Thesis committees

Each doctoral researcher in doctoral programmes in health sciences has a thesis committee (TC) that evaluates the doctoral researcher's progress and offers them support throughout the doctoral studies. The thesis committee meetings and progress reports are compulsory to all doctoral researchers. The doctoral researcher arranges the first meeting within 6-12 months after being accepted to the doctoral programme, after which the subsequent meetings must take place annually. 

The thesis committee’s tasks and responsibilities are outlined above. In addition to the general tasks appointed to the thesis committee, the committee members can also try to help solve possible disagreements between the supervisor(s) and the doctoral researcher. The rights and responsibilities of the doctoral researcher and the thesis supervisor as well as the process for dealing with problems in PhD supervision are further described in the linked articles.

Assembling the thesis committee

Thesis committee members

The thesis committee consists of at least two experts who are able to assess the progress of the dissertation. The TC members must hold a doctoral degree and substantial knowledge in the field of the project. TC members should be sufficiently independent of the supervisor to be able to provide critical comments on the project and progress and to support the doctoral researcher in the event of conflicts. The external members may, but are not required to, be from the University of Helsinki. TC members may be affiliated with domestic or international universities, independent and/or sector research institutes, clinics, etc. A TC member may also represent a local research program. If both TC members are local, then one must be from a different department, clinic or institute than the doctoral researcher and the thesis supervisor.

The sufficiency of independence of a TC member can be assessed by the following:

• The external members should not be currently involved in the thesis project.
• The external members should not be close collaborators of the supervisor(s) or the doctoral researcher. Joint research projects or shared grants, as well as joint publications typically indicate a close collaboration.
• The external members should not have supervised or been supervised by the doctoral researcher or his/her supervisors.
• The external members should not be relatives, close colleagues or friends of the doctoral researcher or supervisors.
• It should also be taken into account when assembling the committee that members of the thesis committee cannot later be appointed as preliminary examiners or opponents for the doctoral dissertation in question

Nominating the thesis committee members

The external members of the thesis committee (TC) are suggested by the doctoral researcher and accepted by the doctoral programme. The doctoral researcher discusses potential TC members with the supervisor(s) and invites them to the thesis committee. Membership in a TC is a position of trust, with an aim to guide and mentor the doctoral researcher throughout the doctoral training.

Most doctoral programmes in DSHealth require that the TC members are nominated when applying for the right to pursue a doctoral degree. The doctoral programmes Brain&Mind, Biomedicine and Integrative Life Sciences allow nominating members within 6 months from receiving the right to pursue a doctoral degree.

Meetings and reporting

The thesis committee (TC) meeting is held once a year until the thesis defense. The meeting can be organized at any time during the year. The doctoral researcher can organize meetings more frequently if deemed feasible or necessary by the TC members and the supervisor(s).

In the first meeting the doctoral researcher introduces the research plan and the personal study plan. The TC follows doctoral researcher's progress of the studies and research project(s), and discuss with the doctoral candidate his/her preliminary future career plans.

In the final meeting, the TC members ensure that the doctoral researcher has achieved the research results required of a doctoral dissertation, and that they have acquired adequate knowledge and skills in the research field of the PhD project. Where applicable, the TC members write a statement to the faculty in support of the pre-examination of the thesis. TC members may also mentor the doctoral researcher in their future career plans.

Guidelines for the preparation of documents for the annual TC meeting:

1. Update the publications and activities to TUHAT (how to edit your TUHAT profile). Include a link to TUHAT in the progress report.
2. Update the research plan: work done, current status and future plans.
3. Update the study plan: list performed and planned studies and education.
4. Include other merits not included in TUHAT database.
5. Arrange the meeting: Agree on the date and time of the meeting with your supervisor(s) and the members of your thesis committee. Reserve a meeting room (e.g. in your Outlook Calendar or Optime Portal); ensure availability of technical apparatus (including potential IT communication equipment) and possible catering (not covered by the doctoral programmes). Meetings could be arranged also online (e.g. Zoom, Teams).
   • The doctoral researcher may use and update the following template slides for each annual TC meeting; Thesis committee meeting template (PPTX)

Arranging the meeting

Doctoral researchers use the Thessa for the planning, supervision and monitoring of doctoral studies. Read more from instructions on how to start using Thessa. The supervisor(s), TC members, and the doctoral programme all have access to the Thessa follow-up system and the annual report.

TC members are expected to familiarize themselves with the report in advance. The doctoral researcher, supervisor(s), and the committee members must all participate in the meeting. Participation can be organized e.g. over Zoom or Teams to reduce the need for travelling.

During the meeting

• The doctoral researcher presents the status and future plans of the PhD project, including the publication plan. The thesis committee ensures that the project is scientifically valid and the research plan clear, feasible and suitable for a PhD project.
• TC members evaluate and give constructive feedback on the progress of the doctoral project and make suggestions on studies supporting the research.
• The members of the TC check the courses completed by the doctoral researcher and give advice on future studies to guarantee adequate knowledge of and expertise in the field.
• All interactions within the TC are confidential. Part of the meeting must be held in the absence of the supervisor to allow possible confidential matters to be discussed between the thesis committee members and the doctoral researcher.
• Based on the feedback at the meeting, the doctoral researcher revises the annual report and submits it in Thessa.

After the meeting

Based on the feedback at the meeting, the doctoral researcher revises the progress report.

Submitting the reports

A report with only a short description of the status of the thesis project is required if the doctoral researcher has concentrated on clinical specialist training or is on e.g. maternity leave.

TC committee and follow-up reporting in a nutshell  

• The doctoral researcher invites the thesis committee members in to sign in to Thessa during the first semester of doctoral studies
• The members receive an email from thessa-admin-at-helsinki.fi to join the thesis committee
• Once the thesis committee is set up, the annual progress report can be generated and submitted
• The thesis committee members can view and comment the progress report in Thessa before the meeting
• The thesis committee meeting approves the annual progress report
• At the end of the meeting, the doctoral researcher submits the Conclusions & Recommendations as agreed
• One year later, Thessa reminds the doctoral researcher to organize the next thesis committee meeting

As the THESSA-system is still in a beta stage, it is currently only available in English. The Finnish and Swedish versions will follow later. Filling the fields is, of course, possible in any chosen language.

Confidentiality

All discussions with the thesis committee are confidential. Supervisors can participate in the meetings, but in each thesis committee meeting, some time should be set aside to allow the doctoral student to talk to the members of the thesis committee without the presence of the supervisor(s).

The decision to utilise thesis committees as part of the support for doctoral dissertations was made by Rector’s Decision 801/2017. The general disqualification principles applied in all workings of the university (Universities Act §30) are provided in the Administrative Procedure Act (section §27 and §28). The disqualification of thesis committee members from acting as preliminary examiners or opponents is based on Rector's Decision 498/2017.