Examination committee / co-examiners
The examination committee conducts the doctoral examination.
The examination committee consists of:
- A chairperson (professor or assistant professor at D-MTEC)
- Your doctoral thesis supervisor (If the doctoral thesis supervisor is not a professor at ETH Zurich, at least one co-examiner must be.)
- At least one co-examiner (for doctoral examinations after 1 January 2024, at least one co-examiner must come from outside ETH Zurich)
- A further independent expert if there is a relationship of dependence between the thesis supervisor and the co-examiner(s)
Co-examiners
All external co-examiners and internal examination committee members who are not ETH professors (e.g. senior researchers) must be approved by the Doctoral Committee before you organise and register the doctoral examination. Full professors, associate and assistant professors from ETH Zurich do not need approval from the Doctoral Committee but their assignment must be communicated to the D-MTEC Doctoral Administration (with cc to supervisor).
The nominations of the second advisor and of the co-examiners are two separate processes.
The procedure for the nomination and approval of all external co-examiners and internal persons who are not ETH professors is as follows:
- The supervising professor nominates co-examiners via an online form (including contact information, CV, publication list and a short referral)
- The Doctoral Committee and the D-MTEC Doctoral Administration automatically receive the form submission for the approval process.
- After approval, the nominated co-examiner(s) will be visible for the doctoral candidates in myStudies.
External co-examiners
The following persons can be external co-examiners:
- Active professors from other universities, i.e. a full, associate, or assistant professor in office (not retired).
- Proven experts in the subject area of the doctoral thesis who hold positions equivalent to that of professor in this field (e.g., a research director from a research institution in the ETH domain, the Max-Planck Institute or the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique).
Persons from universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) or from private industry cannot be external co-examiners even if they have the relevant expertise. They may still be part of the examination committee, however, and must be nominated accordingly.