Human Resources

In addition to supervision by a specialist at the institutes, doctoral researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich also benefit from reliable framework conditions and quality assurance procedures

Employment as a doctoral researcher

After the subject of the doctoral degree and the framework conditions have been agreed upon the institute and future doctoral researcher, the institute submits an official employment request to Human Resources. The employment request must be accompanied by the following documents:

• Doctoral agreement
  The doctoral agreement is a supplementary part of the contract of employment and contains a summary of the doctoral project (topic, funding period, university involved, responsible specialist). It is signed by the doctoral researcher and by the head of institute.
  
• Doctoral project documentation
  Doctoral project documentation comprises a project plan and a time schedule as well as a list of the relevant work packages for the entire period of employment. The time schedule should cover 36 months and must include at least three months for writing the doctoral thesis or time to write publications in the case of a cumulative doctoral thesis. It must also include a risk assessment (e.g. statements on what is needed to ensure that the time schedule can be adhered to).
  
  Doctoral project documentation is drafted and updated at set points in time by the doctoral researcher in consultation with the doctoral supervisor, head of institute, and scientific supervisor.

Process monitoring by the Doctoral Committee

During the three-year funding period, the updated project plan and time schedule are submitted on a regular basis to the Doctoral Committee together with information on the status of the various work packages. This occurs at the latest six, eighteen, and twenty-seven months after the beginning of the doctoral project. In order to identify potential difficulties and delays that may occur, and to resolve them at an early stage, the Doctoral Committee regularly examines the progress and deviations/delays that have not yet been incorporated into the project plan or time schedule.