Doctoral education at IMM

Administrators of Doctoral Education

Contact the administrators by email address doctoral@imm.ki.se

Forms can be dropped off in the mailbox on floor 4, called "Doctoral administration" or come by our office on floor 4, corridor C3.

Doctoral education group

The doctoral education group is the admissions board for doctoral students and assesses research plan and study plan for doctoral students. It also deals with other matters concerning doctoral education and supports development work within this area.

Members

Lena Palmberg, chair

Eva Skillgate
Karin Leander
Karin Modig
Kristian Dreij
Lydia Kwak
Maria Kippler
Nanna Fyhrqvist
Olena Gruzieva
Pernilla Wiebert
Donghao Lu
Andrea Montano Montes, doctoral student
Libe Vilela, doctoral student
Jenny Svedman/ Selma Grönlund, HR
Åsa Lycke/ Kamilla Sagrelius, administrator

Meetings 2024

The meetings are at 9.00 -11.00 online through Zoom or at IMM.

• January 30
• March 6
• April 9
• June 18
• Aug 20
• Oct 21
• Nov 7

Admission of doctoral students at IMM

The KI process from recruitment to admission as doctoral student is described here

Additional information and forms are available here

"Green light" – approval of a supervisor before the start of recruitment of a new doctoral student

To get a "green light" means that the department given its approval to an intended principal supervisor to recruit a doctoral student. Intended supervisor should first complete the application form for green light and hand it to the administrator of doctoral education. The administrator will inform the supervisor when the green light has been granted. A new green light must be granted for each recruitment.

Recruitment of doctoral students

Doctoral students are recruited according to the KI guidelines.

Supervisors, who would like to recruit a doctoral student and have been granted ”green light” should contact the administrator of doctoral students.The supervisor completes the form "Establishment of doctoral position" and hands it to the administrator of doctoral students.

The supervisor will then be invited to present the doctoral project at a meeting with the Doctoral education group.

When the financing plan and the approval to announce the doctoral position has been accepted by the head of the department, the supervisor will be informed and will be supported by HR in the recruitment process.

In special cases announcement of the doctoral position is not required since the doctoral student is to complete the doctoral studies within the framework of employment by an employer other than KI or the student already has been selected in a competitive recruitment process. In these cases the supervisor hands in a certificate from the emloyer or documentation how the student has been selected, respectively, to the administrator of doctoral education.

When the financing plan and the approval to establish a doctoral position without announcement has been accepted by the head of department, the supervisor will be informed.

Application for admission

When a candidate has been selected, the form "Decision of admission to doctoral education" with attachments should be handed in to the administrator of doctoral education. Forms are available here

Please note that an SCB code for the research subject should be filled in on the form by the supervisor.

Individual study plan (ISP)

An ISP must be created in the ISP system no later than one month after the start of doctoral studies.

Since February 2021 all ISP are created digitally. Information about digital study plans.

ISP seminar

At the ISP seminar, the candidate presents the proposed individual study plan to the Doctoral Education Group. The seminar must contain the following elements:

• background, structure and aim of the research project, which is planned in the individual study plan
• timetable
• the learning objectives, which shall be fulfilled
• description of how the suggested supervisors are expected to contribute to the doctoral student’s education

The seminar is held in English and should be 10 minutes long. The candidate should send the PowerPoint presentation to the Director of doctoral education by email at least 1 day before the admissions seminar. The candidate will be asked to identify her/himself with a passport or Swedish ID card at the seminar. The principal supervisor, and if possible also the co-supervisors and the mentor (if already appointed) shall be present. After the presentation the Doctoral Education Group will discuss the plan with the candidate and supervisor(s). In case revisions are needed the candidate should make these in the digital ISP system. 

The members of the Doctoral Education Group are presented above. The ISP seminars are announced in the IMM and KI calendar and everyone is welcome to attend.

Annual follow-up for doctoral students at IMM

The individual study plan and the student's progress in the doctoral education must be followed-up in writing after the first and third year. After the second year a half-time review will be carried out instead.

Annual follow-up

The doctoral student should first check using Ladok that all the information in Ladok is updated. Information about Ladok.

The Director of doctoral education will review the annual follow-up and sign it in the system.

Additional information for the first annual follow-up

As a complement to the supervisor, an independent person shall be appointed to act as mentor to the doctoral student within a year of the admission.

The doctoral student should in the first annual follow-up add the name of the mentor in the ISP system, in case the mentor was not named already.

During the first year of studies, all doctoral students must take part in a centrally arranged introduction. At the latest when the annual follow-up is submitted the introduction should have been completed. Information on the introduction is available here

According to the KI rules a separate meeting between the doctoral student and the Director of doctoral education is held after one year of studies. The aim is to identify any possible uncertainty, to ensure that the doctoral education is proceeding according to plan, and to establish contact between the Director of doctoral education and the doctoral student. The doctoral student will be contacted by the study administrator to set up the meeting.

Half-time review for doctoral students at IMM

The half-time review should be carried out two years after admission or when two years of full-time doctoral education or the equivalent has been completed.

Information of the half-time review is available here

Application for half-time review

The doctoral student should first check that all the information in Ladok is updated. 

In case something is missing, please hand in the form for form 13 (Application for credit transfer) or form 16 (Reporting of credit-bearing activities).

The doctoral student notifies the department of an up-coming half-time review by filling in part 1 of Form 5, Half-time review, and giving it to the administrator of doctoral education at the department. A Ladok transcript is attached. 

The form signed by the doctoral student and the supervisor should be handed to the administrator for doctoral education at least 4 weeks before the planned half-time review.

The Director of doctoral education will review and sign the application. The doctoral student and the principal supervisor will receive by e-mail a copy of the signed application.

Room for half-time seminar and follow-up meeting

The doctoral student and supervisor should contact the administrator for doctoral education for help with booking a room for the half-time seminar and follow-up meeting.

Documents to the half-time review board

Information on documents to be sent to the half-time review board is available here

Announcement of the half-time review in the KI and IMM calendar

The administrator for doctoral education will announce the half-time review in the KI and IMM calendar.

Half-time review protocol

The doctoral student or supervisor should hand in the half-time review protocol signed by the half-time review board to the administrator for doctoral education, who will see to that it is reviewed by the director of doctoral education. The half-time review is thereafter registered in Ladok.

Reporting of credit-bearing activities and credit transfer at IMM

Reporting of conferences, seminars/journal clubs, research at another university and teaching

Use form 16, reporting of credit-bearing activities. Hand in the form with attachments to the administrator for doctoral education. The form is available here

Reporting of course taken outside Karolinska Institutet

Use form 13, application for credit transfer. Hand in the form with attachments to the administrator for doctoral education. The form is available here

Information on credit transfer is available here

Reporting of activity and means of support at IMM

At the end of each semester the administrator for doctoral education will contact all doctoral students and ask them to fill in the form reporting of activity and means of support. The form should be sent to the administrator. The form is available here

Dissertation at IMM

Information on the thesis defence process is available here

Room for dissertation and examination board meeting

The doctoral student and supervisor should contact the administrator for doctoral education for help with booking rooms for the dissertation and examination board meeting.

Public defence application

The doctoral student should contact the administrator for doctoral education to receive copies of the half-time review protocol.

The doctoral student should make an appointment with the Director of doctoral education as well as with the Head of department for the review and approval of the application.

Announcement of the dissertation in the KI and IMM calendar

The doctoral student should inform the administrator for doctoral education of the date for dissertation. The administrator will then announce the dissertation in the KI and IMM calendar.

Travel and hotel for opponent and examination board

The supervisor should make reservations for any travel and hotel for opponent and examination board via the person responsible for travel booking at the doctoral student’s unit.

Fee for opponent

The supervisor should arrange for payment of fee for opponent and decision on tax status for opponent from abroad, via IMM HR.

Flowers and refreshments at dissertation

The supervisor should arrange for any flowers at dissertation, refreshments at examination board meeting and after dissertation via the person responsible for ordering at the doctoral student’s unit.

Transcript of public defence

The supervisor should hand in signed transcript of public defence (form 11) to the administrator for doctoral education after the dissertation.

Change of supervisors

Use form 15 Change of supervisors

Hand in the form to the administrator for doctoral education. The Director of doctoral education and the Head of the department will review and sign the application. The form is available here