During their research training period, PhD students will have one or more thesis supervisors and a tutor, who may or may not coincide with the supervisor.
Upon admission to the doctoral programme, all doctoral students must have a tutor, a lecturer on the doctoral programme, whose main mission is to ensure that the training and research activity of the doctoral student complies with the principles of the programme and of the School of Doctoral Studies itself.
The Academic Committee, having heard the PhD student, may modify the appointment of the tutor of a PhD student at any time during the period of the PhD programme, provided that there are justified reasons.
Once the Academic Committee decides on this matter, the Administrative Secretariat of the Doctoral School (negociado.escuela.doctorado@uva.es) will be informed of the approved change and a new thesis supervision commitment will be signed.
In accordance with article 23.2 of Law 40/2015, of 1 October, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, persons who have a marital relationship (or similar de facto situation) or blood relationship within the fourth degree or affinity within the second degree with the PhD student must abstain from the position of director or tutor.
The director (supervisor) of the doctoral thesis is the person responsible for the training of the PhD student, suggesting and ensuring that the most appropriate training activities are carried out. He/she is in charge of planning the research and supervising the methodological development of the research, providing the PhD student with the material resources available to successfully achieve the objectives set. He/she is also responsible for the impact and novelty of the thesis topic in his/her field.
It will be appointed preferably at the time of admission of the PhD student (otherwise, within a maximum period of three months from the time of enrolment). To this end, the Academic Committee of the doctoral programme will send the form for assigning supervisors to the Administrative Secretariat of the School for Doctoral Studies.
The thesis supervisor may be any Spanish or foreign doctor with accredited research experience, regardless of the university, centre or institution in which he/she works.
The thesis may be co-supervised by several doctors, for academic reasons, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the subject or in cases of national or international collaboration.
The Academic Committee, having heard the PhD student, may change the appointment of the supervisor of a PhD student at any time during the PhD period, provided that there are justified reasons.
Once the Academic Committee has reached a decision on this matter, the Administrative Secretary of the Doctoral School (negociado.escuela.doctorado@uva.es) will be informed of the approved change and a new thesis supervision agreement will be signed.
In accordance with article 23.2 of Law 40/2015, of 1 October, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, persons who have a marital relationship (or similar de facto situation) or blood relationship within the fourth degree or affinity within the second degree with the PhD student must refrain from acting as supervisor or tutor.
The regulations governing official doctoral studies (Royal Decree 99/2011) incorporate various recommendations, and specifically with regard to thesis supervision, it recommends the existence of a good practice guide for the supervision and monitoring of doctoral theses.
The EsDUVa has drafted its guide which can be consulted at the following link
Good practice guidelines for doctoral student tutoring and thesis supervision