Supervision
Each doctoral student must have a main supervisor and at least one assistant supervisor. The person appointed as the main supervisor must have associate professor competence or equivalent scientific and pedagogical skills and, as a starting point, be permanently employed as a teacher at Lund University. Supervisors must have undergone supervisor training or be judged to have equivalent competence. The main supervisor has the primary responsibility for the supervision process during the doctoral student's study time, among other things with regard to follow-up of the individual study plan and to provide support in the ongoing work.
The scope of the supervision
You have the right to active supervision of at least 4 hours per month. A more detailed plan for supervision is established in the individual study plan.
Conflict management and change of supervisor
During the doctoral program, it is important that the relationship between you and the supervisors works well and professionally. If necessary, a new main supervisor or assistant supervisor must be appointed. Such decisions are made by the head of department and registered in Ladok by the department. At LTH, there is an action plan for preventing and managing conflicts between you and your supervisor, see the document "Mutual ethical guidelines for supervisors and doctoral students" below. There are also guidelines for doctoral students and supervisors regarding conflict management and changing supervisors.
The Administrative Procedure Act (2017:900) regulates disputes when handling cases with authorities, which includes Lund University. There are different situations during a doctoral program when a conflict situation can arise and the relationship supervisor / doctoral student is an example. You and your supervisor should maintain a professionally helpful personal relationship and avoid private relationships that risk putting the parties in conflicts of interest in the workplace. If a private relationship has nevertheless arisen, it is your and the supervisor's responsibility to take the initiative to change supervisors as soon as possible.
Relevant documents
Mutual ethical guidelines for supervisors and doctoral students (PDF, 215 kB. new tab)
Other resources
The university's commitments include providing you with:
- information about and introduction to the education and to the department's research and research groups, seminar activities and other similar activities, as well as possibilities of organizing oneself within student unions,
- workplace, access to a computer, telephone, the university's e-mail address and the other resources required to complete the your third cycle education,
- opportunity to continuously have your scientific work discussed at seminars or equivalent.
Withdrawal of resources
However, the right to supervision and other resources for a doctoral student is not unconditional. If you do not fulfill your obligations according to the individual study plan, the right to supervision and resources can be withdrawn. Such a decision is made by Lund University's vice-chancellor, but before that, both you and your supervisor must be allowed to comment on the matter.