Support & Supervision

Each PhD candidate executes his or her research under the supervision of a supervisory team of at least two supervisors. Usually this team consists of a daily supervisor and at least one promotor (a professor with IUS promovendi). This team can be expanded with additional researchers or educators, if the project involves collaboration inside or outside the faculty. 

Supervision

The supervisory team fulfils two roles:

  1. to supervise the PhD candidate during the project.
  2. to examine the results of the PhD project at the doctoral defence ceremony.

The promotor(s) and the co-promotor(s) officially examine the results at the doctoral defence. For that reason the daily supervisor(s) can be(come) a (co)promotor. This should be announced to the Beadle by means of form A, which usually happens during the Go/No Go meeting.

How to get a supervisory team

Most PhD positions within the faculty of IDE are initiated by the person who will in a later stadium become the daily supervisor or promotor of the project.
The promotor selects the members of the supervisory team from within the departments and institutes involved in the research track, on the basis of matching expertise and skills regarding the chosen research topic, and in agreement with the PhD candidate. Also, supervisors from various (inter)national research networks may be involved.

For self-funded projects the PhD candidate should contact a professor to discuss any possibilities.

Support

Your supervisors are your first point of contact for support. Next to them there are several other persons within the faculty Graduate School you can reach out to:

PhD mentor

The IDE Graduate School assigns a PhD mentor to each PhD candidate. This is done at the start of the PhD project. PhD mentors are staff members with experience at doing a PhD and at supervising PhD candidates. The PhD mentors act as a sounding board, provide PhD candidates with support in the process and alert them on potential bottlenecks and difficulties. The PhD mentor will also be present during the mandatory progress meetings in the first two years of the PhD trajectory, but is not involved in the scientific content of the project. 

IDE Graduate School

  • For general questions with which your supervisors don't/can't help you, you may contact your PhD mentor.
  • For questions about the progress meetings, forms, DMA or the administrative process around the PhD project, you can contact Kim Scheffelaar of the Graduate Office.
  • If you need more information about IDE specific content and regulations for Doctoral Education, you can contact Wilfred van der Vegte.

Department secretaries

The secretaries of your department can give you support in employment affairs, finding a workplace, information on the TU Delft internet subscription for your home address and administrative day to day matters like reimbursement of costs you have made for your PhD project and information about the TIM website.

Other support

For career support and psychological support you can find additional information at the portal for current the PhD candidates