For the public defence of a doctoral thesis at the Faculty o f Science, the following applies:

  • Date and time for the defence are to be booked with the Student Affairs Office. The defence shall take place during the period 15 August – 15 June.  
  • The department books a room for the defence.
  • A completed defence form with proposals on the opponent, examining committee, the chairperson for the defence and the contact person must be sent in to disputation@science.su.se by the head of department or by the person formally appointed as responsible for the third cycle education subject, 7-10 weeks before the defence, i.e. 4-7 weeks before the thesis publication.
  • The opponent and members of the examining committee should have qualification required for appointment as an associate professor. Both men and women should be represented on the examining committee. The proposals must be motivated.  
  • The examining committee shall consist of three members, who are independent of each other and should therefore come from different academic environments (academic environment refers to a department, a part of a larger department or a close cooperation between parts of two or more departments or an equivalent grouping). A backup member must be appointed. Of these four, at least two shall have their activities located outside Stockholm University and no more than one may come from the same department as the respondent. The examining committee may be expanded to five members in the event of special reasons.  
  • The backup member shall be able to replace all members on the examining committee.  
  • The examining committee’s collective expertise shall be such that a careful academic examination of the thesis can be done.
  • At least one member of the examining committee shall be familiar with the Swedish system for the defence of a doctoral thesis.  
  • Retired teachers and researchers, who should conduct research, may be appointed as opponents or members of examining committees. No more than one retired teacher or researcher shall be appointed in the constellation external expert-examining committee.
  • A teacher employed at the university with qualification required for appointment as an associate professor shall be appointed as the chairperson for the public defence. The chairperson shall not be on the examining committee.  
  • The chairperson for the defence or another permanent employee at the university may be appointed as the contact person for the opponent and examining committee.
  • Anyone appointed as the opponent, member of the examining committee, chairperson for the defence or the contact person may not have a conflict of interest relative to either the respondent or the supervisor.  
  • Any circumstance that harms the confidence in impartial action can be considered a disqualifying conflict of interest. The university’s rule book describes legislation regarding rules on disqualification, as well as some examples. Examples of disqualification situations are also in the Swedish Research Council’s guidelines for the handling of conflicts of interest.
  • The thesis shall be published in DiVA at least three weeks before the defence. The period 16 June - 14 August shall not be included in this announcement period.  
  • The department is responsible for the thesis being sent to the opponent and examining committee.
  • For questions regarding the opponent, examining committee and chairperson for the defence, contact disputation@science.su.se