PhD FYI
This page is still under construction/revision - let n.gaston@auckland.ac.nz know if you have suggestions for content
How does the PhD Provisional Registration work?
You will receive an email from the School of Graduate Studies 2-3 months before your provisional registration needs to be confirmed. This will give you 1-2 months to write your research proposal and prepare your presentation.
I will email you shortly after the SGS email to offer you a date for your presentation and FYI, which you and your supervisor will need to confirm. This is an opportunity for you to ask me any other necessary questions.
What needs to be in the research proposal?
Evidence of what you have done and what you plan to do. It is (almost) that simple. Talk to your supervisor in advance about their expectations, and allow time for them to review your proposal.
Guidelines specific to Physics, and a coversheet that needs supervisor sign off before submission are available here. In brief:
- Provisional thesis title
- Names of supervisors/advisors
- Objectives / Aims: Clearly specify the purpose of this research. Include the main research questions and hypotheses.
- Contribution of the proposed research: Briefly describe and evaluate the existing literature. Describe how the work will contribute significant and original findings.
- Methodology: Briefly outline the processes, techniques and methodologies or the theoretical approach that will be used to achieve the objectives above.
- Proposed thesis structure: Outline the proposed structure of the thesis
- Timetable for research: Outline the proposed schedule for the research, including completion dates for each stage. Outline work already completed or in progress to date.
- Ethical approvals: Is ethics approval required? If so, has it been applied for and obtained?
- Resources: Explain what resources are needed, including a budget and source of funding. Are resources currently available and do you have access to them? If not, how are they to be procured?
- Endorsement and comments: The candidate’s main supervisor(s) should ensure that a completed copy of the attached cover sheet (“Coversheet for Doctoral Thesis Research Proposal”) accompanies the proposal. The endorsement on the coversheet should include comments on the merits of the proposed research and an assessment of the PhD candidate’s ability to successfully conclude the work. All co-supervisors must also indicate their endorsement of the proposal by signing the coversheet.
Your research proposal should be submitted to me (n.gaston@auckland.ac.nz) two weeks before the presentation date, to ensure that the committee have time to read it. At the same time, please send Angela Asekona, Group Services Coordinator (a.asekona@auckland.ac.nz) a short abstract for your presentation.
What needs to be in the presentation?
I will schedule you to give a presentation to the department, usually along with another student, in the month before the School of Graduate Studies deadline. This is usually in the Departmental Colloquium booking, currently 11 am on Wednesdays, to maximise the ability of everyone to attend. You should therefore be aiming your talk at a general physics audience. It should be 20 minutes long and you should be prepared to answer 5 minutes of questions. This is constrained by the room booking, so do practise in advance to make sure you have the length right.
How flexible is the timing of this?
The timing is not particularly flexible, as I need to ensure that supervisors and Graduate Committee members are available on the day to attend your presentation and your First Year Interview (FYI). I will adjust times where there is a good cause but it can be difficult to find a time that suits everyone.
What is the FYI?
The FYI (First Year Interview) is typically a half hour discussion with three members of the Graduate Committee, and is held the same day as the presentation (ideally) in the afternoon. The goal is to check that you are on track to complete your PhD successfully, and the committee will ask questions about your progress, whether there are things that have held up progress, whether you have all the resources you need to complete - things like that. We will also check off your provisional goals - so do take these seriously, and check what they are in advance!
Both the written proposal and the presentation will be used to inform the interview.
Anything else I should think about?
Have you completed the Doctoral Needs Analysis with your supervisor? If not - do it now!
This is the form that the Committee needs to complete: have a look through in advance for what we will ask about (including the mandatory provisional goals)!
And finally: this is the form that you need to complete with your supervisor, sign, and take to Sithra in the 6th floor office. When you take this to her, please attach the committee report from your interview, as well as your registration record (doc_53) - this will have been attached to the initial email from the School of Graduate Studies regarding your Provisional Annual Report.