Directives

 

 

 

 

1. AIMS

The Doctoral Program in Ecology and Evolution (DPEE) offers PhD students from the five CUSO universities of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel the opportunity to follow activities in addition to their PhD research. These activities aim at allowing doctoral students to learn new skills and obtain training in areas that will improve their career development as a research scientist in ecology and evolutionary biology. The DPEE aims to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and scientific methods through seminars and workshops to which foreign experts are invited. The doctoral program aims also to allow doctoral students to improve their aptitude for communication about their research, and offers a possibility to improve scientific English. Furthermore, the program encourages the doctoral students to acquire experience in the organization of their own scientific events (congress, seminars) and to establish networks of collaboration.

 

2. ELIGIBILITY

Any person who is enrolled as a PhD student in one of the five participating universities and is conducting his/her research within one of the participating research groups is, in principal, eligible to join the program. A doctoral student wishing to join the program must register to participate in the doctoral program. We recommend that the PhD student discusses this with his/her supervisor before registering for the program.


Please note that a person who is not registered as a PhD student and working in one of the participating research groups cannot join the program. The coordination office of the DPEE does not handle any requests for registration as a PhD student or requests for funding such as grants for conducting a PhD (see point 7 below).

 

3. ACTIVITIES

The official language for all courses and activities is English.


Each activity that is either arranged or approved by the DPEE is listed and described on the website of the program. PhD students must register on line for the courses and activities. Registrations will be handled by the DPEE office.

 

4. PARTICIPATION IN OTHER CUSO DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

PhD students who have enrolled in the DPEE can obtain credits for activities organized by other doctoral programs as long as the activity has been approved by the coordination office. In principal, PhD students can also enrol in more than one doctoral program.

 

5. FUNDING AND REIMBURSEMENT

The DPEE is funded by the Conférence universitaire de Suisse Occidentale (CUSO see https://www.cuso.ch/). This funding is used for the organization of activities and reimbursing travel and accommodation costs of experts and teaching staff. PhD students who are enrolled in the DPEE can also be reimbursed for travel costs and accomodation for attending activities that are organized by the DPEE. Costs for attending activities not organized by the doctoral program, cannot be reimbursed by funding from the program.

 

6. THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

The role of the scientific committee is to approve the regulations and directives governing the doctoral program. Additionally, the committee plans and approves each year's series of activities. The scientific committee will meet at least once a year. Suggestions for activities must be submitted to the coordination office of the doctoral program or to a scientific committee member before the end of May of the year preceding the occurrence of the activity. The scientific committee is composed of at least 1 professor and 1 PhD student representative for each of the 5 universities and the coordinator of the program. The nomination of a scientific representative for a given university should be decided democratically by the group leaders at that university; similarly, the nomination of the representative student should be decided by all PhD students participating in the program.

 

7. WHAT IS NOT ADMINISTERED BY THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

It is important that potential applicants to the program, doctoral students who are in the program and doctoral student supervisors understand which parts of the administration of the doctoral degree is not administered by the coordination office of the DPEE.

 

  • The coordination office of the doctoral program does not handle any matters concerning inscription as a PhD student in any of the 5 participating universities. This is an administrative matter that is dealt with locally at each university by the matriculation office and the doctoral student office. The coordination office of the doctoral program is not entitled to determine whether candidates are eligible to do a PhD.

  • The coordination office does not handle requests or administer any financial aspects relating to grants or subsidies for PhD students. PhD students who register for the DPEE must already be funded for the PhD studies by one of the research groups in one of the five participating universities. The doctoral program does not award research fellowships or stipends.

  • All PhD students must satisfy the requirements of their local university in order to obtain their PhD degree. This may mean that the student has to collect additional credits for activities that are not recognized by the DPEE. In addition, all matters relating to evaluation of the PhD student, either by an intermediate exam/evaluation and the final defence of their PhD dissertation is a matter administered by the local university where the PhD student is registered for their PhD degree.

  • The PhD degree is awarded by the university where the PhD student is registered. The DPEE does not award the PhD degree itself. The doctoral program does, however, provide PhD students with an attestation listing all attended CUSO activities.