The follow up committee has a dual objective:
1. To ensure that the conditions are right for the doctoral student to continue his/her work in peace. The members of the follow up committee must therefore be attentive to any difficulties relating to possible conflicts between the doctoral student and his/her entourage within the University, to the various forms of discrimination, to moral or sexual harassment, and to sexist behaviour, which must be given particular attention. Any problems of this kind should be reported immediately to the Doctoral School.
2. To evaluate the progress of the doctoral student’s work and ensure that the thesis is progressing steadily.
Frequency of the individual follow-up committee meetings
The committee must meet once at the end of the first year of the thesis (decree of August 26, 2022, see below), generally between May and September. The committee then meets at the end of the second year.
For re-registration in the 4th year and beyond, re-registration is subject to a favorable opinion from the doctoral student’s follow-up committee.
It is possible to convene the follow-up committee remotely.
Each year, the report of the follow-upcommittee must be attached to the re-registration file.
Composition of the individual follow-up committee
- A teacher-researcher or researcher or equivalent, from Sorbonne Paris Nord University (HDR or not)*.
- A representative of the Ecole Doctorale Galilée *: this is a teacher-researcher or researcher or equivalent, from Sorbonne Paris Nord University (HDR or not). His/her role is to organize the end-of-1st-year follow-up committee (convening members), send the report to the ED and, after validation by the ED, distribute it to the doctoral student, thesis director and laboratory director.
- A teacher-researcher or a researcher or equivalent from outside Université Sorbonne Paris Nord (HDR or not), expert in the subject of the thesis.
*cannot be either the thesis director or the laboratory director.
Members of the follow-up committee may not act as rapporteurs for the thesis defense. They may, however, sit on the jury.
The composition of the committee is indicated at the time of registration for the 1st year of doctoral studies, on the doctoral student platform.
It is recommended that the committee remains unchanged throughout the thesis, to ensure continuous and coherent support. However, it is possible to modify the composition of the follow-up committee during the course of the thesis, particularly in the event of the defection of one of its members. Moreover, the doctoral student must be consulted on the composition of the follow-up committee.
Although it is not absolutely mandatory, it is desirable that at least one of the members of the follow-up committee has the rank of professor, or at least holds an HDR. This facilitates situations where a change of thesis director is necessary.
Doctoral students experiencing difficulties in their interactions with the follow-up committee are invited to discuss this with their thesis director and/or the director of the doctoral school.
In the event of a change, it is necessary to inform the Doctoral School and modify the corresponding section on the doctoral students’ platform (at the time of re-registration).
Follow-up committee procedure
The committee meets in the presence of the doctoral student and, if possible, his/her thesis director(s)/co-supervisor(s).
The meeting comprises three stages: (1) The doctoral student presents his/her activity report. (2) The follow-up committee meets with the doctoral student in the absence of the thesis supervisor. (3) The follow-up committee meets with the thesis director in the doctoral student’s absence.
Each stage is recorded in the report drawn up by the follow-up committee (see template).
The report is accessible to all parties. If the follow-up committee considers that the doctoral student or thesis supervisor has entrusted them with information that should not be circulated, or if one of the parties has requested that certain information not be transcribed in the report, it is possible to communicate certain elements directly to the Doctoral School (). In the event of a conflict of interest with members of the doctoral school, the follow-up committee can also contact the university’s research vice-president (). These bodies will then contact the doctoral student and the thesis director to consider what action to take.
In the event of harassment problems, the doctoral student can contact the members of his/her follow-up committee throughout the year. They can also make an appointment with one of the university’s doctors for psychological support and/or contact the harassment unit at the following address: .
The follow-up Committee decides whether or not to re-enroll the doctoral student. From the fourth year onwards, a favorable opinion from the follow-up Committee is a prerequisite for re-enrollment. Any unfavorable opinion must be duly justified. It must be discussed in detail with the thesis supervisor.
The doctoral student may also provide the committee with other documents (articles, provisional thesis manuscript, etc.). However, this is not an obligation, and cannot be required by the committee.
Elected doctoral student representatives are available to discuss this matter with doctoral students.
Doctoral students are also invited to consult the Sorbonne Paris Nord University Doctoral Charter (which is signed by all parties at the time of enrolment and re-enrolment, and which also provides information on the follow-up committee).
In summary
Distribution of tasks :
The Doctoral School representative member organizes the end-of-1st-year follow-up committee (convening members), sends the form to the ED and, after validation by the ED, distributes it to the doctoral student, thesis director and laboratory director.
The follow-up Committee: conducts the interview, fills in the form, and gives the doctoral student an oral report on the interview.
Doctoral School: validates the follow-upcommittee’s report and gives feedback to the ED representative.
The doctoral student: takes note of the reports (interview with the tutor, follow-up committee form) and submits them in his/her re-registration file.
Timetable:
The follow-up Committee is fully constituted (ED representative and external expert appointed) when the student re-registers for the 1st year.
Interview with the committee: between May and September during the first year of the thesis. Must be held again for each re-registration request (2nd year, 3rd year, etc.).
Untranslated extract from the decree of August 26, 2022 amending the decree of May 25, 2016 establishing the national framework for training and the procedures leading to the award of the national doctoral diploma.
L’article 13 de l’arrêté est rédigé comme suit :
Un comité de suivi individuel du doctorant veille au bon déroulement du cursus en s’appuyant sur la charte du doctorat et la convention de formation.
Le comité de suivi individuel du doctorant assure un accompagnement de ce dernier pendant toute la durée du doctorat. Il se réunit obligatoirement avant l’inscription en deuxième année et ensuite avant chaque nouvelle inscription jusqu’à la fin du doctorat.
Les entretiens sont organisés sous la forme de trois étapes distinctes : présentation de l’avancement des travaux et discussions, entretien avec le doctorant sans la direction de thèse, entretien avec la direction de thèse sans le doctorant.
Au cours de l’entretien avec le doctorant, le comité évalue les conditions de sa formation et les avancées de sa recherche. Lors de ce même entretien, il est particulièrement vigilant à repérer toute forme de conflit, de discrimination, de harcèlement moral ou sexuel ou d’agissement sexiste. Il formule des recommandations et transmet un rapport de l’entretien au directeur de l’école doctorale, au doctorant et au directeur de thèse.
En cas de difficulté, le comité de suivi individuel du doctorant alerte l’école doctorale, qui prend toute mesure nécessaire relative à la situation du doctorant et au déroulement de son doctorat.
Dès que l’école doctorale prend connaissance d’actes de violence, de discrimination, de harcèlement moral ou sexuel ou d’agissements sexistes, elle procède à un signalement à la cellule d’écoute de l’établissement contre les discriminations et les violences sexuelles.
Les modalités de composition, d’organisation et de fonctionnement de ce comité sont proposées par le conseil de l’école doctorale. L’école doctorale veille à ce que dans la mesure du possible, la composition du comité de suivi individuel du doctorant reste constante tout au long de son doctorat. Le comité de suivi individuel du doctorant comprend au moins un membre spécialiste de la discipline ou en lien avec le domaine de la thèse. Dans la mesure du possible, le comité de suivi individuel du doctorant comprend un membre extérieur à l’établissement. Il comprend également un membre non spécialiste extérieur au domaine de recherche du travail de la thèse. Les membres de ce comité ne participent pas à la direction du travail du doctorant. L’école doctorale veille à ce que le doctorant soit consulté sur la composition de son comité de suivi individuel, avant sa réunion.
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