MAIN SUPERVISOR
The main supervisors has to be employed at Aalborg University. Furthermore, the main supervisor must hold at least the rank of Associate Professor

20% Professors can also be appointed as main supervisors.

The main supervisor is responsible for a successful completion of the PhD project.

CO-SUPERVISOR
It is a requirement from the Doctoral School that the PhD project is assigned at least one co-supervisor that can provide academic/professionel feedback in fields where the main-supervisor may not be an expert.

It is not required that co-supervisors are employed at AAU.

There are specific requirements in relation to the Industrial PhD program. Here the company/organization needs to appoint two supervisors. 

APPROVING/CHANGING SUPERVISORS
Changes to the supervisor setup must be approved by the PhD Study Director and accepted by all the involved parties (department, supervisors, PhD student).

Forward the requested changes to aauphd@adm.aau.dk

As a PhD supervisor it is important that you are familiar with the different responsibilities that are laid upon you and the different aspects you are involved with during the PhD study.

New internal PhD supervisors (both main and co) must attend the first coming PhD supervisor course.
 
As a starting point it is imperative that you align your expectations with the PhD student you are supervising. This is of outmost importance for the entire PhD study.

Download this document to read more about the responsibilities as a PhD supervisor

When a PhD student is accepted for enrolment at the Doctoral School of Engineering and Science it is crucial to the PhD study that the supervisor and PhD student align their expectations towards each other and the PhD study. A misalignment may lead to issues later on, issues that could have been avoided.

As a supervisor you must actively assist the student in completing the PhD plan that is due for submission no later than 2 months after the study is commenced. Once the plan is ready for submission it is uploaded by the PhD student through PhD manager where the supervisor, followed by the head of program must approve the PhD plan. The same procedure is to be followed when the updated version is submitted, no later than 12 months after enrolment. Only the PhD study director can provide an exemption in relation to these timeframes.

Key elements to remember when initiating a PhD study:

• Clarification of mutual expectations - A template for inspirational purpose
• Create a PhD plan in cooperation with the PhD student and upload within 2 months after enrollment through PhD manager. 

The supervisor must be aware of/take care of the following:

• Assist the PhD student in completing the 2 months study plan.
• Ensure that the PhD student develops into an independent researcher and obtains the skills stipulated in the ministerial order.
• The 11 months status seminar should be conducted immediately after 11 months of study.
• No later than 12 months after enrolment an updated PhD plan must be uploaded through PhD manager.
• Complete progress reports for each PhD student every 6 months. This is done through the PhD manager portal. An email is sent to the supervisor once a progress report is due.
• Cooperate with the head of the assigned doctoral program on the PhD study.
• Sign applications for leave of absence and applications for financial support.
• Assess and approve outcome of conference participitation (6 ECTS maximum during a PhD study).
• In some cases, a PhD study may encounter unforeseen issues during the three years of study. It is important that the supervisor and/or the student addresses these issues sooner rather than later. Unresolved and seemingly irrelevant issues may lead to serious problems later in the study.”

Should you encounter issues that you cannot resolve amongst yourselves please contact the doctoral school who will initiate contact to the PhD Study Director. 

As the PhD study becomes near to completion, several elements must be handled by the PhD student and the supervisor. The doctoral school recommends that the supervisor and PhD student make themselves familiar with these elements as soon as possible.

The following elements must be taken care of:

• The principal supervisor identifies potential members for the assessment committee according to the stipulated criteria - the thesis cannot be uploaded before the committee is approved. Read more about the approval and task of the assessment committee.
• The thesis is formatted according to the VBN guidelines.
• Co-author statements must be sent to the Doctoral School for assessment. The student is notified once these are approved by the PhD study director.
• A supervisor statement must be sent to the Doctoral School. By submitting this statement the supervisor acknowledges that the PhD study is completed satisfactorily. All elements in the template must be filled out. An incomplete supervisor statement is subject to rejection.
• The supervisor and the chairman of the assessment committee plan the defence in due time.