Advisory Services

How to handle difficult phases during your PhD

As PhD students, you may be confronted with many demanding tasks during your PhD, as integration into a new research group, dealing with stress and diverging expectations, etc. If you feel unhappy in your situation and you have difficulties in rectifying the situation by discussions in the group and with your supervisor, become active in order to avoid hardening of your situation. The MIM Program offers a variety of advisory services for their members. All information provided will be treated as confidential!

- The student representatives and coordinator offers consultation and advice, listen to you, try to help analyzing your situation and put you in touch with persons who might have faced and successfully resolved a similar situation

Contact details: Corina Hadjicharalambous ()

- MIM Ombudsperson: If you like to discuss your issue with an experienced and neutral former PI, contact Prof. em. Hauke Hennecke preferably by e-mail. He is here to support and advice you in situations that are problematic and if requested by you, a mediation between the involved parties will be arranged.

Contact details: Hans-Martin Fischer

- Your mentor: all PhD students may profit from a one-to-one mentoring in social and professional issues by more experienced PhD students and Alumni. Your mentor is familiar with the circumstances at the university and will give you advice about your options of how to deal with particular situations. For more information on the MIM mentoring, please follow this link:

- PhD committee: You are supervised by a PhD Committee which ideally not only supports you in professional issues, but also on a more personal level. Specific issues can be discussed at the yearly meeting in absence of your supervisor (this opportunity is given to you by the chair of the meeting).

Additionally, professional counseling services are available (free of charge) to all PhD students and staff, offered by the Psychological Counseling Services PBS of UZH and ETH. Please check their website at external pagehttp://www.pbs.uzh.ch/en.html