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Finding Project and Supervisory Team

Which subject area was particularly interesting during your studies? What kind of work suits you: experimental research, clinical studies or something more theoretical? Which professor or lecturer was particularly capable?

These clues can help you find a doctoral topic and the appropriate supervision. In fact, a project which highly interests you, helps you keep going when facing difficulties. Add a great supervisory team and you will have good conditions for a successful project from start to finish.

At the very beginning is the search for the topic. We would like to give you a few tips to get started:

  • Narrow down a subject area that interests you. The modules you have taken in your studies can be a helpful guideline.
  • Find out about the research areas at our faculty. The research groups introduce themselves on the websites of the UKD.
  • What type of researcher are you?
    Experimentally skilled? Then biomedical-experimental research projects could be for you.
    Clinically interested? Then the large field of clinical and translational studies is right for you.
    Rather a bookworm? Theoretically inclined? You might find epidemiological questions interesting.
    Projects in the field of Public Health are also diversely represented at the faculty.
    And then there is a whole lot more...
  • Read the job offers of the institutes and clinics. Ask fellow students who are already working on their doctorates. Actively approach your professors.

You will find further information on the websites of the institutes and clinics as well as during info sessions for students (e.g. Science Track).

First an foremost: The supervision of your doctoral project is team work.  Chemistry must be right!

Important aspects of supervision are determined in the doctoral regulations:

  • You need a main supervisor (Doktorvater/Doktormutter) as well as a co-supervisor.
     
  • The main supervisor needs to be affiliated with HHU.
    Affiliated means they were appointed or habilitated at HHU or work as Private Lecturer (Privatdozent - PD) or Professor at HHU.
     
  • Both supervisors need to work as Private Lecturer (Privatdozent - PD) or Professor.
     
  • At least one of the two supervisors must work at the Medical Faculty of HHU.
     
  • The co-supervisor has to be independent from the main supervisor which means working in another institute or clinic.
     
  • The co-supervisor is actively involved throughout the doctoral project.
     
  • Supervisors that do not work as Private Lecturer (Privatdozent - PD) or Professor can still be part of the supervisory team and indicated as "additional supervisors" in the registration form.
     
  • Everyone signs a Supervision Agreement to create a solid basis for a good supervisory relationship.

Find out about the research topics of the faculty and seek personal contact. This will give you the opportunity to get to know the working groups and your future colleagues.

In case the supervisory team changes after the registration of the project, it needs to be reported to the Graduate Center Medicine and all persons involved need to give their consent via email. The final approval is given by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (cf. Doctoral Regulations § 5(4)).

Online-Form: Change in Supervisory Team

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