You will be advised by a Supervision team and an independent Advisor who is appointed especially for you. Typically, your supervision team consists of 2 or 3 promotors/co-promotors.

The independent Advisor is a senior LACDR staff member, e.g. an assistant -, an associate - or a full professor. The Advisor is selected by yourself and must be from a different research division as where you conduct your research to ensure the independency. 
In the end the institute's Scientific Director is responsible for all the research staff members. The PhD candidate, supervisors or Advisor can, in every circumstance, ask the Scientific Director for advice or ask to step in. 

Your PhD Progress meetings

You will have a few official Progress meetings during your contract. In these meetings the focus is on the planning and the progress of your research, your training program, wellbeing and your contribution to the supervision of students. Each meeting will last approximately 45 minutes. PhD office will remind you to schedule those meetings.

Preparations

At a minimum of one week prior to the Progress meeting, you are required to submit a progress report and a PowerPoint presentation with a maximum of 10 slides summarizing the progress in your research to your supervision team and Advisor. For the progress report a template is available, it is called Training and Supervision Plan (TSP-OBP form).

You will have the following official progress meetings:

A.      Start Up meeting - after two months

At the start-up meeting you will present your research plan with milestones and timelines, a proposal for education and a description of your contributions to teaching.

If applicable,  a decision is taken with regard to the selection of a second promotor and/or co-promotor(s).

At the start you sign a declaration in which you declare to maintain and promote proper scientific conduct and to adhere to the rules of the Leiden University Code of Conduct.

B1.    Pre-Admission meeting - after 6 months

Halfway the first year, in the pre-admission meeting you will be given feedback on your progress to give clarity about your performance. 

B2.    Admission meeting - after 9 months

At this meeting a decision is taken with regard to your admission to the second phase of the PhD program, which lasts three years.

Furthermore at this meeting you will present the progress in your research and the plans for the upcoming three years with milestones and timelines. In addition the progress with regard to education and teaching is reviewed, and after approval, the data management plan is adopted.

C.      Midterm meeting - after two years

On this occasion you will present the research progress during the past two years, your plans for the next two years, any updates of the data management plan and the progress with regard to education and teaching. Any bottlenecks will be addressed during this meeting. An external expert will be added to this meeting to stimulate more in-depth discussions and an objective point of view.

GROW meetings

Like every employee of Leiden University, you will have GROW meetings with your supervisor, at least once a year. The GROW meetings offer an opportunity to speak openly with each other about your work, performance, development and well-being. Your updated TSP-OBP can be the basis for these meetings. 

Portfolio

You, your promotor and the Scientific director will sign the corresponding Training & Supervision Plan. The signed form needs to be uploaded in LUCRIS GSM.

Advisory meetings

Each PhD candidate has an Advisor. The Advisor will give feedback and guidance, from a certain distance. It is designed to ensure a stable and solid supervision of PhD candidates within LACDR. The PhD Advisor is a LACDR staff member with an advisory role and should therefore have distance to the academic work of the PhD candidate and PhD supervisors.

The Advisory meetings are focusing on the PhD progress, quality of the supervision, well-being and career preparation. In preparation for the meetings with the Advisor, the PhD candidate will provide a reflection document on these topics and they provide an updated TSP-OBP.

There are 4 formal meetings between PhD Advisor and PhD candidate, beside recommended informal meetings in between. The formal Advisory meetings are:

• 4 months after start contract
• 18 months after start contract
• 30 months after start contract
• 42 months after start contract