The PhD plan is the student’s responsibility. The plan is firstly discussed with your supervisors and then drafted by you and agreed upon with your supervisors. The final PhD plan must be submitted in myPhD no later than 2.5 months after starting your PhD study.

You must update your PhD plan two times a year in the online portal to keep it in line with your mandatory half year evaluation. It is possible to change parts of the plan throughout the study.

It is recommended to include a Gantt chart in your plan (with research tasks, publications, courses, research exchange, etc), as it helps you and your supervisors to see if you are on track. Ask your PhD buddy or supervisor for an example as inspiration.

Some parts of the plan should be put directly into myPhD:

• Courses
• Dissemination
• Conferences (eligible for ECTS)
• Change of environment
• Publications
• Duty work
• Supervisor agreement

You can find a template for a PhD plan in the box to the right.

Addressing any mismatches in mutual expectations early increases the chances of a good student-supervisor relationship and a successful completion of the PhD. Therefore, the Graduate School recommends simple tools to make the alignment of expectations between student and supervisor effective.

It is mandatory when making the PhD plan to upload a supervision agreement/alignment of expectations. AGRO suggest to formulate a Memorandum of Understanding. This can be done based on

• A supervision letter formulated by the supervisor
• Using Vote and compare as starting point for discussion expectations for the supervision.

Please note, that returning and adjusting the initial alignments of expectation is an important aspect of a good student-supervisor relationship throughout the entire PhD stude. This could be done in connection with the half year evaluation.

Good collaboration between supervisors, PhD student and TAP is very important.

Before working in the lab or the field, the supervisor must arrange a meeting between the supervisor, the PhD student and the TAP supervisor to discuss the collaboration and health and safety.

To help with this process we have created some documents to describe and plan the work:

• TAP supervisor expectations
• The good plan

The documents can be found in the Forms box to the right.

As part of our onboarding, the Department of Agroecology has an AGRO buddy programme to help all new employees adapt to our work culture and be acquainted with our workplace systems and processes. It is important for a new employee to have someone to talk to during the first weeks, to help ease the transition into their new job successfully.

Your work as a buddy is very important. As a buddy, you are expected to help new PhD students adapt to the new environment and to make sure that they become an integrated part of the research environment in the section and in the department. You should be available for assistance and act as a go-to person.

Expectations

As a buddy, you are expected to help the new student with the following:

1. Remind the new students that they should be registered at the Kommune, open a bank account, and inform GSTS about CPR number.
2. Layout of premises – for instance, direction to the canteen, coffee corners, toilets, etc.
3. Introduction to other students and colleagues in the section/department.
4. Invite and encourage the new student to come to relevant meetings (sometimes meetings in the calendars have been sent out before the person starts) (e.g., section meetings).
5. Inform about social initiatives at the premises (gym, ping-pong, coffee breaks, bread and cake groups, Staff Club, social events, etc.).
6. The bus transport schedule (bus times to and from the person’s place of residence if relevant) (www.rejseplanen.dk).
7. Mention  important websites:

• Department of Agroecology intranet http://agro.medarbejdere.au.dk/
• AU intranet https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/  
• GSTS PhD portal https://phd.tech.au.dk/for-phd-students

8. Inform about departmental seminars.
9. Inform about IT support opportunities.
10. Inform about software that AU makes available.
11. Inform about tools for alignment of expectations between supervisor and students .
12. Help how to find relevant PhD courses.
13. Introduction on how to book meeting rooms and cars in Outlook.
14. Remind the new student to update their PURE profile with a picture and description of their project
15. Introduction to MyPhD and show an example of a PhD plan.
16. For new employees working in the lab or the field, inform about “The good plan”.
17. Inform about the half-year evaluations due on/around 1 March and 1 September each year.
18. Inform the new student about AGRO’s biannual wellbeing conversations between PhD student and PhD committee member. All students will have a conversation during the months prior to the half-year evaluation.
19. Inform about the qualifying exam and show an example of the report.
20. Mention of other relevant websites (listed below).

Be observant – is your new colleague happy?

Other relevant webpages:

• Software access: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/it/buy-it-equipment-and-software/agreements-about-software
• AU Library: https://library.au.dk/en/
• Printer set-up: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/it/guides/print
  • Printer name: XXXX-XXXX-X-X on prtXX.uni.au.dk
• International Staff Office https://internationalstaff.au.dk/
• The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) https://nyidanmark.dk/en-GB
• MitHR: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/hr/hr-systems/mithr
• RejsUD: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/administration/oekonomi/afregning-af-udgifter-og-rejser/rejsud
• Accessing Outlook/network/drives/intranet/PURE (under “IT and Systems at AU): https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/hr/recruitmentandonboarding/newemployeeatau
• Accessing Eduroam: https://eduroam.au.dk/en/
• Staff Club AU Viborg: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/overview-of-au-administration/administration-centre-nat-tech/for-medarbejdere-i-administrationscenter-nat-tech/personaleforening-for-administrationscenter-nat-tech/pffaudk/membership
• International Staff Club: https://internationalstaff.au.dk/uic
• Holiday Fund (summer cottages): https://feriefonden.au.dk

Twice a year (prior to the half-year evaluations in March and September), a member of the AGRO PhD committee will invite you to a “Well-being conversation”.

The purpose of the conversation is to offer you an opportunity to address any issue that is important to you. It could be issues which might not be easy to discuss with your supervisor, but which can have a profound impact on your well-being. This can be topics such as the progress of your PhD (at an overall level, not into the specific scientific topic) and how the cooperation with your supervisor and other staff is going. An important subject is also to take stock on your social wellbeing, both regarding work, work-life balance, or any other issues.

Examples of topics to discuss could be:

• General progress in your PhD
• Loneliness
• Collaboration with supervisors and other staff (PhD, researchers, employers)
• Stress
• Cultural or gender issues
• Offensive behaviour
• Ideas for improvements (personally or for all students in AGRO)
• Ideas for improvements in furniture and physical wellbeing
• Ideas for student events
• Any subject which is important for you at the time of conversation

The talks are mandatory and confidential, and no minutes are made. If needed, a plan for improvement of your wellbeing will be made by you and the PhD committee member. No action is taken unless agreed with you.

The conversations typically last between ½-1 hour.

You are welcome to contact your well-being-person at any time.

The PhD seminar takes place within the first half-year after you start your PhD studies. The seminar will be held physically with the possibility for online streaming.

The seminar is booked by the PhD secretary.

The seminar lasts a total of 30 minutes, including questions and feedback. The presentation itself should take between 15 and 20 minutes.

The purpose of the presentation is to introduce your project to your colleagues, give an overview of the planned activities and receive valuable feedback at an early stage in your PhD. You can use your initial PhD plan as a guide when structuring your seminar.

The presentation should have two parts. In the first part, you should focus on the scientific background and hypotheses you will address in your PhD studies. The second part should focus on your plans such as publications, change of work environment, courses taken, etc., to fulfil the PhD requirements.

Your main supervisor will briefly introduce you at the beginning of the seminar. In case your main supervisor is not available, then the task is transferred to a member of the PhD Committee.

After your presentation, there will be a short feedback session, where the audience offers comments and poses questions on the proposed PhD plan and structure and advise you if certain aspects seem irregular or even unfeasible. Fellow PhD students are encouraged to give you relevant feedback, both in connection to your topic, but also more general feedback on your presentation technique, etc.

Two times a year, you should write an assessment of your progress during the last half-year and describe your plans for the next half-year. In AGRO, the half-year evaluations should be finalized by 1^st  March and 1^st September.

For the PhD student:

The mandatory half year evaluations state whether the research project and study in general are progressing in accordance with the PhD plan.

The submission and approval of half year evaluations are handled electronically as part of the online myPhD by the involved parties (PhD student, Main supervisor, Head of programme and Head of PhD School).

• If you started your PhD study in Jun, July, August, September, October or November, you should submit your first half-year evaluation by March 1.

• If you started in December, January, February, March, April or May, you should submit your first half-year evaluation by 1^st September. 

The dates stated in myPhD should not be followed.

An evaluation is not required if:

• the PhD plan is still under approval;
• you are on sick leave;
• you are on parental leave;
• you are at the end of your PhD and have closed myPhD as part of finishing your study.

If your PhD plan has just been approved, you need to make a brief evaluation anyway. It should contain a short description of your progress so far and your current plans.

Remember to re-visit your PhD Plan (the pdf file with the description of the scientific content of your PhD), and make sure that it is updated. In case of substantial changes, upload a new document.

Before you start writing your assessment in myPhD you need to tick one of the three options:

1. Expect plan will lead to timely completion
2. Concerned plan may not lead to timely completion, adjustments necessary
3. Expect plan will NOT lead to timely completion, 3 months trial period necessary

Your assessment (corresponding to ½-1 A4 page) should be made directly in the dialogue boxes in myPhD. What you write in the dialogue box will be saved in myPhD as a record of your progress. Ask your supervisor or PhD buddy if you are in doubt.

The assessment should contain information regarding your progress during the last 6 months on:

• scientific work
• publications
• courses
• dissemination
• duty work
• teaching
• change of environment
• reflections on your growth as an independent researcher.

Please also update specific details on courses, change of environment, conferences etc. directly in myPhD.

This is also a good time to update/revisit your Alignment of Expectations document. If changed, note it in the dialogue box.

It is important to state whether things are progressing as planned and if not, state the reason(s) why.

When the half-year evaluation is completed, you should click “Send to supervisor”. When the assessment is sent to the supervisor a dialog box opens in which the supervisor will make their assessment of your progress. They also need to tick off one of the three options described above.  When your supervisor has made the assessment the system locks, but you will be able to comment on the assessment made by your supervisor. Finally, both head of programme and head of school will make a final assessment of your work. You need to enter the system and check whether Head of programme or head of school has made comments on your progress. You can see these comments in the plan history.

If you are in doubt about which option to choose, please contact your supervisor or Head of Programme.

If you update in your PhD plan outside of the half-year evaluation rolls, the plan should only be saved and not sent for evaluation.

For the Supervisor:

It is important that you make a thorough assessment (i.e., approximately ½ A4 page of text). Once you have gone over your student’s PhD Plan and evaluation, there are two options. If the evaluation is ready to be passed on in the workflow, click the “Complete assessment. Send to student” button at the bottom of the page. This sends the evaluation back to the student for comments before it is passed on to the Head of Programme. If, the student needs to do further work, before it is ready to be passed on in the workflow, you should click the “Return to student for plan adjustments” button. The evaluation is returned to the student for further work, before it is once again passed on to the supervisor for assessment and final acceptance, to the Head of Programme and finally, to the Head of School

When the evaluation has been approved by the Head of Programme and the Head of School, the myPhD status will change to “awaits student planning”.

The evaluation and previous evaluations can be found in “Plan history”.

Supervisors have the option to define and develop an ad hoc course designed specifically for their PhD student. Such a course could include e.g. lectures by the supervisor or another scientist, a short internship with a company, specific instrument training in a foreign lab, journal club or other things. A course description (see below) must be prepared, and the supervisor is, as a rule, the course responsible. The ad hoc course must be pre-approved by the Head of Programme. When the course is completed, the student/supervisor sends an E-mail to the Head of Programme (lis.w.de.jonge@agro.au.dk) with the following attachments: course description; statement from the  course responsible with an assessment of the outcome of the course in relation to the student’s development.

The ad hoc course description must include description of the following elements

Name of course:

Suggested ECTS credits:

Course parameters:

No. of contact hours and hours in total:

Capacity limits: ad hoc course, no capacity limit.

Objectives of the course:

The objectives of the course are to:

Learning outcomes and competences:

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Compulsory programme:

The students must deliver:

Course contents:

Literature:

Course assessment:

See form in the box to the right

As a PhD student, your employment includes tasks other than the PhD project. These can amount to a maximum of 280 hours per year or 840 hours over the course of your PhD, as set out in the “Cirkulære om overenskomst for Akademikere i staten and GSTS Rules and Regulations.

AGRO does not count these hours, but the department is entitled to assign tasks to a student; often it is handled by your main supervisor and/or the programme chair.

You may report the extent of duty work in myPhD (you do not need to count hours) and it should be updated at each half-year evaluation (specified according to the type of work, e.g., name of course, type(s) of communication/presentation). It should also be discussed with your main supervisor. We urge you to keep a record of your work.

All dissemination activities (including lectures) are listed in myPhD under “Dissemination”. Any other kind of duty work must be reported under “Other Activity” or a bullet created by you called “Duty work”.

Examples of duty work can be:

• lectures for bachelor, graduate or master students
• lectures for PhD courses
• dissemination to school students
• supervision of bachelor or graduate students
• article reviews
• experiments not part of the project
• articles not part of the dissertation
• planning of conferences, theme days, meetings, etc.
• committee work
• tasks related to policy support
• guided tours for guests
• organisation of seminars and journal clubs
• buddying for new PhD students.

Discussion of duty work ought to be on the agenda for your supervisor meetings. Coordinate the expectations of duty work, especially at the first supervisor meeting and in connection with preparation of the PhD plan.

Students are expected to:

• Attend PhD committee meetings and contribute on more general matters. There are approximately 3-4 meetings per year (about two hours per meeting).
• Work as a link between other PhD students and Lis, Karina and the other PhD committee members.
• Raise topics at the PhD committee meeting, for example, if something does not work as expected or is really good.
• Discuss/plan a "Student event" once a year. The main purpose is to strengthen the social PhD network, but it should also contain a professional part. Topics could be:
  • stress management
  • well-being.

It is possible to apply GSTS for 5,000 DKK per year per location to host a social event for PhD students.

What do students get out of it?

• Influence on issues to be addressed and decisions to be made.
• Participation counts as part of duty work.

Appointment process

Students are members of the PhD committee for one year. Around October, the current student members will call a meeting with all PhD students in AGRO and inform everyone about the possibility of becoming committee member for the following year. One student from Flakkebjerg should be appointed and four students in Foulum/Aarhus (from different sections). If possible, students in their second year of study should be appointed. Diversity is taken into consideration when appointing representatives.

One of the appointed students should sign up for the election to the GSTS PhD committee.

Please be aware that there are special rules for PhD travels, so always check with the PhD secretary about the rules for travelling when you plan your trip.

Travels of up to 10 days (conference/congress/course/project meetings)

In AGRO, it has been decided that the PhD students receive the standard daily allowance in connection with trips of up to 10 days (both in Denmark and abroad). The daily allowance covers additional expenses for meals, small items, local transport at the destination, etc., paid by the student during the travel. This means that the company Eurocard should not be used during the travel. If free meals are received, they should be deducted when making the travel statement in RejsUd.

Additionally, the following will be covered (often via Eurocard before the travel is made):

• transportation to and from the main destination (cheapest public transportation)¹
• accommodation²
• visas
• conference/congress/course fees (including mandatory events paid together with the fee)

These rules also apply for enrolled PhD students without salary from AU.

Change of environment*

In relation to the PhD change of environment, the following will be covered:

• transportation to and from destination (cheapest public transportation)¹
• visas
• documented, reasonable and necessary set-up costs (e.g. bed, chair, table, basic kitchenware)
• Bench fee, if necessary to carry out the change of environment.

Please note the following:

• PhD students can apply for a GSTS mobilty grant
• if conferences/congresses are attended elsewhere during the change of environment, the above “Stays of up to 10 days” must be implemented.
• courses, regardless of length, are excluded from this category and run with the above description (“Stays of up to 10 days”).

All reimbursements related to change of environment should be sent to Karina Rysholt Christensen. If it is related to the mobility grant from GSTS you should make the settlement in RejsUD yourself.

All costs, mentioned above in connection with the travels are paid from the PhD project and should therefore be made in agreement with your supervisor. Only the abovementioned costs can be paid, and we cannot cover costs for the PhD student’s family.

¹Information about flights can be found here.

²Information about hotels can be found here.

*It is important to contact SKAT in good time before going abroad (at least 1 month before) as it may be possible to get a tax deduction in connection with the stay abroad. It can be very individual, so it is best to contact SKAT directly on 72 22 28 28. More information can be found on SKAT’s homepage.

You can find more information about going abroad at GSTS’s webite

The qualifying exam is held halfway through your study. It consists of a written report and an oral presentation of your progress and plans.

It is evaluated by your supervisor(s), one internal and one external opponent.

The purposes of the qualifying exam are:

• to give the PhD-student a chance to conclude current work and get others’ opinions and advice on progress and how to best proceed.
• to give the supervisor(s) a chance – if not done before – to initiate talks on the eventual content of the PhD thesis and how to get there.
• to allow the PhD school to ensure that the student accomplishes their study as planned, and to discuss and validate plans for the rest of the study period.

The qualifying exam takes the form of a seminar and then a discussion where you, your supervisor(s) and the opponents evaluate what has been done so far and highlight priorities for the remaining part of your study. It should therefore be seen as an opportunity to plan the rest of your scientific programme and time schedule, as well as the formalities for finalizing your PhD thesis and conducting the defence.

The exam usually takes place 18 months before submission of the thesis (or after 24 months if you are a 4+4 student). More information can be found here: https://phd.tech.au.dk/for-phd-students/progress-report-qualifying-exam

Overview of the process:

1. Approximately 3 months prior to the qualifying exam, the PhD student receives an email from the PhD school describing the formal requirements of the exam.
2. Six weeks prior to the exam, the PhD-student needs to register according to the email from GSTS.
3. Three weeks prior to the exam, the PhD-student should submit a progress report of up to 30 pages, where the student briefly introduces the field of research, gives the aim of the PhD-study, gives an overview of the planned work, gives details on accomplished work (we strongly advise to use draft manuscripts directly), gives an overview of status on coursework, change of environment and duty work, and gives a detailed plan for the remaining study period.
4. At the qualifying exam, the PhD-student first gives a presentation (up to 45 minutes) and secondly discusses the status and progress with the two opponents and the supervisor(s). 

Responsibilities of the Supervisor:

• Identifying the external examiner
  • in-person attendance
  • accomodation is not covered
• Coordination with the internal and external examiner – when to meet etc.
• Arrange coffee / lunch etc. for the external examiner
• Booking of meeting room for evaluation after the presentation

Expenditures in connecton with qualifying exams

Expenses for the qualifying examination are equivalent to expenses for the specialised examination and are covered by the departments in accordance with the financial model as of 1 January 2019.
Lunch and any accommodation in connection with the qualification examination are not covered by the PhD school, but the department may choose to pay for lunch amd accommodation in this connection. This must be approved in advance by the head of the secretariat/head of department.

Requirements

AGRO recommends that the PhD thesis is based on at least three full-length manuscripts that have either already been published or are publishable in internationally-recognized, peer-reviewed journals. The PhD thesis typically includes sections encompassing the following elements.

• Preface.
• Acknowledgements.
• Table of contents.
• Summary in English.
• Summary in Danish.
• A general introduction describing the academic field of study, including references to existing knowledge along with the purpose/aim of the project and a brief description of the proposed research questions and/or hypotheses.
• A description of materials and methods, and an assessment/discussion of the applied methodologies.
• A summary of main results, potentially also representing parts that are not included in the attached articles/manuscripts, but still has scientific merit in relation to the PhD topic.
• A discussion section in which the PhD student relates the entirety of their own work and results to the state-of-the-art within the field. The PhD student must demonstrate an up-to-date knowledge hereof and be able to put this knowledge into a broader perspective. The discussion section should demonstrate the student’s ability to find, synthesize and critically evaluate information from various sources. The section should also document skills in terms of paraphrasing and citation.
• Conclusion(s) and future research perspectives.
• References.
• Published articles and/or submitted or draft manuscripts.

If published articles or submitted manuscripts are included in the thesis, you must ensure that you have permission from the publisher to reproduce these in the thesis, if necessary (i.e., if not published open access under a Creative Commons license). The procedure for obtaining permission depends on the publisher and can be found via the journal’s webpage.

Printing of the thesis

It is your responsibility as a student to contact Charlotte Hamann Knudsen (charlotte.knudsen@agro.au.dk) if you want printed copies of your thesis. Please note that if you do not contact Charlotte or keep the deadlines mentioned below, the thesis will NOT be printed. Find more information in the "how-to-guide" that GSTS has made.

In order to have the thesis printed, the following should be sent to Charlotte no later than 1 month before the defence: 

• Declaration stating that we are allowed to print the thesis.
• Pictures for cover page (3 pictures of high quality). Charlotte can assist with ideas for the cover page if needed.
• Title of the thesis.
• Short summary for the back page (maximum 650 characters including spacing).

No later than 14 days before the defence, the following should be sent to Charlotte:

• Final thesis in pdf version.
• List of pages to be printed in colour (page numbers of the pdf-file, not as per the list/table of contents).

• Information about where the thesis should be sent (Foulum or Flakkebjerg).

The official font at AU is AU Passata or Georgia and the size should be 11, with 1.5 line-spacing. Headers should be size 12 and bold.

The first page of the contents should be on a right-side page when the thesis is opened.

The page numbers are centered, 10 mm from the bottom of the page.

Margins: top = 25 mm; sides = 25 mm; bottom = 20 mm.

The department will pay for 25 printed copies. Of these, two copies must be sent to the library and two copies must be kept in the department. These four copies should be delivered by the student to Karina Rysholt Christensen in Foulum or to Charlotte Hamann Knudsen in Flakkebjerg. The student will have the rest of the copies.

All contact to the printing company will go through Charlotte Hamann Knudsen (charlotte.knudsen@agro.au.dk).

Online publishing through E-books platform

If you are interested in publishing your PhD thesis or other material, the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus offers an online publication service through their E-books platform. This service will enable you to provide Open Access to your research and still maintain author’s rights for your PhD thesis.

The content is visible in catalogues worldwide, including library.au.dk. The service is free. Backup of the material is provided, and online help is available.

For more information, please have a look here: http://ebooks.au.dk/index.php/aul/index  

PhD student

• Check that all PhD courses are approved by GSTS.
• Check that you have permission from the publisher to reproduce articles and manuscripts (check the journals’ homepages).
• Submit required forms and information (mentioned in mail “Upcoming PhD dissertation” from GSTS) to the PhD school along with the PhD thesis.
• Contact Charlotte Hamann Knudsen in due time if you want to have your thesis printed.
• Check that computer and audio/video equipment is working correctly.
• Check that the presentation works on the computer in the lecture hall prior to the defence. Agree with IT for them to be on standby on the day, if necessary.

Supervisor

• Check with Karina Rysholt for internal opponent and planned time. The defence should always take place 2½-3 months after the submission of the thesis. The date should always be checked with the internal opponent before contacting the external members. Make sure the assessment committee is appointed and approved by Lis Wollesen de Jonge.
• Complete supervisor statement and send to GSTS at the time of submission.
• Assist with travel arrangement for members of the assessment committee. As a rule, the external members book the travel themselves (section secretary can assist in very special cases; GSTS will book accommodation if needed).
• The PhD student’s section coordinator can help with practicalities, e.g. booking meeting rooms, ordering lunch, coffee, and water to the external examiners.
• Announce the defence for partners and collaborators.

Chair of assessment committee

• Manage the assessment of the PhD thesis together with the external opponents.
• Submit recommendation form to GSTS.
• Chair the defence session.
• Convene the necessary meetings with the assessment committee before and after the session
• Submit the final recommendation form to GSTS.

PhD secretary Karina Rysholt Christensen

• Send link to this checklist to PhD student and supervisor and send link to guidelines regarding thesis to the student.
• Announce the defence in the department and book the lecture hall
• Order reception in Foulum. In Aarhus and Flakkebjerg it is done locally

Charlotte Hamann Knudsen

• Make suggestions for lay-out of cover of PhD thesis.
• Obtain ISBN number and send thesis to the printers.

Expenditures in connection with the PhD defence

The Graduate School of Technical Sciences covers a number of expenses
associated with holding PhD defences. These are described in a memo dated 8 October 2024.