Supervisory team

You need a formal supervisory team, as defined by the Utrecht University Doctoral Degree Regulations (English and Dutch). This is compulsory and consists of a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 supervisors (promotors and co-promotors).

You are part of the GSLS when your first promotor is a professor (or associate professor granted ius promovendi) at one of the GSLS faculties:

  • Utrecht University – Faculty of Science, Departments of Pharmacy, Biology, or Chemistry (Bijvoet Institute)
  • Utrecht University – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  • UMC Utrecht – Faculty of Medicine

Only when the above applies, are you eligible for registration as a PhD candidate at the GSLS, which includes access to our courses. Please note that when you are a PhD candidate at the Hubrecht Institute, Princess Máxima Center or an external PhD at a different institute, your first promotor should be associated with one of the three GSLS faculties.

Responsibilities supervisory team

Discuss with your supervisory team how the various supervisory tasks will be divided over the different members. One member should be assigned to daily supervision. It is important to align expectations. A PhD project is a joint effort with responsibilities for both you and the supervisory team. Together, you are responsible for the quality of your research, the quality of your doctoral thesis, and the development of your skills and competencies. Please have a look at Effective supervisor-PhD interaction: a two-way process to learn more about our vision on good supervision practices and the interaction between you and your supervisory team with responsibilities for both sides.

Your supervisory team is responsible for the availability of resources, including budget, for your entire PhD journey. If, at the end of your PhD journey, your manuscript is rejected by the Assessment Committee and requires additional work, your supervisory team is responsible for the required budget (salary) and extension of your track needs to be approved by the relevant department (faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Science) or division (UMC Utrecht).