EDMA Mentoring

A mentor can be an excellent resource at EPFL

Image par Gerd Altmann de Pixabay

Each doctoral program has a pool of professors and MERs who are willing to serve as mentors. Mentors offer advice and support to PhD students in the context of their training. They are the first person of reference for the PhD students in case of problems with the thesis director or the laboratory.

It is expected that the student meets the mentor once per year for a short discussion. Ideally, this should happen around the date of submission of the annual progress report or the student’s candidacy exam.

Your mentor is a valuable resource and is available to discuss your academic progress and provide guidance. Please feel free to contact your mentor whenever you deem necessary.

  • Each student has 3 months to choose a mentor from the EDMA pool of mentors and communicate it to EDMA. S/he will have to contact a potential mentor from the pool and obtain their written agreement to act as a mentor; if no mentor is chosen, the program director  will assign one.

  • Each student is free to choose (autonomously from the thesis director) that the mentor remains anonymous to the thesis director. EDMA will help setting up an anonymous mentor for students choosing such option.

  • The student can change his/her mentor at any time, in consultation with the program director.

  • When choosing his/her mentor, the PhD student should be aware that it is not recommended for him/her to be jury member for the candidacy exam as well as for the oral thesis exam.

EDMA pool of mentors