Advisory Boards
Doctoral researchers are encouraged to establish a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) during their PhD. In addition to the supervisor(s), TAC members may include advisors as well as academics from other institutions.
Advisors* may serve on TACs either by providing specialized expertise or by contributing to the review of a doctoral project’s development.
Further information on the role, composition, and organization of TACs is provided below.
*Advisors cannot act as the primary supervisor of PhD researchers. In a few exceptional cases, they may be eligible for co-supervision.
Advisors
Dr. Andrea Lemnaru-Espuna
Project: Cosmic Sympathy in Neoplatonism
Advisor in Ancient Philosophy (Neoplatonism), Philosophy of Religions, Philosophy of Nature and Comparative Philosophy
AoC: Philosophy of Religion, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Nature
Research Profile
Damien Aleksiev, PhD
Project: Explanatory Gaps as a Guide to Reality
Advisor in Philosophy of Mind (Metaphysiics of Consciousness), Metaphysics (Grounding)
AoC: Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science
Research Profile
Dr. Qiushi Bao
Project: The Aristotelian Thinking under the Triple Scheme
Advisor in Ancient Greek Psychology and Epistemology
AoC: Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology
Research Profile
Dr. Ali Emre Benli
Advisor in Applied Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy
AoC: Ethics, Political Philosophy
Dr. Nevim Borçin
Project: Ethical Methodology in Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics
Advisor in Ancient Philosophy (Aristotle), Ancient Ethics and Political Philosophy
AoC: Ancient Philosophy, Contemporary Virtue Ethics
Research Profile
Dr. Leonie N. Bossert
Advisor in Normative Applied Ethics (Environmental, Animal, Climate, AI Ethics), Moral Theory, Political Philosophy (Theories of Justice, More-than-human Democracies, Interspecies Justice)
AoC: Normative Ethics, Moral Theory, Political Philosophy
Research Profile
Dr. Gregor Greslehner
Advisor in Philosophy of Biology
AoC: General Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Research Profile
Dr. Niels de Haan
Project: The Ethics of Praising and Blaming Group Agents
Advisor in Social and Political Philosophy, Ethics, Meta-Ethics, Philosophy of Action
AoC: Moral Responsibility, Collective Responsibility, Collective Action
Research Profile
Dr. Keith Raymond Harris
Advisor in social Epistemology, Applied Epistemology, and Philosophy of Technology
AoC: Philosophy of Mind
Research Profile
Solmeng-Jonas Hirschi, PhD
Project: Magna Moralia: Critical Edition, Translation and Commentary
Advisor in Ancient Philosophy
AoE: Ancient Ethics (Plato, Epicurus, Philodemus, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca), Text Criticism (Greek and Latin)
Research Profile
Alice van't Hoff, PhD
Advisor in Metaphysics (Ontology and Metaontology), Parsimony, Generality
AoC: Epistemology, Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Research Profile
Dr. Anne Sophie Meincke
Project: Bio-Agency and Natural Freedom
Advisor in Metaphysics, Philosophy of Biology, Philosophy of Mind and Action, History of Philosophy (Aristotle, Kant, Bergson, Heidegger, Jonas)
AoC: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Biology, Philosophy of Mind and Action
Research Profile
Erik Kuravsky, PhD
Project: Ontological Creativity
Advisor in Phenomenology, Embodied Cognition, Kant
AoC: 20th Century Continental Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Dr. Franziska Poszler
Project: AI Ethics in Healthcare
Advisor in AI Ethics, Qualitative Research
AoC: AI Ethics, Moral Psychology, AI Chatbots
Research Profile
Audrey Powers, PhD
Advisor in Metaethics, Ethics
AoC: Metaphysics, Feminist Philosophy
Research Profile
Elek Lane, PhD
Advisor in Philosophy of Language and Linguistics, Philosophy of Mind, Early Analytic Philosophy (Wittgenstein)
AoC: Social Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
Research Profile
Richard Lawrence, PhD
Project: Frege among the Formalists
Advisor in Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Logics, Philosophy of Language
AoC: Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Mathematical Logic, Technology and Ethics
Research Profile
Olof Leffler, PhD
Project: Reason, Value, and Group Agency
Advisor in Metaethics, Collective Ethics, Philosophy of Action and Social Ontology
AoC: Metaethics, Normative Ethics, Philosophy of Action
Research Profile
Dr. David Wagner
Advisor in Aesthetics (18th century, British, French), 20th century analytical aesthetics (Danto, Walton), Cavell, Peirce, Wittgenstein
AoC: Aesthetics
Research Profile
Thesis Advisory Committees
A Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) supports doctoral researchers by providing expert feedback, monitoring progress and supervisory practices, and dicussing career plans and potential challenges.
A TAC normally includes:
- the doctoral researcher
- the supervisor(s)
- one or two additional members, such as advisors or external academics.
Establishing a TAC
- The composition of the TAC should be discussed and agreed with the supervisor(s).
- Once members have agreed to participate, the doctoral researcher should inform the VDP of the committee’s composition.
- TAC members are expected to follow the VDP Code of Practice.
Meetings
The TAC should meet at least once per semester. Meetings are organized by the doctoral researcher and usually include:
- a short presentation of the project and progress
- discussion and feedback from TAC members
- a review of progress and plans for the next stage
- brief closed discussions (without the supervisor and/or without the doctoral researcher) if desired.
Roles of the TAC
- reviews the progress of the doctoral project
- advises the doctoral researcher and supervisor(s)
- helps ensure that expectations, resources, and timelines are aligned
- identifies challenges or bottlenecks
- provides guidance on publications, thesis development, and career planning
- offers a protected space for discussion and conflict resolution if necessary
Topics for TAC Meetings
- What are the PhD candidate’s goals, achievements, and current challenges?
- Is the candidate on track to develop as an independent researcher?
- Is the research plan realistic and feasible within the proposed timeline?
- Are the expectations and perceptions of progress of the candidate and supervisor(s) aligned?
- Are regular supervision meetings taking place?
- Are resources, guidance, and institutional support adequate?
- What are the plans for publications, thesis writing, and defense?
- What has been the major progress since the last meeting?
- What bottlenecks or risks might affect the project?
- What are the goals for the next phase of the project?
- How can the TAC support the candidate’s career development and future plans?
Recognition
The VDP can issue certificates to TAC members