New member of PhD committee

Senior Researcher Henrik Skovgård, PATENT, is the new member of AGRO’s PhD committee. He replaces Mogens Nicolaisen, who became Section Head in PATENT earlier this year.

The job of being a member of the PhD committee is one that Henrik Skovgård is very pleased with and that he believes is a very important task that is valued in the management layers upwards in the system.  

- We must all contribute to the common good and I also want to do that. Originally, I was hesitant about taking on the task but I have actually been positively surprised and I really like the job. It is important. Without PhD students we are “dead” as a research institution, he says.

There are several tasks connected to being a member of the PhD committee. Members are active at the half-year evaluations and at the final defence of the thesis. Twice a year they have a chat with the student about how things are going.  

- The half-year evaluations provide an opportunity to adjust things if they are getting off track. This can be relevant for both student and supervisor, Henrik Skovgård points out.

In connection with the completed thesis and the defence, the member of the PhD committee acts as evaluator and coordinator of the practical course of events.

- There are two scientific evaluators (very often foreigners from other research institutions). The third evaluator is a member of the PhD committee and not necessarily savvy with that particular scientific area.  We also act as coordinators from the day the student delivers his or her PhD thesis and two months on. This includes ensuring that the external evaluators get going and deliver their evaluations on time. Thereafter, we write up their comments and our own. If there is a dispute, then the member of the PhD committee is often the one who tips the balance, Henrik Skovgård explains.  

On the actual day that the PhD student defends the thesis, the task for the committee member on duty is to act as chairman of the meeting and ensure a smooth process, including making the introductions, leading the defence session and participating in the final evaluation.

- The scope of the work is about 4-5 PhD defences per year and 3-4 half-year evaluations. It takes time, but I learn a lot. I gain insight into what kind of research is going on in the department and make contact with the young scientists, says Henrik Skovgård.

You can read more about the PhD committee here.