Individual follow-up committee (CSI)
Each doctoral student will be supervised throughout their thesis by an CSI
CSI Composition
The CSI is composed of two members (possibly three in the case of a multidisciplinary thesis), at least one of whom must be HDR-qualified, and at least one of whom must not be involved with the thesis supervision team. One of the members is a specialist in the subject of the thesis, in order to be able to assess the technical aspects and progress of the research, and the other is a “non-specialist” and must be particularly attentive to detecting acts of violence, harassment, moral or sexual harassment, sexist acts, etc.; If necessary, the EDMH must notify the reporting unit of the institution concerned. The terms “specialist” and “non-specialist” are understood in a broad sense. In all cases, CSI members may not be thesis supervisors.
To set up the CSI, the scientific director or deputy director of the department contacts the doctoral student to ask if he or she has a name to suggest (a suggestion could be, for example, a trusted teacher) and then completes the CSI with one or two other people (possibly including themselves, or seeking the opinion of the thesis supervisor), always in consultation with the doctoral student.
The CSI takes place in three stages, not necessarily on the same day:
- Presentation by the doctoral student of their work carried out during the year. This presentation may be made in private before the CSI (approximately 10-15 minutes) or before a wider audience including the thesis supervisor (for example, during a 2A and/or 3A seminar), and is followed by questions.
- Discussion between the doctoral student and their CSI without the supervisory team (approximately 10 minutes, see details below).
- Exchange between the CSI and the thesis supervisor (separate from the CSI's meeting with the doctoral student, approximately 5-10 minutes).
The EDMH insists on this tripartite format for a comprehensive and confidential evaluation.
The content of the closed-door meeting between the CSI and the doctoral student, without the supervisory team, should focus on:
- taking stock of publications and conference participation;
- taking stock of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary training, in particular the four compulsory cross-disciplinary courses (Ethics, VSS, Open Science, Sustainable Development);
- This meeting also allows the doctoral student to engage in a free exchange with the CSI. It provides an opportunity to discuss their feelings, any difficulties (scientific, material, relational), any conflicts, or any form of discrimination or harassment that the doctoral student may encounter.
CSI report
The CSI drafts a report, known as a CSI report or minutes, which must be signed by the EDMH reference member and contains an opinion and recommendations on the progress of the thesis. It must explicitly state whether the CSI is in favor of re-enrolling the doctoral student or whether it has reservations. Where applicable, it shall contain a report to the Doctoral School in the event of difficulties (for example, if the CSI detects a situation of harassment or conflict). A sample report template is provided HERE to serve as a guide, but the CSI is free to adapt it.
The CSI schedule is adapted to re-enrollment periods: meeting at the end of the first year (between June and the end of September, even if the thesis began in the winter or spring), at the end of the second year (between June and the end of September), and if necessary at the end of the third year (if re-enrollment in the fourth year is necessary).
Doctoral students may request a meeting with their CSI at any other time of the year if they wish to discuss a particular issue.
Monitoring outside the CSI
In order to ensure close monitoring of doctoral students, the EDMH recommends the following two actions, which complement the monitoring carried out by the CSI.
Presentations by second-year doctoral students
The scientific representatives of the institution will organize or arrange for their institution's laboratories (or teams if the laboratories are too large) to hold a half-day (or full day if there are too many) of presentations lasting approximately half an hour, given by second-year doctoral students on their thesis work, in the presence of members of the laboratory or research team. In addition to disseminating the work of doctoral students internally, this will allow for the progress of thesis work to be assessed.
Mid-third-year interview and beyond
Deputy directors or cluster managers hold interviews with third-year doctoral students between January and March to discuss the progress of their thesis, the procedures for completing their thesis (writing the manuscript, rules for choosing supervisors and the jury, deadlines between the end of writing and the defense), and post-thesis career prospects, such as postdoctoral applications that have already been submitted or are being considered.