TUM Supervisory Award – FAQs

Can I also nominate my scientific group leader if he or she is not a professor / my formal principle supervisor?

Yes, besides professors also post-docs, such as group leaders etc. who are responsible for the supervision of your doctoral thesis and thus act as supervisor can be nominated for the TUM Supervisory Award.

I am conducting my research at a TUM adjunct institution (e.g. Helmholtz, Frauenhofer,…), can I also nominate my supervisor for the TUM Supervisory Award?

Yes, if you are (or have been) a member of the TUM Graduate School, you are entitled to submit a nomination. However, your nominated supervisor must be either a professor or a post-doc who is a current employee of TUM.

I have already graduated. Can I still nominate my supervisor?

Besides current members of the TUM Graduate School, also past members who left the TUM Graduate School within the last calendar year can nominate their supervisors. In case you left the TUM Graduate School by finishing your doctoral studies, the date of your defense is decisive which must be later than January 1st, of the previous year.

I am conducting my research at Institution X, but I am a member of the Graduate Center Y and my supervisor is affiliated to Departement Z. Where should I nominate?

As the TUM Supervisory Award is at the first phase decided on the level of the Graduate Centers, your membership at the Graduate Center is decisive. In the example above, you must send your nomination to the managers of your Graduate Center Y.

In our group, more than 3 doctoral candidates want to support the nomination of our supervisor. Should we submit multiple nominations?

You can, but it is not recommended for the following reason: Multiple nominations of the same supervisor will be eliminated in Stage I and only the most promising one advances to Phase II (if any). In Phase II, only one of the nominators is invited to justify/promote the nomination. So put more effort in one good nomination, because only a single person will be invited in any case. Nevertheless, include three names in the nomination sheet to show the broad support of this nomination.

Are members of the Graduate Council also allowed to nominate their supervisor?

Yes. However, if they do, they are released from their duties throughout the selection process.

Do spaces count for the character limit in the nomination sheet?

Yes.