Dr. Petra Holtrup Mostert
Doctoral Program Manager
Affolternstr. 56
CH-8050 Zürich
Petra.Holtrup@pw.uzh.ch
www.cis.ethz.ch
+41-44-634-58-36 phone
CIS PhD Colloquium
Information for PhD Students and Reviewers
1. PhD candidates are obliged to enroll in the compulsory CIS PhD colloquium for two
subsequent semesters. They must submit a detailed and well-funded research design and
present it in the PhD Colloquium within the first 12 months of their PhD work. During
that period candidates must also submit a general working title of their project to the
program management. Under certain circumstances the 12-months deadline may be
extended, for instance if the supervisor is away on sabbatical during the relevant time
period. The research design must be substantial and not a mere outline of a possible thesis
topic. The program leadership will decide about exceptions from these rules on request.
2. PhD students attend the Colloquium for two semesters, obtaining 2 ECTS points per
semester. ETH students are registering via mystudies, UZH-immatriculated PhD students
are registering via the UZH module booking tool. If there are open questions concerning
the module booking, please contact Erika Leuenberger (leuenberger@ipz.uzh.ch, Tel.: 044
634 3978).
3. A meeting for new PhD students will take place at the beginning of each semester. Times,
dates and locations are communicated per email.
Information regarding the ongoing process, the CIS PhD
Colloquium and the process of exposé appraisal
1. For each PhD student a PhD commission is formed within 6 months after beginning
the PhD at CIS (UZH regulation) (See for slightly different ETH rules regarding this
and the ongoing process described below, ETH doctoral regulations, Art. 6, 14, 15,
plus further amendments, Art. 5) This PhD commission consists of the main
supervisor and at least one, preferable two other reviewers. External reviewers are
possible and are supported by program leadership. But at least half of the commission
members must be from CIS (UZH and ETH professors are both regarded as interns).
External reviewers are subject to permission of the dean’s office (Dekanat UZH).
There is no formal application form. Please write an application letter to the Dekan.
2. Besides the main supervisor, other members of the commission should be selected by
scientific expertise and serve mainly as scientific coaches in the ongoing research
process.
3. Additionally to the PhD commission, a committee consisting of the main supervisor
and two reviewers (CIS professors or PDs) is formed for each research design to be
presented in the colloquium (Colloquium Committee). Preferably members of the PhD
commission and the PhD colloquium commission are identical.
4. PhD students are highly encouraged to make suggestions to Petra Holtrup Mostert
regarding the choice of reviewers. The final decision is made jointly by Petra Holtrup
Mostert, and the parties involved. There should be a committee build up within the
first 6 months of PhD research, latest two weeks before the exposé presentation in the
colloquium. If a PhD student makes no preferences before the deadline, Petra Holtrup
Mostert appoints a committee.
5. Although the nominated committee members could be the final referees of the PhD
work (PhD commission), they need not have to be. The PhD contract, signed between
student and the PhD commission during the first 6 months of PhD work, can be
adjusted over time, if the framework is changing.
6. Regardless, that only CIS professors and PDs may act as (main) supervisors, other
senior scientists (post-docs etc.) with specific expertise in an area of research may be
invited to the colloquium presentation, and may participate actively in the discussion
there. Moreover the committee may turn to such invitees for input on the decision it
has to make on the research design.
7. The research design to be presented in the colloquium must be submitted to Petra
Holtrup Mostert by email no later than 7 days before the presentation. PhD students
are nevertheless strongly advised to aim to submit their design 10 days before the
presentation, in case last-minute problems occur. If the research design is submitted
late, the PhD student will not be allowed to present his/her work as planned, but must
wait until the following semester and must attend the colloquium an additional
semester, too (i.e. for a total of three semesters).
a. Example: PhD student X wants to present her design on Thursday next week.
The candidate must thus ensure that the design is in Petra Holtrup Mosterts
email inbox by Thursday this week at 24:00h.
8. Presentations must be written and held in English, normally, and should not exceed 20
pages and 20 minutes. If a presentation exceeds 20 minutes, the lecturer of the
colloquium will stop the presentation.
9. In order to earn their PhD degree, students must not only have their research designs
approved, but also attend the CIS PhD Colloquium for two semesters. Attendance is
the prerequisite for obtaining the 2 ECTS points given for each semester, awarded at
the end of the second semester. Failure to attend more than one colloquium session
(i.e. one half day, with 3-4 presentations) per semester results in having to attend the
colloquium for a subsequent semester, until the attendance requirement has been
fulfilled.
10. Committee members must be present at the presentation and the committee must make
one of the following decisions directly after the colloquium:
a. Research design accepted;
b. Minor corrections (to be undertaken by the PhD student before agreed
deadline. Corrections checked by supervisor);
c. Major corrections (to be undertaken by the PhD student within agreed
deadline. Corrections checked by entire committee);
d. Research design rejected (PhD commission will consult with the PhD
candidate about how to proceed).
11. After the presentation, the main supervisor must inform the PhD student, as well as the
two reviewers and Petra Holtrup Mostert by email of the committee’s decision. In case
of corrections (minor or major), the email must also specify a deadline for the
submission of a corrected version of the research design. The supervisor must also
inform all aforementioned individuals by email as soon as the corrections have been
accepted, alternatively, that the corrections were judged insufficient upon expiry of the
deadline, or that no resubmission was made upon expiry of the deadline.