INFORMATION REGARDING ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE REQUIREMENTS

 As a rule the below mentioned standards must be met by the members of the assessment committee:

• Minimum educational level equaling Danish associate professor cf. the Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 about the PhD education at the universities and certain higher artistic educational institutions.
• Actively publishing within the research area of the dissertation, documented through publications in internationally acknowledged journals and conference proceedings with peer-review (within the last five years), this can be documented with an updated list of publications, patents, technical reports, product development and the like.
• At least one external member must have experience with assessment of PhD theses.
• Diversity in the composition of external members is desirable, so that one main supervisor does not repeatedly use the same external member.
• If relevant for the PhD project, it is possible to include an external member from industry in the assessment committee 

 

APPROVAL OF AN ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

The following documents must be enclosed in one pdf file in searchable format when an assessment committee is forwarded to the PhD Board for approval:

1. CV incl. an updated list of publications for all three members. The CV must reflect the above mentioned standards. The publication list must be exhaustive for the last five years. CV and publication list must be in Scandinavian or English.
2. For Industrial PhD students, a confirmation must be enclosed from the Department stating that § 26 of the Ministerial Order has been met (at least one of the members shall have company-relevant research experience within the relevant field).
3. The name of the PhD student's supervisor (and co-supervisor(s), if any) must be noted on the recommendation from the department.

Concerning competence to act the regular competence to act regulations apply cf. The Act on Public Administration §3-6. Special attention must be given to the following:

 Members of the assessment committee cannot be in an up-downwards management layer compared to the main supervisor:

Example 1: The Head of Department cannot be a member of an assessment committee for a PhD student in his or her own department.

Example 2: A section leader cannot be a member of an assessment committee for a PhD student in his or her own section.)

• It is not possible to be a member of an assessment committee if there are joint publications with the PhD student, or if any are in preparation.
•  It is not possible to serve as a member of an assessment committee if within the last five years (three years for the internal chairman) there are any joint publications (including those in preparation) with the supervisor or co-supervisor(s). Any deviation from this rule requires a written application for dispensation with an explanation why this requirement cannot be satisfied.
• If the PhD student or the main supervisor is fully or partly financed or has a sideline occupation at an external company, then assessors from that company cannot be used. This also includes subsidiary companies and branches in other locations.
• Members of an assessment committee must not have any close relations (e.g. friend, foe, relative) with the PhD student or any of the PhD student’s supervisors.
• Members of an assessment committee must not have had any supervisor function for the PhD student during or before the PhD study.
• Members of an assessment committee must not have any common financial interests or scientific collaboration with any of the PhD student’s supervisors in the last five years.
• Members of an assessment committee must not have any common financial interests or scientific collaboration with the PhD student.
• Members of an assessment committee must not have contributed in any way to the PhD thesis.
• External members must not have any formal affiliation with Aalborg University.

• Checklist
• Declaration for assessment committee members - chair
• Declaration for assessment committee members - external members

 

Dates for PhD Board Meetings and deadlines for submission of documents:

19.02.2026 (deadline 09.02.2026)

22.04.2026 (deadline 13.04.2026)

11.06.2026 (deadline 01.06.2026)

21.09.2026 (deadline 11.09.2026)

05.11.2026 (deadline 26.10.2026)

16.12.2026 (deadline 07.12.2026)

The assessment committee shall submit a recommendation as to whether the PhD student, through the publicly defended thesis, has fulfilled the requirements laid down in the Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certaing Higher Educational Institutions.

Within two months after the thesis has been submitted and not later than three weeks prior to the defense the assessment committee is requested to write a provisional recommendation stating whether the thesis in its provisional form can be accepted for public defence. The chairman of the assessment committee forwards the provisional recommendation to the Doctoral School who makes sure that the author receives a copy of the recommendation. If a majority of the members of the assessment committee accept the PhD thesis, the chairman of the assessment committee, the other committee members and the supervisor(s) in co-operation set the date for the public defence of the thesis.

If a majority of the committee members cannot accept the PhD thesis in its present form, the recommendation must also include at least a majority recommendation that can form a basis for a decision by the institution as to whether the thesis can be re-submitted in a revised form within a time period of at least three months.

The department is responsible for handling the practical matters in connection with the defence. This includes the booking of hotel rooms, the announcement of the defence, as well as the recommendation to the Faculty concerning the chairperson of the defence. Announcement of the defence and the recommendation for the chairperson should be forwarded via the department to AAU PhD

THE PHD DEFENCE/MODERATOR

The defence shall take place following the submission of the preliminary recommendation of the assessment committee and no later than three months after the handing in of the thesis. Based on the rules in the legislation on inventions, or if special circumstances apply, the institution may decide to postpone the defence.
Prior to the defence, the chairperson appointed by the Faculty must arrange a meeting with the assessment committee and the supervisor(s). This meeting usually takes place 1-2 hours before the defence. At this meeting it shall roughly be agreed how the examination shall proceed. The total examination time (question time) must not exceed 2 hours and the members of the assessment committee and the supervisor(s) shall prioritize their questions in such a way that they confine themselves to this time limit.
The PhD student gives a lecture explaining the research work carried out. The duration of the lecture should be approximately 45 minutes.

The Department is responsible for appointing a moderator.

The PhD Study Director is responsible for approving the moderator. The following requirements must be met by the moderator:

•  Minimum educational level equaling Danish associate professor
• Not associated with the research project in question
• Not a member of the assessment committee

Inspiration for the moderator

Examination: The most significant role of the moderator is to ensure that the agreed upon plan (cf. number 2 above) is followed. This includes ensuring that all the members of the assessment committee get the opportunity to ask questions and that the PhD student's time to answer is limited in such a way that the assessment committee can obtain answers to their questions within the time limit. Questions may be asked ex auditorio provided that the chairman is notified. Each person asking questions ex auditorio is given a maximum of 15 minutes including the necessary time for the PhD student's answer.

RECOMMENDATION
Immediately after the public defence the assessment committee shall submit to the department its recommendation based on the PhD thesis and the public defence as to whether the PhD degree should be awarded. Afterwards the department forwards the recommendation to AAU PhD

The Academic Council confers the PhD degree. Hearings are conducted weekly, with responses issued every Tuesday.

In case of any questions or uncertainty regarding the phrasing of the assessment, please feel free to contact AAU PhD or PhD Study Director Jimmy Jessen Nielsen, jjn@es.aau.dk 

To ensure the integrity and fairness of the preliminary assessment process, the following guidelines must be observed:

1. Submission Deadline The preliminary assessment stating whether the thesis is suitable as a basis for the award of a PhD degree must be forwarded to the Doctoral School within 2 months after submission and no later than 3 weeks before the defence. There must be a maximum of 3 months from the submission of the thesis to the conducting of the PhD defence. This timeline allows for the necessary flexibility in compliance with the 14-day requirement stipulated in the Ministerial Order.

2. Communication with the PhD Student The assessment committee is not permitted to request additional information directly from the PhD student. Should any materials be missing or require clarification, the Doctoral School should be contacted.

3. Assessment of the Thesis The thesis must be evaluated in its current form, and the preliminary assessment must reflect this evaluation.

4. Thesis Acceptance Criteria If a thesis is deemed unacceptable for defence, the preliminary assessment must explicitly outline the necessary revisions required for acceptance. Additionally, a timeframe for implementing these revisions must be provided, with a minimum duration of three months, as mandated by the Ministerial Order.

5. Conditions for Acceptance Once the assessment committee approves a thesis for defence, the preliminary assessment must not impose any contingencies or demands regarding the thesis content. While weaknesses and shortcomings may be addressed, a positive assessment must not require further changes. The assessment is final and not subject to revision unless a negative preliminary assessment is issued.

6. Appendices The assessment committee may include an appendix that is not part of the formal assessment. This appendix may contain recommendations for minor improvements, particularly related to presentation, should the author intend to repurpose the thesis material in another context.

7. Consistency in Assessment The conclusion of the assessment must align with the overall content and tone of the evaluation. A negative assessment should not culminate in a positive conclusion, nor vice versa; consistency between these elements is essential.

8. Professionalism and Decorum The assessment must be articulated with professionalism and respect. Critique, by its nature, involves thoughtful analysis and genuine engagement with the candidate’s work. Such critique should always be conveyed in a constructive and respectful manner.

Template for the preliminary and final assessment

In case of any questions or uncertainty regarding the phrasing of the assessment, please feel free to contact AAU PhD or PhD Study Director Jimmy Jessen Nielsen, jjn@es.aau.dk 

Aalborg University uses eforms for reimbursement of travel expenses. It can be found at https://eforms.aau.dk 

Please note: Safari does not always function optimally with the system, so we recommend using another browser (e.g., Chrome or Edge) for the best experience.

When completing the reimbursement form, please select:

• Department: Forskningsservice
• Contact person: Lene Møller

If the reimbursement is directed at an organization/company an invoice must be forwarded.
eForms can only be used with a private bank account.

Documentation Requirements
Reimbursement is limited to documented expenses only.

Please ensure that:

• All expenses are supported by receipts or invoices. A bank statement alone is not sufficient; it must be accompanied by a receipt.
• Flight tickets purchased through an employer but paid for by the traveller must be accompanied by documentation confirming personal payment.

Transportation
Transportation should be the most economical reasonable option. Reimbursement for first class, business class, flexible tickets and insurance or equivalent upgrades will not be provided.

If the departure and destination addresses are not shown on the receipt, please provide the addresses.

If you choose to travel to the destination in your own car, this must be cheaper than other means of transportation.

Car rental must be documented as being cheaper than other means of transportation. All driven kilometers must be documented either private or work related. We can only cover work related.

Accommodation
We reimburse accommodation for 1–2 nights, up to DKK 1,844 per night. Please attach the receipt received at the hotel. 

Meals
Reasonable meal expenses incurred during the trip will be reimbursed on the basis of receipts (not per diem). The maximum reimbursement rates for meals are as follows:
Breakfast: max 93,75 DKK 
Lunch: max 187,50 DKK
Dinner: max 187,50 DKK 

Points to pay attention to when filling out eforms:

• The Country for Payment should correspond to the country where your bank is located.
• Each expense must be entered on a separate reimbursement line.
• There should be a detailed description for each expense.
• If the currency rate is written manually you must document the exchange rate.
• A detailed description of your route if own car is used (address from and to) along with the car license plate should be added. You can only receive the low rate according to State rules.
• When the form is duly filled and you are ready to “submit” you must scroll to the bottom and choose “yes” to “I agree” under statement

Download the information form

Please fill out the form and forward to your contact at AAU PhD (for external members only)