace the committee requested by the ED after agreement of the latter.

Mentor and tutor constitute the monitoring committee. This committee is not intended to substitute for the advisor. The thesis advisor and co-advisor, if any, and the mentor are collectively responsible for monitoring the thesis progress. The student is encouraged to make regular contact with his mentor or the member of the board attached to his institution, and share any potential difficulties associated with the progress or the supervision of his thesis.

At the end of first year :

• The student completes and submits to the ED a  questionnaire on his integration into the laboratory, his research, and training activities already completed and planned.

• A meeting, the general format of which is left open, concerning the progress of the thesis, the planned training courses and the foresight, is organized with the supervisors and the monitoring committee. This meeting must include an interview of the monitoring committee with the doctoral student, without supervisors, and vice versa an interview with supervisors without the doctoral student.

• At the end of this meeting, the thesis advisor shall transmit to the ED a short report. This deposit is made, for tutors or sponsors attached to the ED, through a link on their own page. If no committee member is a member of the ED, the report can be sent by email to the ED.

• The students meets with the director/assistant director of the ED.

At the end of 2nd year :

• The student completes and submits to the ED a new questionnaire, with a component on “scientific production” and another on “professional development”. The doctoral student establishes with his supervisors and transmits to the ED a provisional schedule estimating the timing of the thesis completion, drafting, and defense.

• A meeting, in the same format as the previous one, concerning the advancement of the thesis and foresight, is organized with the supervisors and the monitoring committee.

• At the end of this meeting, the Committee shall forward a report to the ED. This report must include a recommendation for re-enrolment in third year. The re-registration is not automatic and will only be authorised by the ED after the opinion of the Monitoring Committee, as required by official texts.

• Eventually, the doctoral student is received by the director/ assistant director.

In case of difficulties...

A monitoring committee consisting of the thesis advisor, any co-advisor and/or co-supervisors, the monitoring committee, and a representative of the ED and/or an expert in the field outside the laboratory will be set up for any thesis:

• having specific problems, regardless of the nature,
• whose provisional schedule is not met and/or does not allow a defense before the end of December (or 40 months if starting the program late)
• extending, exceptionally, to all or part of a fourth year. The committee will meet with the PhD student and make a progress report every 4-6 months.