IGV offers three degree programs:

Geology

Geologi studieplan (321 Kb) (Currently only in Swedish but soon to be updated)

Alasdair Skelton, Alasdair.Skelton@geo.su.se

Geochemistry

Geokemi studieplan (513 Kb) (Currently only in Swedish but soon to be updated)

Magnus Mörth, magnus.morth@geo.su.se

Marine Geology

Martin Jakobsson, martin.jakobsson@geo.su.se

Other important contacts

Director of PhD Studies: Malin Kylander, malin.kylander@geo.su.se
Head of Administration: Viktoria Arwinge, viktoria.arwinge@geo.su.se

Summary of important milestones

The individual study plan or ISP is your roadmap for completing your PhD. This is a sort of “contract” with your supervisor and a place where you and your supervisor make a year-by-year plan of key research and course goals as well as keep track of your study pace and funding.

At the start of your studies you and your supervisor should discuss and make an ISP within two months of starting at IGV. This must include at least one co-supervisor. The ISP is made on a digital platform found at https://disp.su.se/select-login. You can access this system using your SU login. Once you and your supervisor have come to an agreement about your first ISP you should book a meeting with the Director of PhD Studies to touch base and start the approval process (see below). National regulations require that the ISP is updated at least once a year. You should also update the ISP if you have any major changes in your planned academic training.

In the digital system an automatic message is generated when it is time for the yearly ISP update. This is sent to the Director of PhD Studies who will then initiate a “Samråd” (consultation in English) that involves the PhD student, all supervisors and the Director of PhD Studies. You will receive an automatic email from the d-ISP system. It is the responsibility of the PhD student and the supervisors to collaborate together and fill in the d-ISP. Full instructions are given here ( d-ISP | digital-Individual Study Plan: Instructions (355 Kb) ). You should use the d-ISP Template for IGV students (21 Kb) to complete the required information. Your supervisor should also fill in the faculty’s template on your progress in relation to the intended learning outcomes of your research degree and upload this at the same time (Mall: ISP-bilaga relativt HF-mål, doktorsexamen, ON 2014-06-04 found here). Once satisfied with the contents, the student and main supervisor should book an ISP Update Meeting with the Director of PhD Studies. At this meeting we will discuss your progress (coursework, fieldwork and laboratory progress, manuscripts), changes from the previous year and any issues that have arisen as well as how they have been corrected. If serious deficiencies are discovered during this review the Director of PhD Studies will involve the Head of Subject. Together we will set a plan for getting you back on course (redirection of the project, additional co-supervisors, change of main supervisor, etc) to ensure your eventual success.

When you begin your PhD at IGV we suggest that you go through the documents below with your supervisor. It is not mandatory to use them all but they are there to help you start off on the right foot. These include:

1. The General Syllabus for you PhD Program with a specific focus on the Program Objectives (including those from the Higher Education Ordinance)(see documents above).
2. A worksheet to help you and your supervisor discuss expectations from both sides. In this document you will also find a list for a skills audit. Again, this is voluntary to complete but can help you identify where you might like to develop more and be able to plan for this. Full details in the document: Basis for discussion of expectations for PhD students and their supervisors (157 Kb) .  
3. The Checklist starting/ending employment at IGV (78 Kb) .

Reflect on your relationship with your supervisor. Here are four steps that you can take to maintain a productive relationship.

To get a grip on Swedish academia you can have a look at this guide put together by the Swedish Young Academy. This document provides an overview of Swedish universities and their practices and a lot of useful information.

PhD students must complete 60 hp of course work during their post-graduate education. It is ultimately up to your supervisor to approve the course points for your PhD degree, so you should consult with your supervisor for recommendations as well as approval for any courses you would like to take. You may take PhD courses from any university, professional society, etc. You must take at least 20 hp of PhD level courses. IGV also allows up to 7.5 hp for non-classroom activities (see regulations below) and some course points for first and second cycle courses (see regulations below) to be applied toward the PhD course requirements. At IGV there are two mandatory PhD courses, which differ a little by program:

The Geoscience section PhD course on Research ethics (3 hp): The course on Research Ethics has been developed in response to the directive put forward by the Faculty of Sciences in 2007. The course is an obligatory for all PhD students and is given at least once per year. The has four main parts:

1. Introduction to Ethics
2. Publication Ethics
3. Scientific misconduct
4. Science and society.

The course examination (pass/fail) is requires on obligatory attendance at all scheduled activities, active participation in seminars and discussions and completed exercises. Participation will be recorded during the seminars. When you start your PhD you will be added to an Athena site that will provide you with details of when classes will take place (currently in the autumn). If you are not able to attend all classes in a given year you can attend them the following year.

The IGV Seminar series PhD course (7.5 hp): If you are in the Marine Geology or Geochemistry PhD program this is a required course. You must listen to and summarize 5 seminars from either the IGV Seminar Series or the Bolin Seminar Series. These are submitted and approved by your supervisor. You must also present your research in the IGV Seminar series. Full details in the document Department of Geological Sciences seminar series PhD course, 7.5 hp (123 Kb) .  

Or

Swedish Geology (7.5 hp): If you are in the Geology PhD program you are required to take a course on Sweden’s Geology. This course is developed by Joakim Mansfeld.

Beyond these courses there is also a possibility to do a Literature review (10 hp). The PhD student is expected to summarize and problematize the literature within the research field providing the scientific background to their project’s research question. Here the student has the opportunity to drill down into the literature and start working on their scientific writing. This essay is optional but must be done within the first year of study taking roughly 7 weeks. The essay must be approved by their supervisor and an external researcher to the project (does not necessarily have to be at IGV). Once you have completed your Literature Review your supervisor should inform the Director of PhD Studies. Full instructions can be found here ( Literature Review, 10 hp (104 Kb) ).

If you are teaching during your PhD you must have taken or started "Introduction to teaching science (3 hp)”. This course is offered in English and Swedish by the Centrum för universitetslärarutbildning (CeUL). Since it is only given once a year in the autumn term plan early to take this course.

All courses must be registered in LADOK (the national university registration system). Please send an email to the Director of PhD Studies if you complete a course outside of the university as part of your studies. Include your supervisor on this email as they must confirm that you may include these points. Please provide a certificate and/or details of the full course name, if it is a first, second or third cycle course, number of points you earned as well as when and where it was taken. If you wish to use first or second cycle courses towards your PhD requirements you must communicate this to the Director of PhD Studies with confirmation from your supervisor (see regulations below). If necessary we can check with LADOK for converting points from non-EU countries.

Any deviation from the syllabus (e.g., waiving of a mandatory course) is officially decided by the subject responsible but is made in discussion with the supervisors, co-supervisors and study Director.

You can find out what students think of our PhD Courses here: Course Feedback document (125 Kb)

Course points from other activities
University regulations allow PhD students to obtain course points for non-classroom activities at the discretion of their supervisor. You may include a maximum of 7.5 hp for non-classroom activities. The regulations are as follows:

1. PhD students may receive 1.5 hp for a poster or talk they present at a national or international meeting. Each student is restricted to a maximum of 3 hp for this activity.
2. PhD students may receive points for participation in field programs, where the students interact with other scientists during and after the field campaign. This does not however, apply to their own fieldwork. Each student is restricted to a maximum of 3 hp for this activity.
3. PhD students can acquire points for meaningful outreach projects. Each student is restricted to a maximum of 3 hp for this activity.

Course points from previous studies
No more than a total of 15 ECTS points of first or second cycle courses are recommended to be applied to the PhD requirements. These may not have been used towards any previous degrees.

First and second cycle courses taken while the student is a PhD student can be transferred to the PhD record, and the student’s main supervisor in consultation with the head of subject and PhD study director determines the percentage of points that can be transferred.

The Department is required to provide appropriate supervision for each PhD project. Supervision is a two-way relationship and both the supervisors and the student have responsibilities, listed below, in this interaction.

Student responsibilities

• Be well prepared for student-supervisors meetings. Provide summaries of progress since the last meeting (data, abstracts, drafts of manuscripts, new literature, etc.).
• Consult with your supervisor about courses, research expenditures and conference attendance. Update your work plan and prepare a list of questions/problems that you need help solving.
• Complete the goals agreed upon in the time plan for each term. If there is a major setback, let your supervisor know as soon as possible.
• Participate in departmental activities/tasks such as seminars, popular science and teaching as well as departmental conferences.
• Present research at national and international conferences.
• Discuss research with faculty members and other researchers in the field.
• Assist your supervisor with proposal writing, preparing and reviewing manuscripts, and planning future science projects in order to learn how to work in the research world.
• Keep a personal tally on courses, teaching and any time off (parental or sick leave).
• When having completed teaching on a course send the completed template to the Head of Administration including the name of the course, when you were teaching and the number of hours. The template should be approved by the course responsible. Based on this template the Head of Administration can make a decision on your prolongation.
• Report attendance to courses to the Director of PhD Studies, with written confirmation by your supervisor, including title, period of attendance, number of points and any official documentation (if available).
• The main objective is to complete your PhD – do not spend excessive time (>20%) working on other tasks. If students are required to spend too many hours doing other jobs, they should speak to their supervisor, the Head of Department or the Director of PhD Studies.

Supervisor responsibilities

• Schedule regular meetings in order to ensure the scientific development of the PhD project.
• Ensure timely completion of all degree requirements by developing a work plan with specific goals (courses, literature reviews, field and laboratory work, manuscript preparation) to be completed each term.
• Provide appropriate financial and technical resources to complete the project as outlined in the PhD student’s program of studies.
• Ensure that the PhD student presents their research at national and international conferences.
• Help the PhD student develop a research contact network in the field for future collaboration and employment opportunities.
• Provide the PhD student with training on all aspects of working as a researcher including proposal writing, preparing and reviewing manuscripts and planning and executing scientific research.
• Provide timely feedback on materials produced by the PhD student.
• Support the PhD student in maintaining a healthy work-life balance and to provide a good working environment (physically and mentally).
• Encourage the PhD student to attend Stockholm University’s central seminar series for PhD students (see below).
• Ensure that the student is not burdened with excessive non-thesis responsibilities and stays focused on the task at hand – completing a PhD.

Co-supervisor responsibilities

• Contribute with a “second opinion” and compliment the expertise of the main supervisor, staying up to date with the PhD student’s progress.
• In the case that the supervisor is absent, provide continuity in supervision.
• Provide timely feedback on materials produced by the PhD student.
• To attend all yearly reviews of the ISP with the rest of the supervisory team.

Head of subject (ämnesansvarig) responsibilities

• Have a regular updates on the progress of PhD students progression through the Director of PhD Studies.
• Suggest an opponent and examination committee for a PhD student’s defence in consultation with the supervisor and Director of PhD studies.
• Disseminate relevant information to their research group.  
• Support supervisors in the PhD student recruitment process and approve the selected candidate.
• Decide which credits can be used towards a PhD student’s credits in consultation with the supervisor and Director of PhD Studies.

Vice prefect responsibilities

• Once a year you will have a performance review (utveklingsamtal) with the vice-prefect to chart your progress and support you in your workplace. You can fill in SU’s form to prepare for this meeting.

Study director responsibilities

• Support the PhD student throughout their education and assist with any problems or questions arising.
• Ensure that the ISP is updated yearly.
• Regularly check the PhD student’s progression and keep the Head of Subject informed on this progress.
• Report grades in LADOK.
• Register the completion of a degree (licentiate/PhD).
• If needed, ensure the student’s right to their PhD position.

In exceptional circumstances, when no other way forward can be found, it is your right as a PhD student to change your main supervisor. To do so you should first contact the Director of Studies, Head of Subject and/or the Head of Department for discussion (depending on your supervisory team). Together you will assess the situation along with any other concerned parties and a potential new supervisor is identified. The departmental representative (chosen depending on student’s current supervisory team) then contacts the potential new supervisor. The change of supervisor is confirmed by the Head of Department and a meeting is called to update the ISP and adjust plans as needed.

Note that IGV does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or other forms of disrespectful or demeaning behavior towards groups or individuals. If you experience any form of this type of behavior, please raise this with a more senior member of staff.

You may take on a maximum of 20% non-thesis work per year (e.g., teaching, laboratory work). Any non-thesis work results in a prolongation of your PhD time. 20% of one full time work week is equal to 8 hours prolongation. This equates to 2,4 months over a year and 9,6 months over a 4-year PhD. Students are not obligated to perform such work, but it can be beneficial to have some additional experience to enhance your employment opportunities in the future. Non-thesis work during your time as a PhD student should be included on your ISP. Extension of your position can also be offered for participation in various IGV and university committees and boards. The amount of time you are allowed for various positions is governed by the University Rector's rule on this issue.

Please make sure that your Head of Subject and Director of PhD Studies are informed about any non-thesis work.

At the end of 24 months of PhD studies (excluding sick leave, parental leave, teaching duties, etc.), students are required to complete the Half-Way Assessment. An outcome of the Half-Term Assessment is a recommendation by the committee as to whether a licentiate or PhD Assessment is more appropriate for the PhD student. Out of courtesy you can email the Director of PhD Studies and the Head of Subject to inform them of the outcome of your Half-Term Assessment. Full details of this procedure are found in the document Half-term assessment at the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University (155 Kb) .

Instructions for reviewers are given in Half-Term Assessment Instructions for Reviewer (122 Kb)

Overview
The procedures for defending your Licentiate is dictated by IGV, Stockholm University and national regulations. You should begin organizing your defence in good time before your planned thesis defence date, as there are a few steps that you must comply with.
Be sure to visit the faculty’s website to stay updated.
 
Regulations

1. The student must have at least 37.5 ECTS points of PhD courses, a Licentiat thesis (consisting of publication quality research), and a public presentation of the research, to be awarded this exam.
2. The student’s main supervisor must inform the Head of Subject (Geology, Geochemistry or Marine Geology) and the Director of PhD Studies who will review the thesis or appoint another expert to assess whether the thesis is suitable for defense 6 weeks before the intended defense.  
3. At the same time (i.e., 6 weeks before the intended defense) the Head of Department should be informed of the thesis title, date and time of the defense as well as two examiners for approval. Of the two examiners at least one should be external to the department. The examiners must have a PhD and at least one examiner should have Docent competence (or the equivalent), and both men and women should be represented. Supervisors can not be examiners, but can chair the proceedings. Conflict of interest regulations regarding examiners and supervisors are the same as for the PhD exam.
4. The student is responsible for informing the Director of PhD Studies about the date and time of the Licentiat presentation as soon as possible. The Director of PhD Studies will review the student’s course record and send the supervisor a copy of the course record, requesting that the supervisor formally accept these courses for the licentiat exam.
5. The two examiners must receive a copy of the Licentiat thesis 4 weeks before the intended defense. If the examiners determine that the thesis is not suitable for presentation, they should inform the supervisor prior to the publication of the Licentiat thesis, which 3 weeks before the intended defense.
6. Ten bound copies of the thesis must be available 3 weeks before the intended defense before the presentation and 1 of these copies must be turned in to the Director of PhD Studies. At this time and a pdf must be available in DIVA. The announcement (title, abstract, date, time and location) of the licentiat presentation must also be posted on the departmental website and the introductory summary of the Licentiate must be posted in DiVA.
7. The professor of the degree program normally chairs the licentiat presentation. The student presentation is typically 30 minutes long, followed by questions from the two examiners. The presentation and subsequent questioning together typically last approximately 1 hour, and the chairperson must stop the exam at the 2 hours time maximum if it proceeds this long. The two examiners notify the Director of PhD Studies, in writing, of the result of the exam (pass or fail).

Good to Know (Information for the Students/Supervisors)

1. There is no prescribed length for the licentiat thesis (this determined by the main and co-supervisors), but it typically consists of a 10-15 page introduction/overview, followed by 1 or 2 manuscripts. The Licentiat thesis may be either a monograph or a compilation of journal-style manuscript(s) and may be written in Swedish or English. The abstract must be written in both Swedish and English.
2. The student presentation is typically 30 minutes long.
3. The external thesis examiner does not need to be external from the University.
4. The copy distributed to the examiners 4 weeks before the intended defense does not need to be bound, but must be a complete and legible copy of the thesis, requiring only final formatting before reproduction. A bound copy of the thesis should be sent to the examiners once it is available.
5. The student is responsible for:
   • Reproducing and binding the thesis:
      1. the student contacts Otto Hermelin, who will assist with the production of the cover page  
      2. the student prepares 10 copies of the thesis including binding these
   • Sending the bound thesis to the appropriate individuals.  
   • Booking the room for the presentation. Book on the internal system on the web.  
   • Posting the announcements at IGV, as well as the institution where they performed the work, if outside of IGV.
   • Taking out the completed exam after the presentation which you can do in Ladok.

Ready to Defend?

See the national guidelines for “General Qualifications Degree of Doctor”.

They state that:

In terms of courses: the student should have completed a study program of 240 hp. This includes 60 hp taken during your PhD studies.
 
In terms of knowledge and understanding: the student should demonstrate broad knowledge and systematic understanding of the research field as well as advanced and up-to-date specialised knowledge on a limited area of this field; and demonstrate familiarity with research methodology in general and the methods of the specific field or research in particular.

In terms of competence and skills: the student should demonstrate the capacity for scholarly analysis and synthesis as well as to review and assess new and complex phenomena, issues and situations autonomously and critically; demonstrate the ability to identify and formulae issues with scholarly precision critically, autonomously and creatively, and to plan and use appropriate methods to undertake research and other qualified tasks within predetermined time frames and to review and evaluate such work; demonstrate through a dissertation the ability to make a significant contribution to the formation of knowledge through his or her own research; demonstrate the ability in both national and international contexts to present and discuss research and research findings authoritatively in speech an writing and in dialogue with the academic community and society in general; demonstrate the ability to identify the need for further knowledge; and demonstrate the capacity to contribute to social development and support the learning of others both through research and education and in some other qualified professional capacity.

In terms of judgment and approach: demonstrate intellectual autonomy and disciplinary rectitude as well as the ability to make assessments of research ethics; and demonstrate specialised insight into the possibilities and limitation of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used.

PhD Defence Steps

Overview

The procedures for defending your PhD is dictated by IGV, Stockholm University and national regulations. You should begin organizing your thesis defence well in advance (the term before!) of your planned thesis defence date, as there are many formal regulations and deadlines that you must comply with. Be sure to visit the faculty’s website
and read the full faculty rules about the PhD defense as well as on the University’s website to make sure the process goes smoothly. Rules and regulations can change at any time and this is where you will find the most up to date information. Please also make sure that all your courses are in Ladok before you start this process as you are not allowed to defend your thesis until you have completed 60 hp of studies. You can make your life easier by making sure the Ladok entries fit with the requirements for taking out your degree once you have finished.

Ansökan om examen på forskarnivå

A simplified timeline is given below but again, check the university website for any changes:

A table over the division of responsibilities

Book Your Defence Time and Date

Once your supervisory team, in consultation with the Head of Subject, deem that you are ready to defend your thesis you should set a date. This will necessarily involve a discussion with your potential opponent and defence committee.

• Your defence should occur between August 15th to June 15th.
• Your thesis should be made public at least 3 weeks before your defence date and
• the period between June 16th and August 14th cannot be counted in those 3 weeks.

To avoid defences with a similar topic being held on the same day you must book your date with Stockholm University centrally. See how to do this and the calendar of currently booked dates.

You will have to provide basic details of yourself and your thesis to disputationer@su.se. If you plan to defend during “peak defence” periods such as just before Christmas vacation or the summer holidays be sure to book your time early. You are then responsible for booking the room for the defence. It is good to check beforehand what rooms are available and make a preliminary booking before you make everything official. At IGV defences are typically held in William-Olsson lecture theatre. Once you have made contact with disputationer@su.se they will inform the library who will help you with the different steps of getting your thesis published and printed. The library will generate a timeline (see example below) that helps you establish your deadlines and understand who (you, the library, the printers) does what when:

If you have not heard from the library within 10 days or if you have questions regarding the printing process, please contact avhandlingssupport.sub@su.se. They provide good support for PhD students. Regardless, you should contact them at least 30 days prior to the “nailing” of your thesis.

Your Defence Committee

There are a number of considerations that need to go into the selection of your committee and this is the responsibility of your supervisor and the Head of Subject. The opponent should be working outside of Stockholm University and have no conflict of interest with you or your supervisors. The examination committee should consist of 3 members as well as a reserve/substitute. Opponent and committee members should all be working independently at different academic institutions. Of these 4 individuals at least 2 should be working outside Stockholm University and not more than 1 can come from the same institution as you. The opponent and the committee members should have docent competence or equivalent and both men and women should be represented on this committee. The combined expertise of the committee should be sufficient to evaluate the scientific content of your thesis. The defence chair is not part of your committee but should be from Stockholm University, be docent competent and not have a conflict of interest with you or your supervisors.  

Your Thesis

A PhD thesis is not a life’s work; it is a document that demonstrates that you are capable of carrying out independent research. The thesis generally consists of a “kappa” (or, directly translated, "a coat"), which is an overview and discussion of what has been achieved during the PhD project, as well as appended articles/manuscripts. The kappa should be written for a broad audience and explain what you have done, why you did it, and what contributions you have made to the field. It should present the red thread of your work and how your manuscripts relate to one another to form a cohesive body of work.

Be sure to look at past theses to get an idea of how to structure your kappa as best suits your work. There is no set number of manuscripts required for a thesis as each project is different. Be sure to have clear goals and expectations of what goes into your thesis that you have set with your supervisor. It is required to have all theses undergo an internal departmental assessment. At IGV this is performed by the Head of Subject.

The faculty has established guidelines for structuring your thesis.

You must send a near-final draft (i.e., only small changes in text or figures might be  made) of your thesis to the Head of Subject at least 11 weeks before your intended defence and they have 2 weeks to get back to you with feedback/suggestions and a decision on if you can go to defence. If you have articles already published you can send these to your Head of Subject early to give them a little extra time.

There are templates available for your thesis which you are encouraged to start using earlier then later. These can be found by logging into SU’s production tool for our visual identity: https://su.bmc.nu (when you are logged in search for Avhandling template).

You will have to get an ISBN from the library, contact the publishers of any published articles to get permission to reproduce these in your thesis. You will also have to get an IGV communication number.

Notify the Faculty of Your Defense and Committee

At 10 weeks before the intended defence a Disputation Form which must be sent to the faculty providing the details of your defense. This form details the PhD candidate and thesis title, opponent, examination committee, examination committee reserve/substitute and motivation for their selection as well as the chair of the PhD defence. This application must first be approved by the Head of Subject and the Director of PhD Studies. It is then passed on to the Head of Department who sends it on to the Faculty of Science. This application is formally approved by the dean of the Section for Earth and Environmental Sciences.  

Approval of Your Thesis by the Committee

At 9 weeks before your intended defence you have to mail an electronic copy of your thesis to your committee. Again, this is a near-final copy – you will still be able to make adjustments to language, formatting, etc. The opponent will be given 2 weeks to evaluate whether the thesis is of suitable quality to be defended or not. The evaluation committee has the opportunity to raise any major issues at this point. The individual papers should be of the quality to be accepted to an international, peer-reviewed journal after revisions. If for some reason the thesis is not considered suitable for defence, a new date for your defence will be negotiated.

Spikning (“Nailing”) of Your Thesis

Once your thesis has been given the go ahead by your committee you can print your thesis. They will have been informed that no changes can be made to your thesis once it is printed.  The library supports you with the printing of your thesis and a lot of the deadlines relate to the day of you “spikning” (or “nailing” of your thesis in the way of Martin Luther in 1517) which should happen at the latest 3 weeks before your defence. This is the announcement of the upcoming PhD dissertation defense and your thesis becomes available to the public in DiVA and in printed form. In order for the electronic announcement to take place you must enter the bibliographic information about your dissertation in DiVA before you send your thesis for printing. The “spikblad” will be generated from this system as a pdf.

There is usually a small celebration at the department where you nail both your “spikblad” and a copy of your thesis to the wooden post. Be sure to inform the IGV website admistrator so that the announcement of your defence also goes up on our webpage. The faculty recommends as a minimum that at least 30 copies should be printed (7 go to the library, 5 to Stockholm University, 8 to IGV and the committee and 10 to be available at the defence itself). IGV will pay up to 50 copies. If you find mistakes in your thesis you can make a list of erratum which can be included with your printed thesis. There is also a template available for this.

Your Defence

The defence is open to the public. The Chair of the Defence first presents you, your thesis title, supervisor and co-supervisors. The Chair of the Defence will then introduce the opponent and the examination committee (where the Disputation Form is a good basis for this information) and quickly brief the audience on the day’s procedure.

After this you have the opportunity to give any errata to your thesis before giving a presentation of approximately 30-minutes describing your work. The floor is then given to the opponent who is asked to place the thesis into a broader scientific context. This could be by giving a short overview of the research field relevant to the PhD candidate’s thesis work (10–15 minutes but can be longer). It may include a wider, more general or historical perspective about the field of study – normally from the angle of their specialisation. The aim of this presentation is to show where the PhD candidate’s thesis advances the field of study.

You and the opponent will then have centre stage (either sitting or standing), and engage in a discussion. While minor issues may be raised at this time (language, references, typos) the focus of the discussion should be on the scientific results and the strengths and weaknesses of your work. At the end of the discussion it is common for the opponent to give you their general impression of your work. This discussion generally runs to an hour but there is no official time limit. When the opponent is satisfied, the floor is given to the examining committee who will ask you additional questions. If there are outstanding matters, either textual clarifications, matters of science, general interest, etc., this is their time to query you. This is normally 2–4 questions per committee member, not lasting much more than 10–15 minutes per member. This means that the public defence normally lasts 2 to 3 hours. The floor is then open for questions from the public. Once these are satisfied the public defence is closed.

When the defense is closed, the Chair of the Defence will complete and sign a faculty document stating that the thesis defense has properly taken place, and hand it over to the examining committee chair. The committee will then retire to a meeting room to discuss a pass or fail. The student’s main supervisor and the opponent may participate in this meeting for the discussions prior to the vote, but they must leave the room before the examining committee votes. The examining committee will report their decision on the faculty document, sign it and return it to the Chair of the Defence who will pass it on to the Director of PhD Studies and ultimately, the faculty.

When It is Over

It is common to have refreshments, including possibly a little cake or champagne or alternatives in the lunch room while awaiting the committee’s decision. The committee usually joins the gathering to make their announcement. This must be organized by the student and it is a good idea to ask your colleagues to help out. The department will order flowers, cake and alcohol-free beverages but the student needs to inform the administration. The lunch room can be reserved for a party in the evening to celebrate your accomplishment.

Remember to apply to get your formal degree which you can do by logging into Ladok. To make this process easier it really is important that you have checked the information in Ladok earlier and given the administration a few days to get your completed thesis and defence details into the system. In the autumn you will also be invited to a conferment ceremony that takes place at Stockholm City Hall.

Faculty Rules in relation to PhD Education

Salary steps
As you progress through your studies, your salary will follow the regulations set out by SU. Decisions on salary stages is taken as you approach 50% and again at 80% of your study time (i.e., not including any prolongation for teaching or other duties). In consultation with your supervisor and and the Director of PhD Studies we will check that you are progressing through your studies as described in the ISP. Moving up to the second salary stage is not directly linked to your Half-Time Assessment but it should be planned. Salary increases can only start from the first of the month.

All students accepted into the PhD program must have a full salary financing plan for the duration of their studies (48 months full time study). At IGV all PhD students are employed with a PhD position (Doktorandtjänst). At the end of 48 months of full time study, the Department’s salary obligation towards your PhD research is finished, and you will receive no further research salary from IGV. At this point, your academic status does not change – you may still continue with your PhD studies, but you will have to find another salary source. Note that you are not eligible for unemployment compensation if you are registered in a PhD program.

Scholarships and stipends
You will need money for attending conferences, courses, analytical and field costs, etc. While you supervisor should have funds for this,s PhD students are strongly encouraged to apply for research stipends to cover these costs and gain merits. While the department will generally forward announcement of these stipends, you can also search Stockholm University’s database for stipends.

PhD council
The IGV PhD council is tied to Stockholm University Student Union (SUS). The main purposes of the PhD council are to look after the rights of the PhD students, to ensure that they are represented in matters regarding the PhD program, that they are able to raise questions regarding their working environment, and generally have their voices heard.

The PhD council is a democratic group where each PhD student hse one vote. The council nominates and elects representatives to the IGV board, the faculty committee and various working groups at the institution. The local council hosts social events and introduces and welcomes new PhD students.

The PhD council holds regular meetings –at least one– each semester. With extra meetings scheduled on demand by its members. It has an elected president and vice president whom serve one-year terms. The council host regular “fika” every Thursday, currently at 15.00, where members meet to socialize and bring up minor questions that affect them. Major issues are discussed during official council meetings. However, the fika-sessions serve well for more informal discussions. This usually takes place in the lunch room on the fourth floor of the IGV building or on Zoom.

The PhD council also has an Athena site where information is continuously uploaded.

More information is found at: https://www.sus.su.se/hantering-av-registrering-av-rd-protokoll-mm-och-kunskapsbank-fr-ditt-rd

You can read more about the Central Doktorandråd (SU’s Central PhD Council) at: https://www.sus.su.se/ditt-doktorandrd

Departmental board
The Departmental Board is made up of the Head of Department, the Deputy Head of Department, five academic staff plus two reserve members, two technical and administrative staff plus one reserve member as well as PhD and student representatives and their reserves. The board discusses departmental plans and issues as well as approves things like the annual budget and other expenditures, PhD hiring, course plans/syllabus, environmental policy and more. You can read the minutes of the board meetings at IGV's Internal webpage.

Monday meetings
At 10.00 every Monday morning there is departmental fika. While at present it is on Zoom, when we are onsite there is fruit and fika on offer. This is a good place to get information about things going on in the department, get key information and meet your colleagues. You can read the information given at each Monday meeting at IGV's Internal webpage.

SU central program
In an effort to improve the chances of PhD students completing their studies, Stockholm University has developed a seminar series that helps you tackle some of the challenges associated with doing a PhD. Amongst other things, you get help with time management, academic writing, goal setting, and dealing with stress. Students at IGV are heavily encouraged to attend this seminar series and will recieve prolongation for participation in this seminar series. Prolongation of 1 day is given for each day the PhD student participates in this course. The course is given in English and Swedish. You can find information about this seminar series at medarbetarewebben.
 
Arbetsmiljörådet (AMR, “Work environment council”)
The Work Environment Council at IGV consists of representatives from all personnel categories. This means that a doctoral student, selected by the PhD Council, always participates in the AMR's activities. The PhD representative usually participates for 1-2 years before being rotated. The PhD representative receives a day's prolongation (8 hours) for each meeting they attend. Usually a maximum of 4 meetings per year are held, usually lasting 1-2 hours. The purpose of the AMR is that employees together, through various activities, promote a good working environment at the department.

You can find the formal delegation of departmental tasks in the document: Delegations- och beslutsordning 2021-2023 (uppdaterad sep. 22) (98 Kb) .

Primula

• You should register all illness, parental leave and vacation in Primula.
• There us a “Wellness Allowance” that is given for certain activities such as gym memberships and massage with a maximum value of 2500 SEK/year. This is also registered via Primula.
• For expenses you must provide a scanned copy of the receipt when you are submitting your claim. You must also print and sign the claim and submit it to the administrators.   
• When ordering by invoice you must make sure that you have the departmental identification number before your name. Non-electronic invoices should be sent to Malmö and not the department:
  464 Your Name
  Stockholm University
  Postbox 507 41
  202 70 Malmö

Vacation

• You are encouraged to take out your full vacation time each year.
• Vacation allowance goes by calendar year.
• You receive paid vacation for the time that corresponds to your work during the calendar year.
• You must take your paid vacation days before unpaid leave and you can refrain from taking unpaid leave.
• The number of paid vacation days is calculated accordingly: number of days employed divided by 365 and multiplied by the amount of annual holiday.
• You are entitled to twenty days vacation between June and August.
• The number of vacation days you are entitled to depends on your age with 28 days up until you are 29; 31 from the year you reach 30 and 35 from the year you turn 40.

Risk assessment
In both the lab and when going in the field you must complete risk assessments that are approved by the appropriate managers at the department. You can read about these on IGV’s internal webpage.

Booking lecture halls
Booking rooms is done online at on IGV’s internal webpage. Teaching is given priority for booking lecture halls but teachers are expected to have made their booking a month in advance of a course start.

Resource pages for employees at SU
https://www.su.se/staff
http://www.su.se/medarbetare

Handbook for visiting researchers and research students

SU student union

Details about the steps required for hiring a student once you have secured salary and research financing for four years of PhD studies can be found here Link to Steps for hiring a PhD at the Department of Geological Sciences (40 Kb)

You will need a good amount of time to find an opponent and examination committee for your PhD student. You can use the following document, Guidelines for PhD faculty opponents and examination committee member for IGV (123 Kb) , to explain the process to potential opponents and committee members.

Once you have established the time, place and all individuals involved please fill out the box on the first page on the following document, Guidelines for opponents and committee (40 Kb) , pdf it and send it to all relevant individuals.

If you are Chairing a PhD Defence you can find a guide for this here: Guidelines for chairing a PhD defence (123 Kb)