The Dissertation and Dissertation Committee

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After passing the Qualifying Exam, a student’s primary responsibility is to pursue their research as effectively as possible. To facilitate this process, each student forms a Dissertation Committee consisting of at least three faculty members, including your thesis research advisor/PI, to serve as your dissertation committee. The committee needs to consist of a minimum of two DSCB faculty. The chair of the committee must also be a DSCB faculty member, and can be the same person who chaired your qualifying exam committee. Your thesis advisor (your PI) may not serve as the chair of your dissertation committee but should be included as one of your committee members. Consult with your dissertation advisor to determine who should serve on the committee.The Dissertation Committee must be formed within one month after passing the qualifying examination, and students are required to hold an initial meeting with the committee before the start of their third year (September 1st), and at least annually thereafter (twice a year is recommended).

The primary responsibility of the Dissertation Committee is to ensure that the student is progressing and to advise on the path forward.  One of the Dissertation Committee members will be the Chair.  Typically, he student decides who they want to be the chair of their committee and asks this person if they would be willing to serve in this role. For the most part, the Chair has the same responsibilities as the other committee members.  However, the Chair is often an early point of contact for the student if any additional support is needed.  For example, the Committee Chair may provide advice to the student if they encounter a conflict with their advisor or another lab member.  Of course, the other parts of the Program Support Structure (described more below) are also in place to help with this and the Program Directors should be notified of any significant issues.

Importantly, students should not view a perceived lack of progress as a reason not to have a committee meeting; on the contrary, regular dissertation committee meetings are almost always beneficial and especially so if there are difficulties with the project or the lab situation. Students should view Dissertation Committee meetings as a valuable resource--their chance to get specific, high-quality feedback on their progress. Note: it is NOT an exam!  

Typically, the committee will recommend which experiments and projects to prioritize, how to best execute experiments to achieve rigor and reproducibility, and whether there are alternative approaches to consider. In addition, the Chair should be available to meet with the student between committee meetings and, if necessary, advise the student about conflicts with the dissertation advisor or the lab. For senior students, another important part of the Dissertation Committee meetings is the discussion of future plans, career options, and prospective postdoctoral advisors (if relevant).

Your first thesis committee meeting needs to take place within six months of passing your qualifying exam. Meetings with your dissertation committee must take place at least once a year, but you should meet more often if you, your dissertation advisor, or the chair of the committee thinks it will be useful. Thesis committee meetings are useful for both the PhD candidate and thesis advisor to take stock of progress towards a PhD and set attainable and specific goals for the future. You should not feel reluctant about meeting with your committee. Remember that the main purpose of the committee is to advise and help you throughout the time of your dissertation research. The committee is often most helpful when you are having difficulties. 

Thesis Committee Meeting Requirements
Prior to each meeting the student is required to provide the committee members with a brief (typically 1-page) summary of the work to date (this summary should include the three questions on the ‘Student Section’ of the Thesis Committee Report Form). After the meeting, the chair of the dissertation committee is required to evaluate the progress of the student (again, using the Thesis Committee Report form) and is given three options: Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, and Unsatisfactory. If overall progress is ‘satisfactory,’ no further action is needed. If the committee chooses ‘needs improvement,’ please describe the areas in which the student is expected to improve. This category was recently added to facilitate the ability of the committee to define specific areas where progress should be optimized to maintain appropriate forward movement towards the degree. If overall progress is ‘unsatisfactory,’ please comment on concerns, areas for improvement and future goals, and contact the DSCB program coordinator. The Thesis Committee Report form is then signed by the committee chair, the dissertation advisor (PI), the student, and is then submitted to the DSCB office, who maintains an ongoing database/tracking record of each meeting. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of this form and submit it to the DSCB office.

Once a student passes his or her qualifying examination and Meredith receives official notification of formation of the committee, Meredith will send instructions about the above reporting requirements and system to each newly assigned dissertation committee chair and student.

Structure of Thesis Committee meeting

  • BEFORE the meeting, the student should complete all parts of the Chair’s Report: Annual Thesis Committee Meeting form (available on the DSCB Intranet) except the “Thesis Committee Evaluation” section and send it to their QE Chair.  It is also advisable to review this form with the Dissertation Advisor before the meeting.
  • The meeting should be scheduled for 2 hours.
  • After everyone is assembled in the room, the student will be asked to leave, and the Dissertation Advisor will lead a discussion with the other faculty members about:
  • Student progress in the lab
  • Major topics that should be discussed at the meeting (e.g. specific aspects of the project, student interest in a particular career development opportunity, etc.)
  • The student will be invited back in and then give a presentation that covers:
  • Progress on their project
  • Career development opportunities they have pursued
  • Plans for next career steps after graduate school
  • At the end of the meeting, the Dissertation Advisor will be asked to leave, and the student will have a chance to discuss any topics with the committee that they did not feel comfortable talking about with their advisor present.

When the committee agrees that you are ready, you should begin to write your dissertation. Your thesis advisor has the initial responsibility for helping you with your dissertation. After a draft has been approved by your thesis advisor, it should be distributed to your committee. When they approve it, you should schedule a DSCB Dissertation Seminar on a date agreeable to the members of the committee. Contact the DSCB office for help booking a room.