Practical Guide For PHD Candidates at Epfl: Version: August 12, 2008

Practical Guide
for PhD Candidates at EPFL
Version: August 12, 2008

Practical Guide for PhD Candidates at EPFL,
Association du Corps Intermédiaire de l’EPFL.
This is not an official guide. For all updates on academic information, please refer to the Doctoral
School web site (phd.epfl.ch)
Background picture on the cover page by Alain Herzog, EPFL

c ACIDE, EPFL 2006, 2008
Last revision: August 12, 2008

Welcome
Dear PhD candidates,
Embarking on a PhD is a wonderful experience at the crossroads of

fundamental sciences and engineering. It could be that you feel
like it is sailing on uncharted seas. This guide is meant to be a
compass to help you find the shore. As the "Association du Corps
Intermédiaire de l’EPFL", ACIDE is committed to serve our
community of researchers and PhD candidates alike. In that
perspective, it has conceived this guide to provide some answers
to the most frequent questions and problems that PhD candidates
could face. We hope that you will find the information you are
looking for and never found elsewhere before. Should you still
have unanswered questions or unsolved problems, don’t hesitate
to contact a member of ACIDE; we will be pleased to assist you.
ACIDE wishes you to spend on our campus some very fruitful years,
rich in learning and exciting discoveries.
by the ACIDE committee.

c Jean Berney.
iii
Foreword
Dear Doctoral students
It is with great pleasure, and also a sense of great responsibility,

that I welcome you to the EPFL campus. You are our future! Your
contribution to the EPFL will have an impact far beyond the confines
of our campus and our research community. Your ingenuity, curiosity,
motivation – and yes, hard work – will result in research
advances, discoveries and perhaps even innovations that could change
our world.
The time you spend in the classroom and laboratory with bachelor’s
and master’s students is an important part of your preparation for
an academic career, and an important part of their student
experience as well. You may be surprised at how rich a source of
contacts and ideas those hours turn out to be.
The PhD is an intense and sometimes exhausting experience, one in

which you are taking the first steps towards defining the contours
of your future professional career. This is your chance to stretch
yourself intellectually. Take the plunge. Immerse yourself; don’t
hesitate to suggest new ideas, to question current wisdom, to push
back frontiers. Take advantage of every possibility to learn, and
enjoy the excitement of discovery.
Through our newly developed Doctoral School, we will do our best to

meet your needs and to offer you a work environment that measures up
to the talent you are bringing to our institution. As a member of
the Doctoral School, you can take high-level specialized courses in
your field of study and broaden your knowledge with coursework in
complementary areas. The Doctoral School itself forms a community
within EPFL, one in which you can meet with other PhD students to
share ideas and provide mutual support, inspiration, and
intellectual stimulation.
I speak on behalf of the entire EPFL community when I extend a warm

welcome to our campus. I hope that your years at EPFL will be a
richly rewarding experience.
by Patrick Aebischer, President of the EPFL.
iv
PhD lexicon & List of abbreviations
The PhD lexicon
In order to better understand the EPFL documents concerning the
doctorate, which are sometimes exclusively in French, we provide you
with a small English-French lexicon for the most important
expressions:
Dean Doyen
Doctoral degree Doctorat
Employment specifications Cahier des charges
Enrolment Immatriculation
Entrance examination / Qualifying examination Examen d’admission
Member of the thesis jury Rapporteur de thèse
Microprocessor card CArtes à MIcroPROcesseur (CAMIPRO)
Oral thesis defense (closed committee) Examen oral
PhD graduate Docteur ès Science
PhD candidate Doctorant
Public thesis presentation Soutenance publique de thèse
Research assistant Assistant
Research plan Plan de recherche
School Faculté
Student Étudiant
Thesis supervisor Directeur de thèse
Unemployment insurance Assurance chômage
Vice-President of academic affairs Vice-président pour les affaires académiques
Work certificate Certificat de travail
List of abbreviations
There is a large list of abbreviations and acronyms in use at EPFL
to denominate Institutes, Associations etc. To facilitate the
newcomer the entrance into this slang, we will shortly give a
compilation of the most important ones.
v
ACIDE Association du corps intermédiaire de l’EPFL
SAC Service academique
MER Maître d’enseignement et de recherche
BSc Bachelor of Science
MSc Master of Science
EDOC Doctoral School
CdH College of Humanities
CdM College of Management of Technology
ENAC School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering
SB School of Basic Sciences
STI School of Engineering Sciences and Techniques
SV School of Life Sciences
IC School of Computer and Communication Sciences
vi
Contents
Welcome iii
Foreword iv
PhD lexicon & List of abbreviations v
Contents vii
1 Introduction 1
2 Structure and organization of EPFL 3

2.1 General organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Schools, Sections and Institutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Doctoral School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 PhD, what does it mean? 13

3.1 How to become a researcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Motivations and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Motivations and involvements: 15 personal viewpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3.1 Eight junior PhD candidates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3.2 Three recent graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.3.3 Four professors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4 Admission & Enrolment in Doctoral School 23

4.1 Time flow of a thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.2 Why a Doctoral School? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.3 Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.4 Enrolment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.5 Choosing topic and supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.5.1 Choosing a topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.5.2 Choosing a supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.6 Research plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.7 Courses of the Doctoral Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.8 Entrance examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.9 Final admission to the thesis preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5 Progression of a thesis 30
5.1 How long is a PhD at EPFL? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.2 You and your supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.3 Group meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.4 Working in the lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.5 Safety in the Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.6 Working as teaching assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.6.1 A short summary of EPFL’s school system: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.6.2 Tips for teaching assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.7 Exchange programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
vii
5.8 Protection of results and technology transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.9 Publications of results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.10 Annual report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.11 Thesis writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.12 Registration for the exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.13 Choice of the jury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.14 Submission of the manuscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.15 Oral thesis defense (closed committee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.16 Submission of the final print version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.17 Public thesis presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.18 Publication of the Thesis on the net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.19 Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6 You and your employment 44

6.1 Financing doctoral studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6.2 Employment conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6.3 Salary and taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.4 Employment specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.5 Vacations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.6 Additional resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
7 How to successfully cope with the world of research 47

7.1 Management of your thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
7.2 Did you say problems? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
7.3 Networking - do not stay alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
7.4 Active participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
7.5 How to deal with stress? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
7.5.1 Reducing stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 53
9 You and your future (outside EPFL) 55

9.1 Job search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
9.1.1 Post-doc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
9.1.2 Creation of a start-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
9.1.3 Private sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
9.2 And if I don’t find a job? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
10 Safety and Environment 59
11 At your service 61
11.1 CAMIPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
11.2 GASPAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
11.3 Sports facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
11.4 Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
11.5 Language center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
11.6 Social Services - The (HELP) program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
11.6.1 ‘La Main Tendue’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
11.6.2 Social advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
11.6.3 Psychological support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
11.6.4 Mediation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
11.7 Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
11.8 Academic service (or SAC for ‘Service Académique’) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
11.9 Associations and exchange forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
11.10 Day-care centers - nurseries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
11.11 Equal Opportunities Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
viii
12 Especially for PhD candidates from abroad 70
12.1 Switzerland, Lausanne, a quick glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
12.1.1 Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
12.1.2 Lausanne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
12.2 Passport, visa & residence permit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
12.3 Traveling and transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
12.4 Accommodation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
12.5 Getting your phone line installed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
12.6 Cost of living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
12.7 Insurances, health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
12.8 Bank account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
12.9 If you have children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
12.10 If you have a car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
12.11 You work at EPFL, but you live in France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
12.12 Reading list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
13 Useful adresses 78
13.1 Where to stay the first week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
13.2 Emergency call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Appendix 80
13.3 Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
13.4 Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Bibliography 82
ix
1
Introduction
Hi!
First of all congratulations for your decision to do a PhD at EPFL, a place of natural beauty that
will offer you everything you can expect from a renowned top-level technical university.
The next four years will probably be among the most intensive of your life. You will invest a large
part of your personal effort and time in your thesis. Moments of delight will alternate with moments
of discouragement.
You will get to know lots of interesting people and make friends who will probably stay your
friends forever.
As in all real adventures, the final destination of your research is not known before you will arrive.
That is what makes research a great experience - day by day. Enjoy!
The goal of this guide is to provide PhD candidates with useful and up-to-date information that
covers all the different aspects of a thesis at EPFL. Where available we refer to existing web sites in
order to give you access to the most up-to-date and detailed information.
This guide comprises most of what you need to know, from the enrolment to the choice of your
topic, until the defense. This is a guide written by PhD candidates for PhD candidates. We will tell
you how things really are. Knowing that a large number of the PhD candidates at EPFL come from
abroad, we dedicated a whole chapter to them.
We hope you will find it useful and wish you a diverting reading.
David Leuenberger and the PhD Board of , Lausanne, December 2004
1
Acknowledgements A guide such as this cannot be produced without the assistance of many peo-
ple. We would like to thank the PhD commission of ACIDE (Sébastien Ambert, Camille Boucarut,
Robin Ewans, Florian Seydoux and Wajd Zimmermann), the members of the Committee of ACIDE
(special thanks to Pierre-André Haldi), the deanship of the Doctoral School (Sandra Jacot-Descombes,
Hélène Moriggi and the Dean of the Doctoral School, Andreas Mortensen) as well as AVETH, the As-
sociation of scientific staff at ETH Zürich.
Thanks to Lars Kappei, Grégoire Pépiot, Emile Dupont and Amanda Prorok for writing parts of
this document and for providing the final corrections.
Disclaimer This booklet is produced for information only and does not pretend to be exhaustive.
Every effort has been made to ensure that it is accurate at time of publishing. However ACIDE is not
bound by any error or omission therein.
2
2
Structure and organization of EPFL
2.1 General organization
Situated in the heart of Europe, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (École Poly-
technique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL) is, with its sister school in Zürich, one of Europe’s leading
institutions of science and technology.
The wide EPFL campus is located close to the shore of ‘Lac Léman’ (also known as Lake of Geneva).
At time of writing (2005), it comprises 5000 000 m2 of top research facilities, 4900 bachelor (BSc) and
master (MSc) students, 1400 PhD candidates and 2200 staff members.
Figure 2.1: Air-side view of EPFL campus
With some 100 nationalities represented on its campus and around 50 % of its teaching staff
originating from abroad, mainly Europe and America, the EPFL has a truly international flavour 1
2.2 Schools, Sections and Institutes

The EPFL is partitioned in seven Schools (or Faculties) covering different scientific disciplines.
Each School may comprise different Sections for undergraduate teaching. All bachelor (BSc) and
master (MSc) students at EPFL are affiliated to a School and a Section.
In the same manner, each School generally comprises several Institutes, covering different branches
of research. Institutes are usually made up of a number of Laboratories (also called Groups).
1 It is even the school with the strongest international character in the world according to the Times Magazine ranking
(November 2004).
3
The scientific staff at EPFL is affiliated to these research units (School/Institute/Laboratory). Teach-
ing for PhD candidates is organized in the framework of the Doctoral School. The Doctoral School is
independent of the above mentioned structure, and offers around 20 different Doctoral Programs.
The following table will give you an overview of the seven Schools and their affiliated bachelor
(BSc) and master (MSc) teaching and research partitions (Sections and Institutes).
• Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)
‘Design and build together’
Teaching : Research:
. Section of Architecture (SAR) . Institute of Architecture (IA)

. Section of Civil Engineering (SGC) . Structural Engineering Institute (IS)
. Section of Environmental Sciences and . Institute of Urban and Regional Plan-
Engineering (SSIE) ning & Design (INTER)
. Institute of Infrastructures, Resources
and Environment (ICARE)
. Environmental Science and Technology
Institute (ISTE)
. Hosted units
• Computer and Communication Sciences (IC)
‘Knowledge for freedom’
. Section of Computer Science (SIN) . Institute of Core Computing Science

. Section of Communication Systems (IIF)
(SSC) . Institute of Computing and Multimedia
Systems (ISIM)
. Institute of Communication Systems
(ISC)
. Mobile Information and Communica-
tion Systems (MICS )
. Centers, Groups
4
• Basic Sciences (SB)
. Section of Chemistry and Chemical En- . Institute of Chemical Sciences and En-
gineering (SCGC) gineering (ISIC)
. Section of Mathematics (SMA) . Institute of Analysis and Scientific
. Section of Physics (SPH) Computing (IACS)
. Institute of Mathematics (IMA)
. Institute of Mathematics B (IMB)
. Institute of Geometry, Algebra and
Topology (IGAT)
. Institute of Physics of Energy and Parti-
cles (IPEP)
. Institute of Physics of Complex Matter
(IPMC)
. Institute of Physics of Nanostructures
(IPN)
. Institute of Quantum Photonics and
Electronics (IPEQ)
. Institute of Theoretical Physics (ITP)
. Interdisciplinary Center for Electron
Microscopy (CIME)
. Plasma Physics Research Center
(CRPP)
. Quantum Photonics (NCCR)
• Engineering Sciences and Techniques (STI)
‘The meeting point of science and engineering’
. Section of electrical and electronical en- . Institute of Transmissions, Waves and

gineering (SEL) Photonics (ITOP)
. Section of mechanical engineering . Signal Processing Institute (ITS)
(SGM) . Institute of Energy Sciences (ISE)
. Section of materials science and engi- . Institute of Materials (IMX)
neering (SMX) . Institute of Applied Optics (IOA)
. Section of microengineering (SMT) . Institute of Microelectronics and Mi-
crosystems (IMM)
. Institute of Production and Robotics
(IPR)
. Institute of Systems Engineering (I2S)
. Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMI)
. Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME)
5
• Life Sciences (SV)
. Section of Life Sciences (SSV) . Integrative Bioscience Institute &

Biotechnology (IBI)
. Brain Mind Institute (BMI)
. Institute of Developmental Genomics
(IGD)
. Center for Neuroscience and Technol-
ogy (CNT)
. Center for the Study of Living Systems
(CAV)
. Swiss Institute for Experimental Can-
cer Research (ISREC) (situated in
Epalinges, Lausanne)
• The College of Humanities (CdH)
• The College of Management of Technology (CdM)
. Institute of Logistics Economics and

Management of Technology (ILEMT)
6
2.3 Doctoral School
Doctoral Programs are organized independently of the vertical structure of Schools, Sections and In-
stitutes. A given Doctoral Program may cover teaching fields normally associated to different Schools.
Doctoral Programs have been introduced at EPFL in 2003. Since January 2006, all doctoral candidates
at EPFL have to be enrolled in a Doctoral Program.
A Doctoral Program pools resources of a grouping of research units around a scientific discipline.
It organizes the recruitment of its PhD candidates, provides them with an administrative and intellec-
tual hub on campus and offers them a menu of advanced courses. Courses of EPFL’s Doctoral School
are listed in EPFL’s Doctoral School course book. Beside his (or her) PhD research project, each PhD
candidate belonging to a program, has to obtain a minimum of twelve credits (one credit generally
corresponds to 14 hours of educational training).2
Each Program is headed by a Director and is run by a secretariat and a committee. The Doctoral
School is headed by a Dean and run by the Doctoral Commission (http://phd.epfl.ch/page55525.html).
More informations on the organization of the Doctoral School can be found on the official web site of
the Doctoral School: http://phd.epfl.ch/
You may choose among the following Doctoral Programs:
• Architecture, City, History (EDAR)

As is the case in other disciplines, architecture is confronted nowadays with issues and chal-
lenges which necessitate applying both increasing skills and new approaches. The principal
aim of this program is to supply methodological support for a multidisciplinary approach to
the relationships between architecture and the city whilst at the same time bringing to light a
whole range of emerging problems created by changes in the current urban and architectural
milieux. This doctoral program also attempts to encourage the use of novel approaches and in
particular to create links between research and the processes of urban and architectural design
through the application of the notion of a doctoral project.
• Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cancer (EDBC)
One out of three persons develops cancer during his or her lifetime and unfortunately the di-
sease can be cured in only half of the cases. Cancer remains therefore a major challenge to
experimental biology, which aims at elucidating the causes of this disease, and providing the
basis for new therapeutic progress. The Doctoral Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology of
Cancer is a joint program between ISREC-EPFL, DB-UNIL (Department of Biochemistry of the
Lausanne University) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) and benefits from
interactions between these institutions. The program provides training and research opportu-
nities to highly motivated graduate students in key areas of modern biology useful to tackle the
problem of cancer from different angles. These areas include cell biology, developmental biol-
ogy, computational biology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular genetics, virology and par-
asitology. This broad fundamental training can be used to pursue careers beyond the domain
of cancer biology and allows specialization through the personalized selection of cutting-edge
courses. PhD candidates develop a project in the context of a host laboratory and learn how to
creatively contribute to the advancement of science.
• Biotechnology and Bioengineering (EDBB)
The Doctoral Program in Biotechnology and Bioengineering aims to provide doctoral students
the education necessary to be leaders in the fast-growing industrial and academic biotechnol-
ogy and bioengineering sectors. This includes a depth in knowledge and competence in their
specific research area as well as a breadth in knowledge of biology, bioengineering, and biotech-
nology. The combination of coursework, research, thesis committee meetings and exams, and
participation in international conferences will form the basis of this education. The program
themes include genomics and proteomics,biomolecular engineering and biomaterials, stem cell
biotechnology, neural engineering and therapeutics, biochemical engineering, orthopedic engi-
neering, biomechanics, biorheology, and mechanobiology, cell biophysics, computational biol-
ogy, biomedical imaging,molecular and cell, andtissue engineering.
2 The same definition of credit at the BSc and MSc level.
7
• Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (EDCH)
This program trains chemical engineers and molecular scientists through academical research.
It offers a large selection of in-door and out-door graduate courses.
All modern aspects of molecular sciences including biotechnology, biophysical chemistry, mole-
cular biology, bioorganic and bioinorganic chemistry, preparative inorganic and organic che-
mistry, natural product and target synthesis, glycochemistry and glycobiology, catalysis, organo-
metallic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry, molec-
ular modelling, electrochemistry, spectroscopy, analytical chemistry, photonics and surface sci-
ences can be studied.
The molecular sciences are the fundamentals for life sciences and material sciences.
Our school gives the possibility to chemists, biochemists and engineers to become experts in
the manufacturing of sophisticated substances and materials of high-added value applying the
methods of modern chemistry, chemical engineering and biotechnology.
The Doctoral Program benefits from the collaboration with the neighboring Universities of Lau-
sanne and Geneva and from a special partnership with the "École Polytechnique", Palaiseau
near Paris, and the Universities of Paris 6, Paris 11, Bordeaux , (France), and Louvain-la-Neuve
(Belgium).
• Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (EDIC)
EPFL offers an interdisciplinary program for doctoral studies in computer, communication and
information sciences.
The program includes seminars, advanced course study and personal research:
- A variety of seminars introduce the research problems of current interest in many fields.
- A series of advanced courses aim at equipping the PhD candidates with the advanced tech-
niques that may be useful in attacking the research problems. The major part of the study is
original research, conducted under the direct supervision of a faculty member and resulting in
a PhD thesis.
The research areas covered by this program are manyfold, at the crossing of Computer Science,
Electrical Engineering, Information Technologies, Communication, Mathematics and Life Scien-
ces. Browsing through the list of thesis directors and research groups will give you a better idea
of our activities.
This PhD program is in English and offers a very international environment.
• Energy (EDEY)
The design, development and management of energy systems that will meet the needs of a
growing human population without inconsiderately wasting precious unrenewable resources
and without irreversibly damaging our natural environment - in brief, sustainable energy sys-
tems - is one of the most important and crucial challenges facing Humanity in the 21st century.
The objective of the doctoral program in Energy is to provide an educational environment that
should help EPFL PhD candidates to develop the ability to contribute to the advancement of sci-
ence and technology through creative research in various fields of energy. The program aims at
educating PhD candidates to use scientific and engineering principles and tools in fundamental
and applied research in the domain of energy science, including the analysis, design and oper-
ation of energy systems to solve problems across a wide spectrum of potential applications and
scientific disciplines. Therefore, the curriculum emphasizes basic concepts and methodologies
more than particular applications. The Ph.D. in Energy is a specialized degree built on a broad
base of physics, mathematics and engineering science. The course program concerns advanced
concepts under development in energy sciences and specialized studies in areas relevant to the
PhD candidate’s research focus.
• Environment (EDEN)
The natural, architectural and built environment presents a great challenge to scientists, engi-
neers and architects of the 21st century: impending climate changes (greenhouse effect, ozone
layer), increased natural risks (geological catastrophes, inundations), preservation of the equi-
librium of the biosphere (ecosystems, biodiversity), the gradual depletion of natural resources
8
(fossil energy, subsoil) and the continuing degradation of our environment (air and water pol-
lution, soil contamination) are central preoccupations of the doctoral program "Environment"
of the EPFL. Thanks to a large and diversified offer of modular courses, PhD candidates will
acquire solid scientific and methodological knowledge that will allow them to tackle complex
environmental problems in the framework of their doctoral thesis. The global and interdisci-
plinary aspects of environmental issues are fully taken into account in this doctoral program, as
it spans a large part of the activities of the EPFL School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental
Engineering (ENAC) as well as some of the EPFL School of Basic Sciences (SB).
• Manufacturing Systems and Robotics (EDPR)
The ability to produce goods meeting people’s needs and wishes in an economically efficient
way, while preserving natural and environmental resources is essential to the well-being and
stability of every society. The fields of manufacturing systems and robotics are at the core of
this challenge. This is why this program focuses on them. Smart autonomous behavior, high
dynamics, precision and extreme miniaturization, flexibility and reliability, these are some of the
requirements for modern manufacturing and robotic systems. Design, development and mana-
gement of such systems call for increased integration of multidisciplinary skills and very high
scientific competences. The goals of the program "Manufacturing Systems and Robotics (MSR)
are to provide PhD candidates in manufacturing and robotics with the necessary theoretical
background through a diverse offering of graduate courses and to review current research and
state of the art in the field. The program and its courses thus serve as a multidisciplinary discus-
sion platform for graduate students providing impetus for their research and stimulating their
creativity.
• Materials Science and Engineering (EDMX)
Materials very often set the bounds for what can be achieved by man. Materials Science and
Engineering aims to push these bounds by investigating, understanding and engineering the
relations that exist between the microstructure, the synthesis and processing, the properties,
and the performance of all materials, i.e. of what we make all engineered structures from. It is
a highly multi-disciplinary field, situated at the forefront of modern science and technology.
9
Materials Science and Engineering is a strong focus of research at EPFL, and many PhD can-
didates are pursuing their thesis in this discipline. The EPFL Doctoral Program in Materials
offers the entryway, contacts to interesting research groups in and outside EPFL, and advanced
courses to EPFL’s PhD candidates in Materials. Research in Materials Science and Engineering
at EPFL encompasses essentially all classes of materials including metals, ceramics, polymers,
semi-conductors and composites, aimed at a wide array of applications that span from modern
microelectronic devices over hot blades of aircraft turbines to biomedical devices. Laboratories
active in Materials Science and Engineering at EPFL comprise the nine laboratories of EPFL’s
Institute of Materials and many laboratories within other research Institutes of the School of
Engineering Sciences, the School of Basic Sciences, the School of Architecture, Civil and En-
vironmental Engineering. Many of these courses are taught in common with other schools in
Switzerland or abroad like the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart and soon the KTH Graduate
School at the Brinell Center in Stockholm.
• Mathematics (EDMA)
Mathematics represents one of the highest peaks of human thought and achievement. Beautiful
though they may be, mathematical results are not merely museum-pieces, but also form a vital
underpinning for every branch of quantitative knowledge, including all domains of science and
engineering. Mathematics is in constant and vigorous development, driven both by its internal
dynamics and by the demands of other disciplines. The spectrum of mathematical research at
EPFL reflects both this vigour and this diversity. It ranges from fundamental domains such
as geometry and algebra, which despite their reputations as ’pure’ topics nonetheless have in-
creasingly important applications in areas such as communication systems, to more ’applied’
domains such as numerical modelling, statistical science, and operations research, in which re-
search is generally motivated by challenging real scientific and technological problems. EPFL
researchers conduct high-level investigations across a wide spectrum of contemporary math-
ematics and enjoy high international reputations for their work. The EPFL Doctoral Program
in Mathematics reflects this. It offers the point of entry and the administrative home for EPFL
doctoral candidates in mathematics, and provides them with advanced courses and training.
• Mechanics of Solids and Fluids (EDME)
The theme of this doctoral school is the nonlinear mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, energet-
ics) of large transformations of solids and fluid flows (geometric non-linearities), together with
the strength of materials (elasticity, viscoelasticity, elastoplasticity, damage, fracture) and the
rheology (viscosity) of non-Newtonian liquids (material non-linearities). Intermediate sub-
jects such as contact mechanics and tribology, fluid-solid interactions, phase transformations,
nonsmooth mechanics and multidisciplinary extensions such as thermomechanics, chemico-
mechanics, biomechanics are offered (and delivered according to PhD candidate demand). The
ambition of the program is to cover the theoretical formulation (functional, variational and
differential), the numerical simulation (space, time and matter discretisations) and the experi-
mental identification (heterogenous/anisotropic material testing, optical diagnostic techniques,
signal processing) of relevant mechanics problems. On the theoretical side, contemporary mul-
tiscale models (hierarchical, reduced...) and correlated micro-macro scale bridging methods
(homogeneisation...) are emphasized in several courses and proposed as thesis subjects. The
objective of the program is to form highly knowledgeable and innovative research scientists in
the modern aspects of continuum mechanics.
• Microsystems and Microelectronics (EDMI)
The EPFL Doctoral Program in Microsystems and Microelectronics offers the entryway, the ad-
ministrative home and advanced courses to EPFL’s doctoral candidates in Microsystems and
Microelectronics. Microelectronics forms one of the pillars of our industrial society. Thanks to
the hand-in-hand development of circuit design, technology development and advanced char-
acterisation techniques, integrated circuits have become ever more powerful, faster and more
functional. Modern microelectronics deals also with new phenomena and technologies to real-
ize nanometer size structures. Microsystems are devices and systems of very small dimensions,
like physical and chemical sensors, actuators, microfluidic circuits or micro-optical systems. The
field of Microsystems has developed into a multidisciplinary activity, where physics, chemistry,
biology and micro-and nano-technology converge.
10
• Neurosciences and Developmental Biology (EDNE)
The neurosciences have become an extremely exciting field in life science during the past decade:
important milestone discoveries about the nervous system have been made, and new technolo-
gies have become available. Despite these advances, how the brain as a whole is established
during development and how it really works still remains a mystery. The "Neuroscience and
Developmental Biology" PhD program (EDNE) is offered by participating research groups who
study a wide range of topics such as neurotransmission, neural development, neurodegenera-
tion and stem cell differentiation. The program is further strengthened by collaborative Neuro-
science research and training opportunities among universities in the entire Lake Leman area
(EPFL, University of Lausanne, University of Geneva). In particular, there is a close cooper-
ation between the EDNE doctoral program and the Neuroscience doctoral programs of those
two universities. Neuroscience Research at the EPFL encompasses the School of Life Sciences
and the Brain Mind Institute. This program offers many diverse and interdisciplinary research
opportunities. For example, several groups are investigating how networks of different neu-
rons are formed, and how these neurons communicate within the circuit. This is carried out by
electrophysiological approaches as well as by computational modelling. Other groups are try-
ing to elucidate the molecular causes of neurodegenerative diseases, and invent gene therapy
approaches for clinical application. Other research laboratories of the program study mecha-
nisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity during learning and memory. Finally, the pro-
gram includes groups who are interested in the differentiation of stem cells and their possible
therapeutic applications.
• Photonics (EDPO)
Photonics is playing a major role in our high-tech society, where it is key to applications such as
signal transmission and processing, imaging, quantum communication and quantum comput-
ing, metrology, biosensors, remote sensing,... This diversity exists also at EPFL, where photonics
is actively present in each school, from basic sciences to applied engineering. The doctoral pro-
gram in photonics was created as a trans-faculty program to take advantage of this fantastic re-
search spectrum. With professors covering many different facets of photonics, the PhD-students
have the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge in several chapters of photonics, while
being able to broaden their horizons by taking advantage of the diversity available on-site, a
definite asset for their future scientific career! EPFL is also the leading house for the National
Center for Competence in Research "Quantum Photonics", which unites researcher in photon-
ics from all around Switzerland. As a consequence, external professors to EPFL contribute to
the quality and diversity of the doctoral program in photonics. The number of courses taught
each year has been limited on purpose, and the courses have been selected to provide a solid
education in photonics over a 3 or 4 years period.
• Physics (EDPY)
The doctoral program in Physics offers the entryway, the administrative home and advanced
courses to EPFL’s doctoral candidates in physics. Possible thesis research subjects include to-
pics in condensed-matter, energy, astrophysics and biophysics. Solid matter at the nanoscale
is the principal research activity of the Institute of Nanostructure Physics. The seven laborato-
ries of the Institute of Physics of Complex Matter are involved in the study of nanostructures,
nano-mechanics, new electronic materials, thin films, mechanical spectroscopy, physics of X-
rays, cellular biophysics and biomechanics. The Plasma Research Center is doing research in
the field of controlled fusion and of material irradiation. The Laboratory of Physics of Reactors
is studying new systems for a safe use of nuclear energy. The Laboratory of Physics of Par-
ticle Accelerators is working in the development of an electron gun with very low emittance.
The Institute of Quantum Electronics and Photonics is built around the semiconductor device
physics, nanostructures and quantum optoelectronics. The Institute of Theoretical Physics stud-
ies condensed matter by statistical physics, properties of complex non-linear and chaotic sys-
tems. The Laboratory of Ultrafast Spectroscopy is mainly concerned with structural dynamics
at the femto-second time scale of molecular systems, solids, and proteins.
11
• Structures (EDST)
The research activities in the domain of structural engineering are currently developed accor-
ding to the following principles :
. development of new structural concepts, particularly new structural systems, elements
and materials, using for example : analytical methods, testing and active control
. development and application of methods, for the evaluation, maintenance and improve-
ment of structures, and for the systematic use of measurement methods for the monitoring
and assessment of structures
. study the behaviour of new and traditional materials, in particular their influence on the
performance and durability of structures
. development and application of information technologies
Recent scientific trends in areas such as structural materials, sensors, modelling and comput-
ing indicate that much important information needs to be taught in the areas of structures and
materials at the graduate level. The goal of the Structures program is thus to provide PhD can-
didates with the necessary scientific knowledge to advance methods of structural engineering
for: (1) the conceptual design and analysis of new structures and materials, with emphasis on
innovative structural systems using high performance materials and components, and (2) the
examination of existing structures and development of strategies for extending service lives.
Theses activities are performed within the natural, architectural and built environment and
have to respect the principles of sustainable development.
• Management of Technology (EDMT)
The field of management of technology itself has become, for engineers and scientists, a new
competence, marrying knowledge of technology with competences in management, entrepreneur-
ship, and social sciences. These themes inform this established and rapidly developing aca-
demic field, which is based on a combination of disciplines associated with traditional business
schools, industrial engineering programs, and social science programs. The cross-disciplinary
nature of its research and educational activities is one thing that unites the College of Manage-
ment of Technology, but the focus remains on the specialized topics of economics of innovation,
high-technology venturing, technology commercialization, and related areas such as supply
chain management. The program embraces a field in which engineers and scientists have to
play an increasingly fundamental role: the interaction between the science of management and
technological development in research labs and end-use in its socio-economic context. The ob-
jective of this program is precisely to associate PhD students and researchers in this fully evolv-
ing science of the management of technology.
12
3
PhD, what does it mean?
3.1 How to become a researcher
Nobody is born a researcher. You have to become one. Studying for a PhD will probably be the
last but the most decisive stage in the education of a young person who wants to devote him- or
herself to the organized search for a greater understanding of the natural and anthropogenic world.
This includes the ability to produce, manipulate and control new phenomena, methodological tools,
instruments and other artifacts.
Up to this point, much of one’s life had been dedicated to learning. But the previous experience
differs from what happens now. For the first time, PhD candidates are challenged to actively intervene
in the observation and manipulation of a scientific reality. In previous stages of their education,
students had to show their mastery of the content of an object world and the appropriate methods
for examining it, essentially by digesting knowledge that had been didactically prepared for them.
They learned how to put it to use. But in order to do so, the problems had to be carefully defined and
purposefully selected by their teachers. In general, solutions were known, the conceptual frameworks
of reliable knowledge were given, methods and procedures were standardised and had only to be
learnt, understood and applied.
Students were introduced to a world of knowledge in which their teachers had laid out for them
the pathways through which the known destinations could be reached by well proven and validated
procedures. Entering the PhD stage means that learning through imitation has to be surpassed. PhD
candidates are now expected to do research on their own. They are no longer supposed to act within a
frame of knowledge that is given but to strive for an active synthesis, which includes what is already
known but also what has yet to be found. Method and meaning of learning change. Studying for a
PhD means to become an active producer of new scientific knowledge and technological artefacts. It
is easy to see why this can be such a frightening experience at times. It marks the shift from the ‘mere’
reproduction of knowledge to production, from dependence on those who have selected for you what
you are supposed to know to a state of independence that requires and results in originality of ideas,
finding new approaches or trying out new methods. PhD candidates are expected to become similar
to those whom they identify with as top researchers. Their closest role models in this context are their
supervisors. For the PhD candidates, the supervisors represent at the same time the professional
audience and the wider scientific community that will evaluate their future work (adapted from [1],
with kind authorization of AVETH).
Core capabilities
During the next four years or so, you will acquire a very specialized knowledge in your domain of
research on the one hand and gain many ‘generic’ competencies on the other hand. The following
competencies will constitute your main assets for the job market and for your future career [2]:
• Pursue a scientific research project in an autonomous professional manner.
. Realize a scientific project with constraints (time, money, risks).
. Define, elaborate and conduct a new scientific project.
13
• Provide innovative solutions for complex problems that do not have an evident or known solu-
tion using a rigorous scientific approach.
. Proof of a rigorous and critical thought process.
. Respect of intellectual property.
. Attention to ethical considerations.
• Acquire deep knowledge in your domain of study.
. Mastery of your subject.
. Profound knowledge in your domain.
. General knowledge in your discipline.
• Communicate with ease and clarity in diverse situations the result of a scientific work you did
or the knowledge of your discipline.
. Write scientific articles, technical reports in your mother tongue and/or in English and/or
in French.
. Give conference presentations.
. Teach at a university level.
. Use information technologies (presentations, data bases).
3.2 Motivations and objectives

Why doing a PhD ? The most important motivation is certainly the intellectual interest, the basic
human propensity to explore the unknown. You will be given the opportunity to find out about the
explanation/solution of a problem that was not known before (perhaps not even the problem itself).
You can become one of few people in the world having such a deep understanding of your special
field.
But what about afterwards ? While a PhD is the condition for a career in academia, it still leaves
the door open for an industry employment. Though, there are nasty people (especially in human
resources departments) claiming that the most important reason for doing a PhD is the absence of
professional objectives or the convenience to go the easy way. This might be partly responsible for
the rather bad image of doctoral graduates in industry. Thus, when your first concern is to occupy
as fast as possible a highly paid position in private business, you may better refrain from doctoral
studies.
However, a PhD remains the proof of the capability of doing research and somehow it documents
the capability of solving delicate problems. Especially in industry research, a PhD is often required for
an employment. The acquired, highly specialised competencies of PhD graduates are remunerated
by a somewhat higher salary. On the other hand, jobs demanding these very special competencies are
generally quite rare. Consequently, the graduate usually needs to be ready for a high mobility.
A 2002 survey inquiring 318 of the 750 EPFL doctoral graduates of the years 1995-1999 found
some interesting results concerning the motivation and the professional situation of these graduates
([3]). Asked for their motivation, the intellectual interest has been the primary motor for most of the
candidates, followed by the will to acquire new competencies.
Concerning the professional situation, full employment was found, with 70 % working in private
business and 30 % working in the public sector, including 7 % being independent. Concerning their
professional activity, the three major fields are research (29 %), development/application (27 %) and
project management (18 %). Around 30 % of the employments had been uniquely reserved to doc-
torate graduates, whereas in 40 % of the cases the PhD had favoured the decision for the concerned
candidate. The employments are in good correspondence with the competencies acquired during the
PhD, nearly 2/3 are in direct relation with the thesis subject.
In general, 80 % of the inquired EPFL doctoral graduates judged that the invested time was worth
it, among the graduates employed in industry there are 50 % claiming that having done PhD studies
was at least as beneficial as three years of professional experience (against 30 % not confirming this).
14
As encouraging these numbers could be, it has to be underlined that the situation of the employ-
ment market has become incomparably more difficult since 1999. However, such a situation tends to
favour more qualified candidates.
Another interesting result of the cited survey is that more than half of the inquired graduates
regret in retrospect not having seized the opportunity to tie relations with companies during their
thesis work. Furthermore, a significant part of them missed teamwork as well as experience in project
management during their thesis work. These points may serve as a stimulus for their successors to
pay more attention to those criteria.
3.3 Motivations and involvements: 15 personal viewpoints

After these rather generic considerations, we would like to give some personal viewpoints about
motivations and projects of some real PhD candidates, post-docs and professors at EPFL.
3.3.1 Eight junior PhD candidates

Fahd Azzabi, PhD candidate in life sciences
• Why did you choose to do a PhD?
I chose to do a PhD because I wanted to have a project to develop from the
beginning and to follow for few years. It means to answer (or I should say
to try to answer) a scientific question. I think it would have been difficult to
do it in industry right away after my graduation. In fact, in industry, people
are focusing on getting as fast as possible results but not going in depth to
understand the "secrets".
• What will you work on during your PhD?

I am working on adult stem cells which are involved in renewing the skin
and its appendages. In my project, I am trying to make a link between the genomic expression
of this kind of cells and the physiological variations.
• How did you choose your supervisor?

I think I chose my subject and not my supervisor. I was interested by my supervisor’s work and
I contacted him.
• Do you have an idea of what you will do after your PhD?

This is a very difficult question! It is a question that I would rather answer after finishing my
PhD! However, I am going to stay in research.
Ounsi El Daïf, PhD candidate in physics

My interest has always been focused on the idea of research. I like science and I like constant
evolution. In order to do research, a PhD is the best way!

For non-physicists : I work on the interaction of matter and light at a microscopic level. In
certain kinds of material (semiconductors) it is possible to partly control the material optical
properties by changing the structure at an atomic level. I study how these properties depend
on the structure, how changing the “geography” of matter can change light.

I chose the lab and the subject rather than the supervisor. So in this sense I was lucky to find
a nice supervisor and especially a nice group. I realize now that this was totally by chance: I
chose an interesting subject and a good and well equipped lab, with competent people, but it
could have become a catastrophe if I had not become friend with my fellow workers.
15
If I can and if some countries still promote public research in a few years, I will go on doing
fundamental research. Otherwise I don’t know: probably work in some industry’s R&D de-
partment.
Yuosre Badir, PhD candidate at the College of Management of Technology

I intend to work either in an academic field or in research and develop-
ment. Both positions require a PhD qualification. Thus, it was a natural
progression to work towards my PhD and become an expert in a subject
that interests me. In fact, after my B.Sc., I worked for four years in the in-
dustry. While I was there, I realised that I could not choose to work on
areas of my interest. The problem was that, when I got the subject, it was
already defined, and the approach was predetermined. I wanted to be able
to choose and explore the subjects of my interests, define the problems, find
out the solutions, develop my own ideas and see where they lead. I felt a
PhD would give me the freedom to choose my own project and set my own goals.
I am in the third year of my PhD study, investigating the integration of New Product Develop-
ment (NPD) process across networks of high-tech strategic partners. Currently, I am conducting
my fieldwork, spending time in leading high-tech companies, studying their projects in-depth
and finding out how they succeeded in some projects and failed in others.
I did a part of my research work for my master degree in his chair. It was a good opportunity for
me to know the professor and his chair. I found him to be competent, helpful and approachable.
I also like the international characteristics of the chair, the multidisciplinary research projects
on-going and the friendly environment which is an important factor for foreign students.
During my PhD study, I have met and networked with many international professors from
other leading universities. I want to continue my research work in one of these top-ranked
universities.
Robin Evans, PhD candidate in biomedical engineering

Um, to postpone real life? I was doing job interviews after finishing my
master and nothing really appealed to me. The student visa that comes with
a PhD position provided me with the opportunity to live abroad and the
project description itself sounded just like what I wanted to do anyway. A
sense of finally adventure won out over my hesitations about future career
limitations due to a PhD being perceived as "too specific" or having to be
paid too much.
Cartilage biomechanics. A bit more specifically, interstitial transport of molecules in articular
cartilage. I dissect the knees of cows to obtain the cartilage, which is the bearing and shock
absorbing surface of the joints and measure how quickly fluorescent dyes pass through it under
different conditions.
My supervisor had done his PhD in the same US lab where I was doing my master. Both scien-
tific and social proficiency were important to me in a supervisor and he was respected scientifi-
cally by the US professor and warmly remembered by the secretary.
16
I "googled" for his name on the internet, found his EPFL web page and wrote him an email.
Eight months later, I was on a plane for Geneva!
I’m working on it! A medical devices company back in the US is my first idea. I’m hoping that,
while most engineers back home have just a master, biological companies will see a PhD and
my international experience as an asset. Recruiting here is less intense than I’m used to, but I’ve
managed to maintain and grow my professional network even from across the ocean. Wish me
luck!
Ilkay Cesar, PhD candidate in chemistry

My main motivation was my interest in the subject of solar energy. I see this
period of research in an academic setting as a test for myself, if academia is
the right way for me. During the four years I will spend on one subject, I
will understand if I have the skills, motivation and endurance for science.
Furthermore I hope partly that I will find something maybe just by chance,
that is patentable to start my own company after my Ph.D.
I am working on a technique that produces hydrogen from water based on the energy of sun-
light. I use the sun light to split water in hydrogen and oxygen by means of iron oxide. The iron
oxide is not consumed in the process but transfers the energy of the sun light on to the water.
The process is performed by two cells which are positioned one behind the other. First the sun
light passes through the water splitting cell where the iron oxide uses the blue part of the sun
light to split the water. The transmitted red part is used to drive a solar cell behind it which
applies a bias potential to the first cell.
During my graduation project at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, I worked
on the solar cell that would partly power the water splitting cell. This cell was invented in the
laboratory I am now working for and I met my current supervisor during a presentation I gave
in his group.
As I mentioned earlier I will see what will become of me after my Ph.D. It is clear that I enjoy
my research but if I will stay in research, work for industry or start my own company is still a
question.
Damien Bouard, PhD candidate in environmental engineering

I’ve chosen to do a PhD thesis for several reasons. First of all, I’m interested
in understanding in detail the phenomena around me. I think that this ap-
proach corresponds well to doctoral studies. Furthermore, in my opinion a
thesis is very instructive in terms of the personal development: in the course
of these three years, I will progressively define my subject, develop a pro-
found scientific reasoning and confront it to the work of other researchers.
This project management displays for me an excellent tool for my personal
development.
My research project is part of a study of turbulence in the Lake Geneva. This study of the small-
scale dynamics in a stratified medium is analyzed within an experimental framework. In-situ
measurements, using high-frequency temperature and velocity sensors, will help us to improve
our understanding of turbulence in a geophysical medium.
17
I have chosen my thesis supervisor by taking into account the topic and the laboratory. In first
place, I was interested in the research subjects of the lab as well as by the proposed thesis project;
an interview with my thesis supervisor convinced me of starting a PhD in his group.

I have no precise idea of what I want to do after my PhD. Still being in the first part of my
thesis project, I prefer to concentrate entirely on my project without too much imagining the fu-
ture. Nevertheless, I imagine to continue my career in academia and to find a post-doc position
abroad after my thesis.
Blandine Alloing, PhD candidate in physics

I was interested in working a few years in a research lab. A PhD is an oppor-
tunity to spend a long time on a scientific subject and to thoroughly enter
into it. It is also a way to continue contact with the student life.
I’m working in the field of optoelectronics; my task is to conceive and fa-
bricate a single photon emitter for application in high secure telecommu-
nication and quantum computing. That’s the theory. In practice I have to
fabricate the microelectronic device and to characterize it in the optical laboratory. This implies
to have knowledge in material science, optics and electronics.
I found my PhD subject on the Internet and saw that EPFL had very good equipment to perform
experiments. The team seemed to be young and dynamic. My supervisor is a young professor
who is not well known yet and has to earn his reputation in a short time. Since the team is small,
he can pay special attention to each of his PhD candidates.

I don’t know yet, I still have 2 years to think about it. For the moment I would prefer to see
another work setting, because I think that the research setting is very privileged and has few
connections with the outside world, but it may be due to my subject which is not related to
everyday applications.
Jean Berney, PhD candidate in physics

There are many reasons. When I finished my physics studies I had the im-
pression to have learnt a lot about many different subjects without actually
having a deep understanding of any of them. I first wanted to know much
more about physics in general to satisfy my personal eagerness to under-
stand the law of nature. Then, I had in mind that working on a PhD in a
field from which a lot of technologies are transferred towards the industry
would offer me more interesting career opportunities. Finally, I thought that
learning and understanding how research is performed would be extremely
useful in the academic world as well as in the industry.

I am an experimentalist physicist in the field of quantum photonics. I study many-body effects
in two-dimensional semiconductors.

I already had the opportunity to do my diploma in his laboratory. I appreciated both his scien-
tific and relational skills.
18
The almost total freedom he gives his students corresponded to my way of working. Some
people prefer to be strongly directed and to have a daily feedback on their work. Personally I
like better doing a task and discussing it when the first results show up. Or they do not, and a
solution needs to be found.
I also found it easier to get involved in a four year research project knowing the people I was
going to work with.

PhD candidates always wonder if they are going to embrace an academic career. If this is the
case, they look for a post-doc position in another university. Academia is a fantastic milieu
around which a lot of very knowledgeable people gravitate. However I would like to discover
other environments. I dream of doing sustainable development in the third world for a year or
so and turn towards the industry afterwards.
3.3.2 Three recent graduates

Sarah Jans, PhD in physics, graduated in 2004 (EPFL)
• Does it still make sense to do a PhD nowadays?
Yes, it certainly does, if you really wish to carry out research. However, a PhD thesis does not
replace industrial work experience, as pointed out by many industrial employers. Students who
want to proceed their career in industry might consider to choose their PhD subject according
to their future plans and/or possibilities. But I think, it’s really important to take pleasure in
your PhD work as such.
• Would you do it again?
That is a difficult question. At the time when I started my thesis, I just had to do it because I
was extremely fascinated by science and research. I could not imagine doing something else.
Meanwhile, I’m looking at life from another perspective, and I’m not sure if I would start a thesis
today, but this doesn’t mean that I wasn’t right to start one four years ago, on the contrary. You
just live once and you should do what you feel is right at that moment.
• The worst experience during your PhD?
The moments when I felt that I would not be able to do any of the planned measurements with
the microscope I was constructing. Work in the laboratory can be frustrating if you encounter
Murphy’s law(s) ...
• The greatest experience during your PhD?
There were many great experiences, it’s difficult to pick one. I remember getting a first image
with ‘my’ microscope. More in general, it was always rewarding when we succeeded to do
nice measurements and got data that made sense. It is indeed fascinating to observe systems in
real-time, as you can do with scanning tunneling microscopy, for instance.
• If you could do your PhD again, what would you do differently?
I had some hard times during my thesis, which is normal for most PhD candidates by the way,
and I would try to prevent myself better from temporary discouragement by planning more
parallel experiments or a real side project.
• What are your future plans?
Since my interests are rather broad, I see various possibilities. Right now, I try to find a job
in industrial research and development. I would like to discover new things and especially
professional life outside university.
19
Michael Gösch, PhD in biomedical optics, graduated in 2003
(Karolinska Institute, Sweden)

Yes and No. It depends on the candidates plans for her/his future career.
Assumed the candidate would like to work as soon as possible as, e.g. re-
searcher or developer, and does not consider to choose a management career
or a position as a group leader, I believe a PhD would be needless and the
candidate would save him/herself a lot of frustration and probably even
earn more money. However, if the candidate wishes to make a career in
Academia the PhD is required. For positions in the middle or higher ma-
nagement, a PhD is of advantage. At least promotions will happen faster
and competence often has not to be justified. Candidates who wish to work in Industry have
still to be careful not to be considered as quixotic. It is true, a PhD (at least a PhD in Physics)
does not teach you how to reach goals, how to plan projects, how to produce a product cheap
and efficient, etc. This means, although you have been working in the laboratory for maybe
more than four years and gathered a lot of experience and expertise in your field of research,
you will sense the limitations of the budget and the vibes of profit probably for the first time
and have eventually to start from scratch. So, the time you have your PhD and you would like
to work in Industry, go and get yourself a job as soon as possible in order to learn the new way
of working. Staying in Academia probably will not take you any further.

Yes, but I would make really sure to work in a project with many participants. I do not like
too much to work alone. Unfortunately, PhD work is mostly about working alone. Therefore,
I would make sure, that at least the results of my experiences are valued and are important to
someone more than my supervisor.

To find out that the goal of a project will never be reached.

To reach the goal of a project I have established myself.

Nothing. My PhD went pretty well.

Getting a management position in industry.
Andrea Feltrin, PhD in physics, graduated in 2004 (EPFL)

In my opinion it makes sense, because it is a way to put into practice for the first time what you
have learned and studied during your university courses. You come in touch with the research
and academic worlds. At the end of your PhD you still have the choice between an academic
career and one in industry.

Yes, I would do it again, because it changed completely my vision of physics.

The fact of being left alone to face difficult problems in the lab.

Solving these problems.
20
I would choose more carefully the subject of my thesis and probably I would choose something
more applied.

To do a post-doc experience in an applied physics domain.
3.3.3 Four professors

Prof. Ruth Luthi-Carter, Functional Neurogenomics Laboratory (SV)
• Does it still make sense to do a PhD today?
Yes. In fact, having an advanced degree may be more important than ever,
as disciplines become ever more specialized and the amount of information
“out there” grows quickly. What may not be understood by those seeking
such degrees, however, is that the face of the job market for doctoral trainees
is also changing rapidly. Relatively speaking, I believe fewer PhD scientists
will pursue "classical" career tracks in academia or the pharmaceutical in-
dustry and more will take alternate career paths such as entrepreneurship,
science publishing, education, consulting, etc. I believe that scientists need
also to develop business skills to be prepared for their eventual careers.

I stressed out a lot about my oral examinations (that we took after our first year). In retrospect,
there was no need to have worried so much.

I was invited by a major international expert in the protease field to co-author a review article
and an IUBMB entry on the enzyme that I cloned for my thesis project. It made me realize that
I was one of the world experts on this molecule... Admittedly, I was working in a rather small
field, but it was exciting and gratifying nonetheless.
• What would you advice to a young PhD candidate who has just started her/his PhD?
Jump into your thesis project right away. I think most students focus on coursework first, and I
probably did too when I was pursuing my PhD. I think that I learned a lot more from pursuing
my research than I did from my coursework (even though I took some really great courses!).
Conversely, I think I also got more out of my courses after I had a concrete project to which to
apply the concepts I was learning.
Prof. Dominique Bonvin, Automatic Control Laboratory (STI)

The question is too broadly formulated. PhD work amounts to intensive
research efforts and opens up new possibilities in terms of research ability
and ways of tackling challenging new problems. However, PhD work is
not necessarily the best education for a practicing engineer who wants to
quickly get hands-on experience.

None. However, the evolution of feelings during a PhD is like a roller coaster, with ups and
downs. This is part of learning that, if problems have solutions, these are not always obvious
and searching for them can indeed be a strenuous task.

Many, mostly related to reaching intermediate objectives such as the presentation of research
results at conferences and discussion with stars of the domain.
21
• What would you advice to a young PhD candidate who has just started his PhD?
Use the research freedom that usually comes with the job and try to make something original,
personal out of it. Though the thesis adviser is helpful and should be consulted and listened to,
the young student should not be afraid to explore things on her/his own.
Prof. Aude Billard, Autonomous system lab (STI)

It does definitely make sense if you envisage a scientific career both in academia
and industry, but it depends also a bit in which field you are. Concerning in-
dustry, a PhD is a must for high-level research and development. During the
PhD you have proven that you can tackle a problem autonomously from the
beginning to the end and you therefore qualify for positions such as team
leader. The drawback is that only a finite number of leaders is required and
that you are older than the average when you enter a company and thus
more expensive. In addition you may be considered to be overqualified and
you are less flexibly applicable.
Probably the worst thing during a thesis is the stress before the first oral presentation in front of
a public of experts and the writing up at the end of the thesis.
There are many, but in general they were linked to the intellectual pleasure when a new concept
worked. Furthermore I enjoyed the liberty of my work.
At the beginning of a PhD four years may seem a very long time, but it actually passes very
quickly. You should divide the task into small steps and fix short deadlines in intervals of 1-
2 months. Reading of technical literature is mandatory but should be done in parallel with
the practical implementation rather than 6 months of reading at the beginning. The practical
experience will allow you to better understand the literature.
Prof. Eugen Brühwiler, Laboratory for Maintenance and Safety of Structures

(ENAC)
Clearly yes, a doctoral thesis is and will remain a high level qualification for
being able to conduct successfully complex and difficult projects that require
creativeness and imagination, in order to develop innovative solutions. I am
aware that this qualification is not always required or appreciated (e. g. by
a corresponding salary) by (the too many low-level) leaders in nowadays
companies.
There was actually and fortunately none for me, but I think (from experience with my doctoral
students) situations that require lots of patience until valuable results are obtained, are very
difficult.
To present my research work at international conferences where I also had the chance to discuss
with some very well-known "big names" in my research field. To publish a paper in a scientific
journal.
Motivation is (almost) everything ! A young doctoral candidate must be really sure to be very
interested and motivated to invest about four years of her/his life into a topical research issue.
So do everything to keep up your motivation !
22
4
Admission & Enrolment in Doctoral
School
Please refer to the official site http://phd.epfl.ch for updated informations on this subject.
In this chapter we will often make reference to the legal text on the PhD studies at EFPL. We
strongly advise you to consult the original texts ([4, 5]1 – if something is not clear to you don’t hesitate
to address yourself to the Doctoral School secretary’s office or to ACIDE).
Before going into detail, a rapid outline of the admission/enrolment will help to follow the subse-
quent sections. The general process of enrolment in PhD studies at EPFL starts with the application
to the Doctoral Program of your choice. The commission of this program will decide if your qua-
lifications (university diploma) are sufficient for enrolment in that specific program. Once you have
been enrolled with a doctoral program, you will have six months to find a thesis director (a list of
possible supervisors is given on the website of the respective Doctoral Program) to supervise your
thesis. Only if both requirements are met, you can enrol to the program. There are Doctoral Pro-
grams demanding you to have obtained the agreement of a supervisor already at time of application,
whereas for most programs these steps are formally separated. Even in the latter case it is a good
idea to choose and contact one or more potential supervisors prior to application. Keep in mind that
(if you don’t have other funding) you need to find an available research assistant position, whose
number is rather limited. The early bird catches the worm.
As the detailed admission requirements may differ slightly between different Doctoral Programs,
we strongly advise you to consult the corresponding website of the EPFL Doctoral School for specific
information.
4.1 Time ow of a thesis

The deadlines for each of the respective steps of Doctoral Studies are given in table 4.1 on page 29 at
the end of this chapter.
4.2 Why a Doctoral School?

There exist many good reasons for the introduction of the Doctoral School at EPFL in 2003; most of
them are in favor of the candidates, some of them are of organisational nature:
• Personal added value through advanced courses.

• Allows PhD candidates to step out of their lab and meet colleagues from other labs who are
working on similar subjects.
• Networking within the School.
1 These texts are the Ordinance on the doctoral degree conferred by EPFL [4] (general text), and the Directives on the doctoral studies
at EPFL [5] (Application directives of the ordinance above); both can be found in english (or soon available) on the website of
the doctoral school (http://phd.epfl.ch/legal), but only the French version has legal validity.
23
• Better match between candidates and available positions.
• Standardized selection process: all candidates have the same opportunities.
• Contact persons in case of problems.
• Awarness within the Doctoral Program helps to anticipate problems with thesis supervisors.
• Better international visibility of EPFL’s doctoral degree.
4.3 Application
To apply for admission into one of EPFL’s Doctoral programs (see section 4.7), you should first fill-
in the online application form which can be found on the web site of the doctoral school. You will
first have to sign up for an account, once this is completed you will be asked to fill in an application
form. This form consists of seven pages, each of which must be completed before moving onto the
next. Upon reaching the seventh page you will be asked to validate the application, confirming that
you are happy with the contents. Once validated, you will be presented with a PDF document (this
is your completed application form) which you must then print out and send, along with all other
relevant materials, to the secretariat of your chosen program.
Detailed information on how to apply can be found on the website of the Doctoral School (phd.epfl.ch).
Your application must contain the following documents:
• Attended universities/institutions. (Copies of the obtained diplomas and marks of university

studies need to be included, if they are not in French, English, German or Italian, an official
translation, in English, is required)
• Language skills.
• Three referee letters
• Statement of objectives.
Normally there are three yearly application deadlines: January 15, April 30 and September 15 but
these often change depending on the doctoral program. Check on the website or on the candidature
form to find out the next application deadline. Your complete application material must be received
at EPFL prior to the deadline for which you wish your application to be considered.2 If justified,
these deadlines may be made flexible. In any case, verify on the web-site of the Doctoral School for
eventual changes to your Doctoral Program or contact the Doctoral Program Director.
Once you have received the letter confirming your admission to the Doctoral Program, you may
proceed to the enrollment (see sect. 4.4).
TOEFL and GRE tests For applicants whose first language is not English, it is strongly recom-
mended to provide the results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The results of
a GRE (Graduate Record Examination)3 is not required but recommended. EPFL institution code is
3253; there is no department code needed.
Please note that the official language of the Doctoral School is English, in practice, however, French
is also widely used. Above all, legal documents such as the Ordinance cited above ([4]) need to be
written in one of the official languages of the Confederation. 4
4.4 Enrolment
The enrolment at the ‘Service académique (SAC)’ marks the beginning of the doctoral studies. The
candidate presents herself/himself personally at the secretariat of the Doctoral Program with the com-
pletely filled out and signed registration file (pink form) within the first week after her/his arrival at
EPFL. At this stage, the candidate also has to present the original(s) of her/his university diploma(s)
and original university grade transcripts.
2 Except for the EDBC program (Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cancer), which runs only two application sessions per
year, the deadlines for these being June 1 and December 1.
3 The current GRE General Test contains three measures: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.
4 There exists an English translation of the Ordinance on the Doctoral school web-site.
24
Within one month the enrolled candidate must announce to the secretary of the Doctoral Program
the courses she/he will take towards obtaining the four credits required in the first year ([5], art. 7).
Verify if the courses you choose are actually given during the first year.
You may have to take an entrance examination (see sect. 4.8).
4.5 Choosing topic and supervisor

An important question may be: should I start by choosing the subject or my supervisor? It depends,
but the natural way is surely to choose a Doctoral Program corresponding to your personal inte-
rests and then to choose the supervisor and her/his research focus and to define with her/him your
detailed thesis subject. The choice of your supervisor will partly depend on the availability of an
assistant position in her/his group.
4.5.1 Choosing a topic

The choice of the topic is probably the most important decision for the success of your thesis. There
are no good or bad topics, but topics that can be addressed more easily than others.
Choose a topic that intrigues you. If you are not personally interested in the subject, nobody will
be. Yet, the perfect topic does not exist. Although not everybody likes to talk about it, you should
maybe think about your career options on the job market when choosing your topic (see chapter 9).
On the other hand, your thesis may be your last chance to study what you really like. Why not take
the chance ?
4.5.2 Choosing a supervisor

After enrolment in the Doctoral School you have at most six months to communicate the name of
your supervisor to the Doctoral Program, i. e. to provide a written agreement from a professor or
a ‘maître d’enseignement et de recherche’ (MER) from EPFL to become your thesis supervisor. The
thesis supervisor has to commit to stay at EPFL until the end of the thesis.
We note that most PhD candidates have already established a contact with their potential thesis
supervisor before enrolment into Doctoral School. Many candidates have applied for a vacant position
advertised on a lab web site.
A good supervisor is a valuable resource as you strive to progress towards your PhD. Remem-
ber that you will greatly depend on your supervisor for the next few years. Therefore you have to
carefully select a supervisor that fits you.
What makes a good supervisor? Although this depends a lot on your personal taste, there exist
some general guidelines.
An ideal thesis supervisor [2]:
• Is a teacher in her/his discipline at the most advanced level.

• Is a good group leader.
• Shows a real interest for the PhD candidate and her/his thesis.
• Is regularly available, listens to your problems and builds on your accomplishments.
• Is realistic (size of subject, duration, deadlines, contracts).
• Guides you in learning skills of research and research communication.
• Favours a clear communication.
• Creates a relaxed interpersonal relationship.
• Asks the good questions, explains clearly.
Of course it is very difficult to perceive the qualities of your future supervisor within the scope
of a few interviews. You can find out much more about the qualities of your potential supervisor by
talking to members of her/his group and especially other PhD candidates.
You may, however, find out in which big categories your supervisor falls. The following is a bit
tongue-in-cheek [6]: In general, supervisors can be divided into six basic archetypes, divided along
25
three axes. If you know what your supervisor’s type is, it becomes easier to avoid the worst pitfalls
of this type.
Authoritarian: The type ‘A’ supervisor likes Democratic: The type ‘D’ supervisor will go out
to be in charge. You will do as instructed or your way to avoid unduly influencing your de-
she/he will cease to support you (and may even cisions, because it is, after all, your PhD. You
work against you). If your supervisor knows may feel sometimes left alone, not knowing
what she/he is doing and has your best inter- what your supervisor really expects from you.
ests at heart, an ‘A’ type supervisor can help to
fast-track your PhD, although your thesis may
bear little resemblance to whatever you wanted
to study at the first place.
Big Picture: She/He is inspired by projects that Small Picture: The Small Picture supervisor has
have some wider practical or theoretical con- much more time for details. She/He will care-
text. She/He will support grand ideas but does fully follow your work and give you detailed
not want to be bothered by small details. feedback.
Unknown: The type ‘U’ supervisor, by contrast, Renowned: The type ‘R’ supervisor has
has yet to make a name for him/herself. In achieved a level of fame within the field. An ‘R’-
the extreme case you may well be her/his only type supervisor is likely to have many students
postgraduate student and thus get an intensive but little time for any of them. A Renowned su-
and personalized coaching. pervisor will also have many contacts, an ad-
vantage for the life after the thesis.
Table 4.2: The archetypes of supervisors [6]
Not only your direct supervisor counts but also how the whole research group is structured and
organized (e.g. total number of PhD candidates, postdocs, seniors). Experience says that when choos-
ing an environment for your thesis you should ideally opt for ‘middle size’. Why? In very small
research groups (in the extreme case consisting of you and your supervisor only) supervision can be
as good as it can be catastrophic. With everything you do, you entirely depend on only a few people.
There is only little exchange of specialized knowledge between post-docs, senior researchers and PhD
candidates.
In very large research groups, supervision may become impersonal or absent. In this case, make
sure that there is somebody apart from your nominal supervisor who is prepared to help you, espe-
cially in the beginning.
Expert tips from the ‘old hands’ We asked a few recently graduated doctoral students, based on
their own experience, how to best choose your supervisor. Here are the answers:
• She/he should speak with as many members of the research group as possible and maybe with
former members or neighbour groups as well. This will give her/him a pretty good idea about
the atmosphere and the way a PhD thesis is done and supported in this group. In any case, I
would recommend to have a look at various groups as I did myself.
• When you decide on a supervisor you may want to work with, approach that person and ask
for general ideas. Go away with one or two of them and return later with some ideas about
research. If things go right, the potential supervisor’s reaction would be something like, “I was
hoping you’d be interested in that area, and your project is a good start. Here are a few reprints
that describe my work on the topic. Let’s work on this together, and very soon.” If you find you
can’t relate to a potential supervisor in this way, look for someone else.
• Take only a supervisor with whom the ‘personal chemistry’ works. Try to find a supervisor with
a clear idea of your project. Let her/him make you a provisional project plan with clear goals
and intermediate milestones. Ask her/him for dependencies of deliveries from other research
groups or other PhD candidates (e.g. samples, equipment). Let her/him write it down or write
it down yourself. Go back home, think of it, ask your friends, family etc. Write down questions
26
and go back to your potential supervisor in order to discuss them with her/him. If you have
doubt that something will not work out at all (which is of course rather difficult, since you
are not yet an expert in this field) make your supervisor explain it to you in order that your
doubts vanish. If she/he does not succeed, forget about it. However, if you are too dumb to
understand her/his arguments, forget about it as well (just kidding! ;-). And then, after all these
clever advices, I really do not know if it will help, you have to jump into the cold water anyhow.
All these interactions only enable you to get into contact with your supervisor and to see how
she/he reacts and interacts with you.
• Read her/his papers/publications.
• A supervisor should guide, especially at the beginning of the PhD, the PhD candidate, showing
her/him which are the goals she/he has to achieve and discussing with her/him the difficulties
she/he encounters. Later on, the supervisor has to assure that her/his PhD candidate is dealing
with scientific subjects which are relevant and not marginal in her/his research domain.
• Discuss with your future supervisor what she/he expects from you.
• Clarify with your supervisor what kind of supervision you need and expect from her/him.
4.6 Research plan

The research plan has to be established within the first year after enrolment5 ([4], art. 7).
It may be written in French, German, Italian or English in agreement with your supervisor. Do
not consider it as an annoyance but rather as a protection for yourself. It forces you to establish
a clear vision of the forthcoming three years of your thesis, to foresee difficulties. It is a written
document, witnessing the signed agreement of your supervisor, the program director and yourself. It
will prevent your supervisor from making significant changes to your research schedule against your
will.
The volume of the document is about 10-20 pages and should contain the following points/answer
the following questions:
• Introduction
• Definition of the problem and objectives of the project
• Which means and methods are to be employed?
• What are the expected results and which is their significance?
• Bibliographic search of the background work and the work done by competitors.
• What are the major milestones and when are they supposed to be achieved (time schedule)
and additionally make sure that you have obtained the 4 credits and include a list of them on a
separate sheet.
Since some details may be specific to a certain Doctoral Program, you should absolutely consult
the website of your Doctoral Program.
The thesis supervisor approves the research plan and transmits it to the program director. After
the approval by the program committee, the program director transmits the research plan to the
’Service académique’ (SAC).
4.7 Courses of the Doctoral Program

Each course of the Doctoral School ends with some kind of final assessment (oral exam, written exam,
report, presentation, etc.). Your performance is judged to be either ‘R’ succesful (French: réussite), ‘E’
failure (French: échec) or ‘M’ missed (French: manqué) if you did not show up ([5], art. 8).
You are allowed to choose courses from the entire offer of the Doctoral School. Why not broaden
your horizons and develop your soft skills by taking for example a course in didactics? You may even
take up to four credits outside the Doctoral School with prior consent of the program director.
5 If you need to take an admission exam (4.8), you must take it within 12 months after enrolment, in case of failure it can be
repeated one time within the 6 months following the first trial. If your admission exam needs important preparation, then you
may be allowed to submit your research plan within 18 months after enrolment. In this case you need the agreement of the
Doctoral Program Director.
27
4.8 Entrance examination
If your university diploma is not considered by the commission of the doctoral program as equivalent
to the master degree at the EPFL, then you may be asked to take an entrance examination6 . This
decision is taken on a case-by-case basis as well as the determination of the precise modalities of the
required exam and the courses you need to attend in preparation of it. Whether you need or not
to take an entrance examination will be mentioned in the admission letter prior to enrolment. The
precise requirements (assessment load etc.) will be communicated to you by enrolment. In general,
the exam will take place towards the end of (but within) your first year following enrolment. In case
of failure, it can be repeated only once in a delay of six months.
Who is going to examine you ? The Vice-President of academic affairs will, on proposition of the
Doctoral Program Director, designate the members of the examination committee. It is presided by
the director of the Doctoral Program or her/his proxy, and comprises additionally the future thesis
supervisor as well as one or two professors or ‘maître d’enseignement et de recherche’ (MER) from
EPFL (at least one from another laboratory/group as the supervisor).
4.9 Final admission to the thesis preparation

For final admission, the following conditions have to be fulfilled ([4], art. 8 and [5], art. 15):
• Complete enrolment dossier.

• Official thesis supervisor is defined.
• Research plan with signature has been approved by the thesis supervisor and the program com-
mittee. The thesis supervisor has qualified your general performance in the first year as satisfy-
ing.
• You have acquired the four required credits.
• You have passed the entrance examination if you needed to do so.
Once the conditions are fulfilled, the Vice-President of academic affairs, on proposition of the pro-
gram director gives you the green light to continue your thesis preparation on your research subject.
Links:
• Doctoral School
6 Only degree holders from a Swiss university authorizing them to start PhD studies without entrance examination in that
same university are automatically exempt from this exam. In all other cases, an entrance examination can be demanded.
28
No entrance examination
Step Date (Deadline) Activity
1 date 0 Arrival of the candidate on campus
2 +1 week max. Candidate presents herself/himself to the
Doctoral Program secretariat with originals
of her/his university diplomas and origi-
nal university grade transcripts. Pink enrol-
ment form is filled and signed by the can-
didate and the director of the doctoral pro-
gram=enrolment of the doctoral candidate
3 +1 month max. The candidate submits to the Doctoral Pro-
gram secretariat a list of the chosen courses
towards meeting the requirement of four
credits to be obtained during the first year.
4 +6 month max. Identification of the thesis director with
her/his signature on the pink form
5 +12 months The research plan is approved and signed
by the thesis director and the Doctoral Pro-
gram director, the four credits are awarded.
The pink form is signed by the Doctoral Pro-
gram director and the Dean of the doctoral
School. The candidate is admitted.
6 +4 years max. (3 years from admission date) Oral thesis defense (closed committee)
7 -7 weeks min. before the oral exam The thesis jury proposal, duly signed,
must arrive at the "Service Académique"
with confirmation of 8 additional credits ac-
quired.
8 -35 days min. before the oral exam Doctoral thesis are handed in at the "Service
Académique".
9 +3 weeks min. (max. 6 months) after the oral Public thesis presentation if the oral exam
exam is passed with success
10 +1 month max. after the oral exam Thesis in final form is handed in at the
"Service Académique" if the oral exam is
passed and thesis accepted "sans réserve".
With entrance examination

Points 1 to 4 and 6 to 10 same as above
Step Date (Deadline) Activity
5 +12 months (1 year from enrolment) Admission exam is passed with success, re-
search plan is approved and signed by the
thesis director, the 4 credits are awarded.
The pink form is signed by the doctoral pro-
gram director and the dean of the doctoral
school. The candidate is admitted.
+18 months (in case of failure) In case of failure, maximum total time per-
mitted for a second is 18 months from the
enrolment date.
Table 4.1: Deadlines for Doctoral Studies at EPFL.
29
5
Progression of a thesis
Just like in the previous chapter, this chapter will often reference the legal texts on the doctorate at
EPFL ([4], [5]). Once again, we would like to encourage you to consult these original texts.
5.1 How long is a PhD at EPFL?

Most doctoral candidates stay at EPFL for about four years in total. Their research topic and research
plan are typically established during the first year. Provided their performance is satisfactory, at
the end of that year they are definitely admitted by their Doctoral Program as doctoral candidates.
Written annual reports describing the progress of their research must be submitted to the doctoral
program each year.
5.2 You and your supervisor

This whole section is a an adapted transcription from the ETHZ Survival Guide [1] and is provided
by courtesy of AVETH. There is nothing to add!
What does your supervisor expect from you? What should you expect from your supervisor?
The supervisor expects you to be independent. You should expect to be supervised.

The supervisor does not want you to always ask You should be supervised regularly as opposed
‘what am I going to do next?’ to whenever it is convenient for your supervisor
or once you have nearly completed your disser-
The supervisor would like you to have ideas
tation.
and proposals.
You should expect the supervisor to make (writ-
The supervisor would like you to show original
ten) comments not only on the details of the
thought and incentive.
work but also on the overall progress of the
The supervisor expects you to be honest. study.
The supervisor expects your approach to be of
scientific stringency.
Table 5.1: Mutual expectations between PhD candidate and supervisor [1]
Our tip: The PhD is a personal achievement. Your supervisor should not be looking over your
shoulder all the time. It is your research and you should be independent to choose methods, style,
resources, etc. Nevertheless, you belong to an Institute and a research group, and your supervisor is
in a powerful position concerning your work and progress. You have to stay within the framework
defined by the EPFL policies and those aspects that your supervisor considers to be important. If you
30
think you are supervised too little or too much, do not hesitate to raise the issue in discussion. In case
of major misunderstandings, you may also address the question with the director of your Doctoral
Program. Take responsibility for ensuring that regular meetings take place between you and your
supervisor. Be sure that these meetings include the following:
• A definition of aims and schedules for the next stage of your work.
• A review and an evaluation of previous goals.
• An evaluation of your work in the framework of the total PhD project and according to your
supervisor’s standards.
The supervisor expects you to produce written You should expect your supervisor to read your
work. work in advance of a meeting.
Although for minor problems, a discussion Expect your supervisor to correct and comment
based on notes, data and diagrams or an oral on your written work and not only assure you
presentation of your work may be sufficient, the that she/he has read it. Expect her/him to read
supervisor expects to receive something writ- all of the work submitted and to allocate an ap-
ten at regular intervals and especially prior propriate amount of time to discuss it with you.
to discussions concerning central themes and
advances within your project. Furthermore,
the written work presented to your supervisor
should not be in draft form but rather devel-
oped and well written.
Table 5.2: Regular written reports are necessary [1]
Our tip: Ask your supervisor to make written comments on the manuscript or proposal and to
include an overall evaluation, to give you a clear perspective of your achievements thus far. Write
progress reports for describing recent experimental or other research work, as well as for commenting
on and concluding parts of your research project. Primarily, it helps you to scrutinize your own work.
Show the first draft to somebody else first and ask for advice and comments. This person can be
either another academic or a fellow research student with whom you can create a mutual self-help
relationship. Consider all constructive criticism. Writing your progress reports in a comprehensive
and easily readable way is good practice for writing your publications and finally the dissertation.
The supervisor expects to have regular meet- You should expect the supervisor to be avail-
ings with you. able when needed.
Regular meetings concerning the actual work You should not restrict yourself to the sched-
can occur weekly, monthly or even half-yearly. uled meetings alone. If you feel the need to talk
It is important that they are regular. Formal tu- with your supervisor about something urgent
torial meetings / progress reports are less fre- or important, do not hesitate to request a meet-
quent and are expected to be well prepared and ing.
accompanied by a written report.
Table 5.3: Insist on having regular meetings [1]
Our tip: If you get ‘stuck’ or find yourself at a dead-end, do not waste time waiting for the next
scheduled meeting. Clarify how often you will meet in the beginning of your cooperation with your
supervisor, how you should arrange other urgent meetings, what kind of progress reports are useful
and when you are to submit them etc. Give your supervisor time to prepare herself/himself for the
meeting (especially for formal tutorials) by allowing a reasonable amount of time between arranging
the date and the actual date. Do not skip meetings! They are intended for you to test out ideas and
to obtain guidance when you need it. If things are not going well, talk about it with your supervisor
instead of hoping that everything will be sorted out before the next meeting. To avoid misunder-
standings, keep a written record of points agreed upon during a meeting and actions to be taken and
send your supervisor a copy. Fix the goals to be aimed for in the following period.
31
The supervisor expects you to be honest when You should expect your supervisor to be rather
reporting on your progress. an advisor than a judge.
Of course, a supervisor prefers that everything The supervisor is not only there to praise you
goes on well, but she/he also prefers to be in- for your excellent work or condemn you for
formed if something goes wrong. your poor progress. She/He should be able to
ask the right questions and make useful sugges-
tions.
Table 5.4: Meetings should be constructive and stimulating [1]
Our tip: If there is a problem, if you are blocked, if you have personal or any other kind of problems
which interfere with the continuation of your work, then let your supervisor know about it now. Do
not cheat. Your supervisor will not be fooled if you pretend that everything is fine and talk about
work done, new ideas, next steps to be done without ever presenting anything tangible in the form of
precise figures, graphs, results or written work. You will most certainly be judged instead of helped
if your supervisor finds out that she/he has been treated as a fool.
The supervisor expects you to follow her/his You should expect your supervisor to be con-
advice when you ask for it. structively critical.
As obvious and reasonable as this expectation The supervisor should criticize and provide
may seem, it is often not followed. The supervi- feedback in a constructive way supported by
sor wants to see that you make good use of the reasonable arguments.
help offered to you and that her/his opinion is
taken seriously.
Table 5.5: Do not ignore the advice of your supervisor [1]
Our tip: Do not be too defensive when receiving criticism from your supervisor. Both of you must
defend and substantiate your arguments and opinions. Ask for explanations in more detail for those
criticisms you disagree with. All feedback is useful! If your supervisor suggests something and you
have a different opinion, talk about it. Decide upon a solution together rather than ignoring the
suggestion. Accept praise, too, and allow it to give you a positive feeling about your work. Do not
simply accept it if you get no comments on major achievements you have made. Ask why!
The supervisor expects you to surprise her/him You should expect your supervisor to have a
and become an expert in your eld. good knowledge of the research area.
The supervisor expects you to be excited about Your supervisor should have a good knowledge
your research and convey your energy and en- of the research area you are working in and to be
thusiasm to the people working with you. You able to understand what you are doing and su-
are expected to become an expert in your re- pervise you effectively. Your supervisor should
search topic and to know, at the end of your be able to introduce you to experimental work.
dissertation, more than your supervisor about
your own topic. You are expected to contribute
new ideas.
Table 5.6: Become an expert in your field [1]
Our tip: If your supervisor is not an expert in your research area or in a special domain of it, find out
who is and how you can get access to these people. Also, your supervisor might not be the person
to address for technical problems in the lab. In this respect, do not hesitate to ask for help from
other PhD candidates or researchers who have the expertise you need. As your research proceeds,
you should expect the balance in the relationship to your supervisor to change from one where the
supervisor is guiding and directing your work to one where you are in control of what you are doing.
As you gradually get more expertise, become better informed and perhaps more skilled in specific
techniques, methods and areas of investigation, you must show it to demonstrate the progress you
are making. Do not hesitate to sell yourself!
32
5.3 Group meetings
Group meetings, according to the laboratory, may serve different purposes. In groups with strong
project character, they may serve to put together the individual work of the team members to oversee
and to plan the forthcoming of the project. Alternatively, they may serve as a forum for the introduc-
tion of the whole group into the work of individual members. This may, ideally, lead to constructive
criticism or a new view/approach to your problems and can be the germ for the transfer of know-how
from experienced group members. In any case: Prepare well, having in mind the specific objectives of
group meetings in your laboratory. Try to interest the others in your work. If you succeed, you may
receive assistance and interesting views in exchange, but surely it will motivate yourself. Moreover,
group meetings are an excellent platform for scientific discussions and a good training for conferences
and workshops.
Figure 5.1: How to survive a group meeting. From “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham,
www.phdcomics.com.
5.4 Working in the lab

Log whatever you do in detail. You cannot imagine how many times you will need to trace back
details of your experiments or analyses and how many of the details you will forget! Label everything,
from samples and diskettes to folders and printed data or results, together with the date (sometimes
we overestimate our memory...). Store all your data in computer files (lists, databases, text) as it
will be easier to look for something you need later. Find a good consistent way to name your files
and print the file names on every printed version. Keep duplicate records of all data, ideally in two
different places (you never know what may happen!) [1].
5.5 Safety in the Lab

...is crucial if you want to stay as young and active as you are. Inform yourself about possible risks
in your environment. Find out about the responsible for lab security in your unit if she/he didn’t yet
find you. (see also chapter 10, for informative texts you may have a look at CUSSTR (in French) or
give a call to the EPFL security hotline (31999), who can give you lots of useful information.)
It is important to keep the possible risks in mind, as well as to internalize safety procedures (wear-
ing gloves or glasses, regularly washing hands etc.). These procedures will help you to face the
natural enemy of all people working in a dangerous environment: routine. Inevitably, you will lose
risk awareness with growing experience.
Apart from acute dangers, be equally aware of "creeping dangers" (e. g. long-term exposure to
seemingly harmless chemical substances, radiation etc.).
33
5.6 Working as teaching assistant
5.6.1 A short summary of EPFL's school system:
In order to better understand the problems and needs of the bachelor (BSc) and master (MSc) students
you should have some knowledge about EPFL’s school system:
School year The school year is divided into 2 semesters of 14 weeks each: The winter semester runs
from September to the end of December; the summer semester runs from February to May. Please
consult the academic calendar for the exact dates of the semesters.
Programs EPFL has designed its programs of study to conform to the Bologna declarations. Stu-
dents begin their university careers with a three-year 180 ECTS (see below) credit Bachelor degree,
based on the acquisition of solid foundations in basic sciences or in architecture. This is followed by
the Masters degree, a one and a half- to two-year, 90-120 credit ECTS program.
• Bachelor (3 years): General interdisciplinary education with strong accent on basic sciences.
The first year concludes with the ‘Propaedeutic exam’. Main language: French.
• Master (2 years): General education completed by a specialization in one or several domains.
It offers the liberty to take courses from other Sections. The master concludes with the master
thesis, which can be accomplished in an EPFL research unit, in another university or in indus-
try (but always under the responsibility of an EPFL advisor). Main language is in most cases
English.
Credit system: EPFL uses a credit system compatible with the European Credit Transfer System
(ECTS). EPFL undergraduate students should, in general, obtain 60 credits per academic year or 30
credits per semester. Credits are only awarded for passed courses. At EPFL, 14 hours of teaching
correspond to one ECTS point. Exchange students should agree with their home university on the
number of credits to obtain at EPFL.
Grading system: Each course and project is graded on a scale from 0 to 6. Half-points are allowed
(3.5, 4.5, etc). 6 is the best grade and you need a minimum of 4 to pass the course. 0 means the
student has not attended the course. 1 is given as a ‘consolation prize’ if the student has at least
attended, although she/he has completely failed the exam.
Exam sessions: Some courses are examined during the semester but most courses are examined
during the exam session that follows the semester in which the course is given. There are two exam
sessions: winter (January) and summer (June/July). Please consult the academic calendar for the ex-
act dates of the exam sessions. During these periods you will probably have to spend some additional
time for written exam corrections or as ‘expert’ in oral examinations.
The semester breaks are usually a good opportunity to concentrate entirely on your research. In
addition you may take your holidays only during the semester breaks.
5.6.2 Tips for teaching assistants

The duties of a teaching assistant (TA) vary a great deal between different courses (problem solving
or lab class) and between different professors and disciplines, and so does the amount of time you
have to put in. Some Sections, (e. g. chemistry) require a certain number of TA points in addition to
Doctoral School points. On average, you should count about 1 day/week. If you spend significantly
more time and your tasks include making up problem sets, writing homework solutions or writing
test questions, you may have been given too much responsibilities. Discuss it with the professor
and/or the director of the Doctoral Program.
34
Make it clear to your students that they should not drop by your office without an appointment or
give office hours. Remember that your students will likely require more time and support the weeks
before the exam.
You are supposed to assist the professor, but often you end up as a buffer between the professor
and the students. Be aware that most students will feel more at ease talking to you than to the profes-
sor. Sometimes, students will go to you rather than the professor because they are more comfortable
with that.
It is likely that you are intimately familiar with the subject matter being taught in the course for
which you are a TA. Nonetheless, it is an excellent idea to attend each lecture. Not only will it give
you a feel for daily progress, but also you may detect areas that merit more in-depth coverage or
which are described slightly differently from the way you learned it. Of course, this will depend on
your ulterior occupations.
A teaching assistant position is likewise a good opportunity to deepen your understanding of
the course subject. Consequently, be proactive in order to find the course which fits your interests,
otherwise you will be assigned a teaching position that you might perceive as a loss of time.
Figure 5.2: Grading of student assessments. From “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham,
www.phdcomics.com.
Tips from the TA next door...

• Accept that it is okay and normal to feel nervous. Your
students may also be nervous.
• Tell the students something about yourself to help
break the ice: where you are from; your research and
interests; why you are excited about the course.
• Make a strong start by preparing thoroughly. Be confi-
dent of your competence!
• You cannot know everything! If you don’t know
the answer, admit that you are unsure. It is usually
obvious that you don’t know what you are talking
about. Promise to find out the answer (and keep your
promise), suggest a reference, refer the question back
to the class.
• Let students know that you are receptive to sugges-
tions and constructive criticism.
• Maintain a professional relationship with your stu-
dents. Do not attempt to be one of them - your position
excludes close relationships. Remember to be friendly
but not a friend!
• Clearly define your responsibilities as TA with the pro-
fessor.
Many TAs, particularly in the sciences, are responsible for conducting laboratory demonstrations.
This may also include semester project thesis.
35
The following generic checklist reviews the responsibilities that may be associated with such a
position:
• Identify difficult steps and/or unclear instructions.

• Create parallels between theory and some every-day situations or recent research (e.g. bring
some research articles). Explain why the experiment is important/relevant.
• Do the lab experiment yourself. This way you will know exactly what is involved in completing
the assignment or exercises.
• Check equipment, supplies (including safety equipment)
• Know where the first aid and emergency equipment is located and how it works (e.g., first aid
kit, safety showers, fire extinguisher)
• Provide assistance as required (i.e., facilitate learning by asking questions to ascertain areas of
confusion/difficulty) but don’t do the work for the students.
• Insist on adherence to laboratory safety guidelines and make sure students understand them.
Set a good example.
Some time ago an EPFL lab had to be shut down due to a serious explosion. It is in your respon-
sibility to insist on safe practices (biohazard, general safety) (see also chapter 10). As a TA you have
a great deal of direct contact with students. As a result, students may come to you when they are
experiencing difficulties or are in emotional crisis. Their problems may be related to transitional is-
sues (e.g., moving away from home or returning to school after a long absence), family, relationships,
abuse or any number of issues. In that case
• Take time to listen.

• Take the problem seriously.
• Let the student know your personal limits and the limits of your time.
• Refer the student to the appropriate resources.
You may be asked by your professor to supervise a semester work or a master thesis. Although
the initiation of the student may consume a substantial part of your time at the beginning, you may
benefit from her/his work towards the end, since you can integrate her/his measurements or calcula-
tions into your own thesis. Of course the positive effects for you get bigger with increasing duration
of the work.
You may be interested in the courses offered by CRAFT (Centre de Recherche et d’Appui pour la
Formation et ses Technologies) in the framework of the Doctoral School:
• Instructional Engineering (HP-07)
. Overview of learning theories.

. Basic concepts in instructional engineering.
. The specification of learning objectives.
. Task analysis techniques.
. Inductive, deductive and analogical methods.
. Problem-based and project-based learning.
. Defects of multiple choice questionnaires.
• Tutoring skills (HP-06)
. How to raise students’ participation.

. The role of feedback.
. The use of examples.
. How to create/sustain interest.
. How to ask questions; the use of pedagogical aids.
. How to react when attention disappears / students’ team-work.
. Students’ preparation for the class.
. Giving and obtaining feedback about learning.
. Verbal and non-verbal communication.
. How to formulate and assess objectives.
36
Links:
• TA Training and development program at the University of Guelph, Canada. (PDF)
5.7 Exchange programs

When working in a European project for example, it may be useful to do an exchange of a few weeks
or months with one of the partner universities. This kind of mobility for PhD candidates is sometimes
intended by the project and a special budget is then set aside for this purpose. In most of the cases
these exchanges are organized bilaterally between universities without specific exchange program.
Links:
• Community Research & Development Information Service
5.8 Protection of results and technology transfer

It is essential that before disclosing or publishing a new and innovative result, the question of its
eventual protection and potential future commercial value is discussed with the technology transfer
office of EPFL (Service des relations industrielles - SRI - http://sri.epfl.ch/en/page1080.html) and
with the responsible professor.
• What about protection versus publication?

Filing a patent application has to be done prior to any public disclosure (publication, web,
poster, conference, etc). Indeed, once made public, the invention loses its novelty, which is
one of the basic conditions for its patentability. There is an exception in the US where a grace
period allows the filing within 12 months after own publication. The potential patent protection
is however in such cases limited to the US. Keep in mind, once a patent application has been
filed, the invention may be published without destroying its novelty for potential patent pro-
tection. So, preserving the potential value of innovative results by filing a patent application is
fully compatible with the need for a scientist to publish, it is however essential to do this in the
right order!
• What are the practical steps?

EPFL researchers have to disclose their inventions to the SRI through an invention disclosure
form downloadable here. An original new software may also be announced with the software
disclosure form that you will also find there. Before filing the invention disclosure, you are
advised to contact the SRI for an initial brief discussion with a technology transfer officer.
The SRI, together with the inventors and the responsible professor, will evaluate the invention
(patentability, commercial potential, ownership, industrial partners, etc.) and elaborate, case by
case, appropriate strategies for the protection and technology transfer. The SRI will also check
with you and your Lab if there is a research contract connected with your research work that
eventually transfers rights to the results to a third party. For any technology transfer process,
the efficient cooperation between the inventors, the Lab and the TT office is a key success fac-
tor. Filing a patent application is the start of a technology transfer adventure and not only the
outcome of a good research, so SRI will expect your motivation to participate actively to this
adventure.
• Are inventors entitled to a special remuneration in case of commercial exploitation?

Yes! Inventors employed by the EPFL are entitled to a share of the net income received by
the EPFL as a result of the invention’s commercial exploitation by a company or start-up having
signed an agreement with the EPFL. Usually such income is allocated as follows, after deduction
of all external patent filing and licensing related expenses: one third to the inventors, one third
to the Laboratory and one third to the EPFL.
37
• Need of support to develop further a new idea?
In the innovation and technology transfer process, an additional development phase is some-
times required to reach a better level of maturity of the ideas and to evaluate the implementation
potentials and the commercial value of the obtained results. The EPFL-VPIV proposes different
supports to innovation that may be of interest to bring your innovative results one step closer
to the application. See details here.
• Willing to consider the creation of a start-up company?

If you need support to draft your first business idea or business plan and to know more about
possibilities offered to help you create a company, you have to contact the coaching team of the
science parc PSE on the EPFL campus. The SRI team is also fully open for any discussions with
you about your start-up project and will be in charge concerning transfer of EPFL’s technology
and intellectual property rights to the start-up. SRI will also advise about regulations for cases
where you are working at EPFL and in a start-up or if the start-up wishes to use EPFL’s facilities.
See http://www.parc-scientifique.ch/PSE/coaching/coaching.php.
• Interested in innovation process and technology transfer?

If you are interested in the innovation process, patenting, licensing and technology transfer,
you may consider applying to participate to the "MINT" course (code HP-02: management de
l’innovation technologique, 3 ECTS credits) given yearly in the framework of general courses
of the doctoral school (see http://phd.epfl.ch/page55523.html ). This course is given by Prof.
Paltenghi and the SRI team. You will have access to practical information and "hands on" ex-
periences on these subjects and also the chance to study a real case in a group. This course is
specifically tailored for young scientists with the goal to improve their clear-sightedness in the
complex but interesting pathway from invention to successful transfer of technology.
5.9 Publications of results

Actually it is simple: the writing of journal papers speeds the writing of the thesis at the end, on the
other hand the final thesis manuscript helps you a lot in writing follow-up papers.
We highly recommend you to publish some of your work in a peer-reviewed journal already
during the thesis. On the one hand it forces you to clarify and organize your ideas. On the other hand
it minimizes the risk that a researcher elsewhere working on a very similar subject publishes before
you and is given all credit. By publishing, you are slowly getting established and appreciated in the
wider research community. In addition you get a feedback from an expert panel that is independent
from your supervisor and research group; this represents a great deal of security and input for the
evolution of your thesis.
If for some reason this is not possible, you should do it immediately after the defense, because
you will have a natural tendency to let down after an oral defense, and you risk never touching your
document again. This is a mistake. For one thing, the research process gets aborted and you prevent
others from learning from your work. Secondly, not publishing your thesis work is a stain on your
CV. Finally, presenting and publishing your work will help you in the job search now or later on.
This is especially true if you want to apply for a postdoctoral research fellowship or if you plan an
academic career.
Present it, publish it later The ideal progression with respect to research dissemination is to present
your findings to groups of professionals and get their feedback, incorporate this feedback into your
own thinking about your research, and then prepare a formal submission for publication [7].
Conference presentation Try presenting a paper or a poster at a conference. Conferences are excel-
lent opportunities to meet other PhDs and your ‘hero’ professors. It is usually very stimulating to talk
to people working on the same subject. You will become a part of the scientific community and your
motivation will be boosted. You will meet the people who will be your colleagues - or maybe even
hire you - later.
38
Of course not everybody is a born speaker and most people have to acquire these skills first. A
possibility to train yourself in public speaking might be the Toastmaster Club at EPFL. You may also
practice by presenting your results in group meetings.
Conference fees, hotel and transport are usually paid by your lab. If the conference is abroad,
contact the concerned embassy well in advance about the entry formalities and inform the conference
organizer of your visa needs.
Concerning the preparation of posters, EPFL’s informatics support offers the possibility to plot
posters in up to A0 format. Detailed information (in French) can be found here. Do not wait the last
day before the conference to get your poster printed (Murphy’s law).
Figure 5.3: Your first conference paper. From “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham, www.phdcomics.com.
Journal publication There exists some kind of ranking among the different journals which can be
measured by the impact factor. In principle, the higher the impact factor is, the more difficult it be-
comes to publish in the respective journal. Your thesis supervisor, based on her/his experience, will
know the most suitable journal for publishing your work. Because approximately 80 % of the papers
submitted to the best journals are rejected, it is reasonable to assume that your study may meet the
same fate the first time you submit it [7]. Even if the study is not rejected, it will likely receive criti-
cisms. Be prepared to it. First-timers often react to such criticism with excessive anger or depression.
It is usually easier to publish a paper in conference proceedings than in peer-reviewed journals;
you may start with a conference proceeding but not indulge in writing only this kind of publications
(see above).
Course (scientific communication) We can recommend the following course organized by CRAFT
in the framework of the Doctoral School:
• : Scientific communication (HP-08)
. Plan and prepare a scientific talk.

. Select, organize and structure the content.
. Develop relevant and attractive visual and written material.
. Improve communication skills.
. Apply basic rules and practices for editing scientific paper.
. To be ready for discussion/question part at the end of a talk.
5.10 Annual report

Every year you will have to submit an annual report to your thesis supervisor. The report should
summarize the achieved results, point-out potential problems and provide an updated schedule for
the remaining time.
39
When writing the report be as honest as possible with yourself and do not try to cloud problems
and difficulties - it could turn against you at the end.
The thesis supervisor sends her/his written comments about the report to the Doctoral Program.
If there are critical points in the report, the commission and the thesis supervisor discuss the situation
of the candidate and will formulate propositions to the Vice-President of academic affairs, who will
decide and inform the candidate about the decision ([4], art. 10 and [5], art. 18).
5.11 Thesis writing

The duration of the writing up of a thesis can be as short as 2 months or up to 8 months, depending
on the previous preparation. The minimal duration assumes that all measurements are terminated
and fully analyzed and that some sections already exist in the form of a report or a journal paper.
The abstract gives indications on the subject, on the goal, the kind of research, the hypothesis, the
methods used, the principal results and the author’s conclusion. It should ideally fit in one page and
must not exceed two pages.
The introduction describes the state of the art and contains the largest part of references. Resources
for references (Web of Science, Webspirs, etc.) can be found on the web site of the EPFL libraries (see
sect. 11.4).
The main text is commonly introduced by an introduction, usually rather short, that describes the
subject of the research, the goals you have gone after and the structure of the document. The main
body includes all the results, its analysis and its discussion. Usually, your discussion section will also
include comments about possible future directions.
As you consider the conclusion, play the devil’s advocate and anticipate criticisms. Remember
also to show the reader the intermediate steps in your logic. The conclusion, in opposition to what one
may think, does not only contain the conclusion you draw. It summarizes the whole work: the subject,
the goal of the research, the goals, the methodology adopted, the major steps you have undertaken,
the principal results and finally the conclusion you can draw from. When writing the conclusion, keep
in mind that after the final submission most readers will only read the abstract and the conclusion.
Definitely use Latex rather than Microsoft Word; you will avoid a lot of trouble. It allows you to
concentrate on content instead of the formatting, and the final result is graphically so much nicer. If
you work on Windows, we recommend to use the MikTex distribution (freeware) and WindEdit as
editor (not freeware but can be downloaded from DISTRILOG).
Figure 5.4: Be cautious with acknowledgements. From “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham,
www.phdcomics.com.
40
To get started we advise you to ask somebody in your group who has recently written her/his
thesis in Latex for her/his template.
Before submitting your thesis you will have it read and corrected by your thesis supervisor. Before
you start writing, you and your supervisor agree on the table of contents. For the corrections we pro-
pose that you hand over chapter by chapter to your supervisor. In this case you already get an early
feedback. Do not be offended if your supervisor does not hand the corrections back immediately;
she/he is probably a busy person.
When you come close to the end, make sure to reserve some days to reread your thesis carefully. It
is even advisable to make a little break before reviewing your text with a fresher mind. Do not submit
a thesis that is poorly written or full of typos, this produces a rather bad impression.
Literature about scientific writing:
• Janice R. Matthews, John M. Bowen, Robert W. Matthews, (2001) ‘Successful Scientific Writing:
A Step-By-step Guide for Biomedical Scientists’, Cambridge University Press; 2 edition.
5.12 Registration for the exam

Note: The private defense (exam) cannot be done earlier than 2 year after the enrolment. You will be asked to
pay an exam fee of CHF 1200.- to the SAC ([5], art. 22).
5.13 Choice of the jury

The jury is chosen by your thesis supervisor, but usually she/he will discuss her/his choice primarily
with you. She/He may also delegate some administrative tasks to you, such as finding a date for the
oral exam, finding accommodation for the external members of the thesis jury, etc.
The exact rules for the composition of the jury and related administrative topics can be found in
([4], art. 14 and [5], art. 23).
Note: You have to communicate the composition of the jury via SAC to the director of your Doctoral
Program not later than 7 weeks before the date of the oral exam.
5.14 Submission of the manuscript

Your thesis manuscript, approved by your thesis supervisor, has to be delivered to the ‘Service
académique (SAC)’ at least 35 days before the date of the oral exam ([5], art. 21). The required
number of copies is one per expert (including your thesis supervisor) plus one for the SAC.
5.15 Oral thesis defense (closed committee)

Quite exceptional with respect to the european neighbour countrie’s practices, at EPFL, the private
and the public part of the thesis defense are separated. The advantage is that there is no social pres-
sure from your family and relatives on the members of the thesis jury (Imagine if they would have
to tell your failure in front of the whole family). The disadvantage for you is that you are obliged
to make two different presentations, since the audience at the private and public defense are very
different.
The oral thesis defense is basically a discussion among members of the thesis jury (including
yourself) and usually starts with your introductory (e.g. powerpoint) presentation. In most cases it
is an exchange of polite remarks and not seldom the experts have a genuine curiosity to learn the
answers from you. The exact duration of your presentation has to be fixed with the president of the
jury but is usually 30 minutes. After the presentation there will usually be one or two rounds of
questions, where each expert asks in turn 3-4 questions.
41
If everyone is satisfied, you will be asked to leave the room during their discussion and writing
of the exam report. The total evaluation comprises the evaluation of the manuscript and of your oral
performance.
Remember, completing a thesis is, in some respects, a rite of passage. It marks the definitive leave
from the world of students and the entry into the world of scientists. The private defense not only
tests your scientific comprehension but also if you merit to be affiliated in the scientific community.
The days before: There are some preparations you could carry out before day X. Inform yourself
on the field of work of the experts, if you do not know them already personally. Visit their webpage
and download some typical publications. This will give you indications on their work style and on
the kind of questions they may ask you.
It is a good idea to have a test presentation in front of some members of your lab a few days before,
if possible in the same room and with the same equipment (notebook & beamer) you will be using at
the exam.
The day X You have worked during the last four years towards day X. It is only normal though that
you will be a bit nervous that day. By the way, your thesis supervisor will be as nervous as you are.
It is extremely rare that a candidate fails the defense and a lot of protection mechanisms must have
failed before such a thing can happen. The fact that your supervisor has admitted you to the defense
means that she/he is convinced that you are well prepared and you will pass.
You have the advantage that you know the room where the exam takes place and it is up to you
to customize it to your needs. If tables and seats are flexible, we advice you to arrange them in an
amphitheater. This provides eye-contact among the experts and favors a kind of social control if one
of the experts gets malicious.
Apart from many pointed questions or criticisms of your work, common (general) oral defense
questions may be [7]:
• What do you see as the problems in your study? What limitations do they pose in what you can
say? How would you correct these in your future studies?
• How could you improve this measure?
• Which current theory or model best explains your findings?
• How do you explain the discrepancy between your findings and those of Dr. X?
• What do you see your study contributing to the literature?
• What would be the next logical study to do as a follow-up to this one?
• If you had your study to do over again, with unlimited resources, how would you do it?
During the defense try to keep calm and be self confident. Remember: You are the person who best
knows your subject!
In case of failure the exam can be repeated ([4], art. 17 – you can find more legal details in [4], art.
15 and [5], art. 28).
5.16 Submission of the nal print version

After the exam you usually have to carry out some minor mandatory corrections to your manuscript.
Note: The original of the final version has to be delivered to the ‘Service académique’ (SAC) not later than
1 month after acceptation of the thesis without reservation ([5], art. 33).
Links:
• Complete course program of the ‘Réseau romand de Conseil, Formation et Evaluation (RCFE)’
42
5.17 Public thesis presentation
The character of the public thesis presentation is completely different from the oral thesis defense.
The audience is very heterogenous consisting of Institute members, family members and friends.
You have to simplify the matters without going too far, to make compromises. We propose that you
start quite general and simple and increase complexity towards the end in order to provide some
teasers to well-informed Institute members.
Why not include some practical demonstration, setup, etc. into the presentation?
Note: The timeframe between the oral thesis defense and the public thesis presentation must be between three
weeks and six months. ([5], art. 31). The candidate must have delivered the original of the final corrected
version to the SAC in order to get her/his diploma.
Courses The CRAFT offers a course of interest to you:

• How to prepare your public defense.
5.18 Publication of the Thesis on the net

As a legal repository of EPFL Doctoral Theses, the Main Library gives you the possibility to freely
publish the final electronic version of your Thesis on the web. Detailed informations can be found on
the site http://library.epfl.ch/theses/?pg=diffusion.
Those interested in this offer must give special authorization by completing a form that can be
found using the following link: http://library.epfl.ch/docs/bc/these-accord.pdf. Without this au-
thorization, the electronic version of the Thesis will only be published on the intranet (EPF of Lau-
sanne and Zurich only).
The collection of all Theses published online can be found at http://library.epfl.ch/theses/?pg=elec
5.19 Literature
If you would like to do further reading on the art of a thesis and related subject, a selection of well
written books both in French and English is given here:
• Beaud, M & Latouche, D.,(1988) ‘L’art de la thèse’,

Boréal-Québec.
• Chassé D. & Prégent, R., (1990), ‘Préparer et donner un exposé: guide pratique’,
Edition de l’Ecole polytechnique de Montréal.
• Cone, J.-D. & Foster, Sh.-L., (1993), ‘Dissertations and theses from start to finish: psychology and
related fields’,
American Psychological Association - Washington.
• Fresnel, E., (1999), ‘Le trac’, éd. Solal - Marseille.
• Tim, Hindle, (1998), ‘Parler en public’, Mango pratique - 101 trucs et conseils.
• Jones, Hughes & Launchbury, (1993), ‘How to give a good research talk’,
ACM Sigplan Notices, Vol. 28, n◦ 11, november 1993.
• Prégent, R., (2001), ‘L’encadrement des travaux de mémoire et de thèse’, Presses internationales, Poly-
technique, Montréal.
43
6
You and your employment
6.1 Financing doctoral studies
The vast majority of doctoral candidates are employed and paid as ‘assistants’; their duties are to
perform research leading to their doctorate, to participate in teaching undergraduates and to help
in the smooth running of their research unit. Funding for assistant positions comes from various
sources, including grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and other national and
international research agencies (e.g. European projects), from other public sources and from private
industry. Some doctoral candidates come to EPFL with their own funding. These need of course not
seek an assistant position within a Laboratory, but they are, as the employed assistants, expected to
participate in general laboratory duties as all other doctoral candidates of their program and must
respect the regulations of their lab/unit (e.g. directives concerning holidays, working hours, etc.). If
you are a grant holder, and if you feel overloaded by non-research work or teaching, simply address
yourself to the director of your Doctoral Program, or to ACIDE.
6.2 Employment conditions

All PhD candidates holding assistant positions at EPFL have to participate to teaching activities. For a
full-time contract you are obliged to contribute to undergraduate teaching (exercises, lab, supervision
of semester projects) for 20% of your time (averaged over one year). If the teaching workload is higher
in one semester because you were supposed to contribute heavily to a course or you had to invent all
exercises by yourself, you should insist on compensation in the following semester(s).
Today two salary systems are used at EPFL depending on the date you signed your contract.
If you signed your contract before 2008 then the old system is applied. In this case the salary
is indicated by a percentage with respect to the Swiss federal salary class 15. For the vast majority
of PhD candidates at EPFL, this fraction corresponds to 75 %. In case of special responsabilities or
shortage of candidates, it might be higher, but in any case your salary should not fall below this value.
For all PhD candidates who started since 2008 the salary is defined with respect to the new salary
system. In this case a fixed wage is used for each year of the Thesis duration. The first years starts
with an annual wage of 50000 CHF. A complementary salary may be given to some PhD candidates
if they are asked to do additional tasks.
For the attribution of this complementary salary you need the agreement of your supervisor and
of the faculty dean.
Note: Whatever your source or official percentage of employment is, you are supposed to work 100 %
because you are considered to still be in education.
Links:
• PhD candidates salary informations (http://rh.epfl.ch/page6391.html)

• Legal texts (http://polylex.epfl.ch/)
44
6.3 Salary and taxes
The Human Resources department will ask you to complete some forms for tax reasons and will also
ask for your bank account number in order to be able to deposit your salary (most money here is
transferred electronically rather than issuing cheques, which are seldom used in Switzerland). They
will also explain the tax system to you.
Be aware that taxes vary between different communes, but lower taxes are usually compensated
by higher rents for flats.
Residency subsidy (granted separately only in the old salary system) This subsidy helps you partly
cover your expenses for accommodation. It has been fixed at CHF 5’156 per year (100 % employment,
has to be recalculated according to your employment percentage, see Traitement-Generalités on the
EPFL Human Resources web pages) and is paid to you in monthly units.
13th monthly salary Your salary is paid in 13 installments or ‘months’. The 13th monthly pay, which
helps you to cover end-of-the-year expenses, is paid off in November.
State grant for children As employee of the Confederation you are entitled to get a subsidy for your
children. By January 1st, 2007 it has been fixed to CHF 4’111 annually for the first child and CHF 2’654
annually for the following children, assuming that your employment percentage is > 50 %. If your
percentage is equal or smaller than 50%, please contact the Human Resources Department (see section
11.7) for more information.
Social insurance contribution Several deductions are made to your salary and stated as follows on
your wage statement:
• 5.05 % AVS: retirement provision (1st pillar).

• 1 % Unemployment insurance.
• 0.68 % Insurance against accidents of professional as well as private nature 1 .
• Federal pension scheme (2nd pillar): The contributions are calculated with respect to your salary,
your age and the chosen pension model.
Reimbursement of pension may depend on your country of origin: e.g. U.S. citizens may be re-
imbursed upon leaving, on the condition that they never move back to Switzerland or upon turning
retirement age.
If you are holding a ‘Permit B’, the federal, state and communal taxes are directly deduced from
your salary. The taxes amount to approximately 10 % of your salary. If you are Swiss or holder of a
‘Permit C’ you may fill out a declaration of your income. If you are married or in a special situation,
you may contact the Human Resources department (HR).
If your marital status or your work permit are subject to changes, you need to announce it to the
Human Resources department (HR) together with the official documents. A change of your marital
status need to be announced also to the Service Académique (SAC).
6.4 Employment specications

The general rule at EPFL is: no employment without defined employment specifications. The employ-
ment specifications may seem, at first view, purely administrative. In fact, they represent a protection
for the employee: Employment specifications allow...
• to enumerate missions and tasks;

• to focus on the tasks that present a problem (in case of disagreements);
• the composition of a work certificate that conforms reality (at the end of your work).
1 This means that you do not need to need a private insurance against accidents as long as you are employed by EPFL.
45
In your case the employment specifications should at least state the percentage of your employment,
the percentage of teaching activities plus other tasks and responsibilities within the Institute. If you
have any doubts with your employment specification, the HR posses blank templates.
If you have any questions, address yourself to the head of Human Resources of the School you are
affiliated to. You can find their names in the following list.
• Carla Cardoso (School of Life Sciences)
• Jean-Pierre Wassmer (School of Computer and Communication Sciences, College of Manage-
ment of Technology, College of Humanities)
• Monique Grin Celka (School of Basic Sciences)
• Marianne Wannier (School of Engineering)
• Chantal Strickler Rotman (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
6.5 Vacations
The vacation time for assistants is defined in the ‘Ordonnance du Conseil des EPF sur le personnel
du domaine des écoles polytechniques fédérales’ (also available in German and Italian on the web
site). Following this ordinance, the vacation time for collaborators of age between 20 and 50 is five
weeks, for younger and older persons it is fixed to six weeks. Note that the mandatory vacation
period between Christmas and New Year can be compensated by working overtime.
In addition to regular vacation time, you have the right to take some days off in the following
cases ([8], art. 52):
Your marriage 6 days

Marriage of a family member 1 day
Birth of your child 2 days
Care of an ill person in your own house- up to 5 days
hold, under the conditions that not other
possibilities exist.
Important school matters, medical ex- up to 5 days
aminations concerning children less
than 16 years old, and you are respon-
sible for their education.
For your own relocation 1 day
For the leadership of a course ‘Jeunesse et Sport’ up to 5 days
For recruitment, inspection or restitution of military material 1 day
For training and intervention as fire fighter the time necessary
In case of death of a family member up to three days
6.6 Additional resources

The rights and duties of PhD candidates are identified in the following three regulations:
• Ordinance on the doctoral degree conferred by EPFL (general text, [4])
• Directives on the doctoral studies at EPFL (Application directives of the ordinance above, [5])
46
7
How to successfully cope with the
world of research
7.1 Management of your thesis
A PhD thesis normally starts with a big portion of enthousiasm and curiosity. The possible problem
that may occur in the beginning is a feeling of incompetence. You are working on a new subject and
different context and you may unconsciously compare yourself with the experts in the field. Keep in
mind that becoming such an expert will take some time. Nobody expects you to know everything
from the beginning. Take your time to learn new methods, read a book or take a course if necessary.
Take one step after another, and if one step seems insurmountable, just divide it into a sequence of
smaller and easier steps.
Figure 7.1: Can you see it? From “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham, www.phdcomics.com.
It is important that you periodically fix new goals. Note the intermediate steps allowing you to
achieve your goals with the corresponding deadlines. From time to time you should self-critically
evaluate your achievements before you determine new goals. Often people have the tendency to be
cruel when judging themselves. Learn also to recognize your efforts, the successful work and offer
yourself a little recompense after an important milestone.
7.2 Did you say problems?

The most important fact to remember is that nearly everybody faces more or less severe problems dur-
ing her/his PhD. You have decided to push the knowledge boundary in a specialised and complicated
subject. If what you have to achieve was so easy, it would certainly have been discovered a long time
ago. Also, many approaches applied in science are basically intelligent versions of the familiar ‘trial
47
and error’ principle. It is thus only normal that you bump into various problems, like for example
problems with your setup, your samples or your model. This can be illustrated by a nice quote:
If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?
(Albert Einstein)
Many doctoral candidates begin a PhD fired up with enthusiasm for some particular topic. This
is a very creditable attitude and although it will help you a lot in the starting phase of your thesis
it might not prevent you from getting frustrated and hating your thesis subject during some time of
your thesis.
In addition to work-related problems, many PhD-students also complain about personal problems
with their supervisors and/or colleagues. Often the two are linked together. As long as your research
activity performs smoothly and produces outstanding results, there is little reason for internal fric-
tions. However if you get stuck in your research, due to technical problems, because the quality of
your samples is insufficient or because you are simply not on the right track, then the relation with
your supervisor will usually suffer. It lies in the very human nature that where mistakes occur, a
culprit is sought.
We would like to stress the following important point: in case of problems, try to recognize your
own responsability (and what is more important, your freedom of action) instead of passing the buck
to your supervisor. Do not forget that it lies in the vital interest of your supervisor that your thesis
goes off without a hitch. It is after all her/his name and reputation that is linked to your thesis. But it
is your thesis, you need to take the initiative.
If you encounter severe problems, do not keep fears and troubles for yourself and do not wait too
long before enquiring about possible solutions:
One possibility is to talk about it with a good colleague at your Institute around a drink. Arti-
culating the problem helps you to get a clearer idea about it in your head. Furthermore you will be
surprised to learn that a similar situation happened to your colleague. If this is the case you may profit
from her/his expertise to solve the problem. In a second step you may talk directly to your supervisor.
Although tough to do, the direct approach is the most effective. If, however, your supervisor does not
take the problem seriously or blocks communication, then you should not hesitate to seek professional
help for too long.
In all Doctoral Programs a Doctoral program director and a committee exist who will try to help
you with your problems. You may also directly contact the Program Director even if you are not
enrolled in a Doctoral School. Remember also that the ACIDE with its long lasting experience is
always there to advice you. If nobody could help you so far, the mediation service (11.6.4) and the
psychological support (11.6.3) can help you in some cases.
Yes, your PhD will define your life for the next four years and is therefore important. However, if
something in your PhD goes wrong, do not panic or get depressed straightaway, but look at the funny
side of it and - smile! The following PhD game (see tbl 7.2) is an ironic look of what might happen
during your PhD.
48
0.
BEGINNING
Throw away
sanity to start The Ph.D Game
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Your You are full of Realise Go to Library. The important
supervisor enthusiasm. supervisor has You can't reference has
gives you given nothing understand gone missing
project title. Have another but project catalogue! in the library.
Go on 3 spaces turn. title. Miss one turn. Back 2 spaces.
14. 13. 12. 11. Examiners 10. 9. Supervisor 8.

Things don't End of First not impressed Do extra work makes a Need
go well. You year by first year on first year comment you supervisor's
become report. report. don't help.
disillusioned. Throw 1 to understand. Miss one turn
Miss one turn continue Extra turn. Back 2 spaces. finding her.
15. 16. 17. 18. Change 19. 20. 21.

You become You become Change supervisor. Do lab Lab demos
depressed. more project. Throw 6 to demonstra- take up too
depressed. continue. tions to get much of your
Miss 2 turns. Go back to Otherwise go some dosh. time.
Miss 3 turns. beginning back 6 spaces. Go on 2 spaces Back 4 spaces.
28. You begin 27. 26. 25. 24. 23. 22.

to think you Beer monster Work every END OF Experiments Specimens
will never strikes. weekend for SECOND are working. incorrectly
finish. You are two months. YEAR labelled.
probably Spend 1 turn Go on 6 No results. Go on 4
right. recovering. spaces. Who cares? spaces. Go back to 20.
29. 30. 31. You realise 32. You are 33. You are 34. 35.
You spend your mates asked why you offered a job. Start writing
more time are earning 5 started a PhD. You may up. Now you
complaining times your Miss a turn continue, or are really
than working. grant. Have a finding a retire from depressed.
Miss 1 turn. good cry! reason game.
42. Your PhD 41. 40. You 39. 38. 37.Your thesis 36.
is awarded. You are asked decide PhD Harddisk It proves will disprove Your data has
Congratula- to resubmit isn't worth crashes. impossible to external just been
tions! thesis. the bother. write up and examiners' published by
Now join dole Withdraw now Back 3 spaces work. work. rival group.
queue! Back to 33. Game over. Go to 33. Go back to 28. Go back to 28.
Figure 7.2: PhD game: Matrix by somebody at the Jenner Institute, who deserves the copyright.
49
7.3 Networking - do not stay alone
There are actually two types of networking: private networking and professional networking. Both
of them are extremely important. Private networks contribute a lot to your well-being and to your
personal development. During your thesis you will be pushing your intellectual boundaries. Try
to develop your soft skills equally by interaction with many different people. Whether you prefer
having a drink with your friends, playing in a music group or joining a sports club does not really
matter. The only thing that matters is to have some activities which are not work-related. The EPFL
environment provides you with the unique opportunity to meet people from different countries and
different cultures. It is up to you to benefit from it.
Many people resist the idea of networking because they associate it with ‘playing the career game’,
‘knowing the right people’, but the truth is that people who do not learn to network are less likely to
succeed. Research of all kinds depends critically on intensive and continually evolving communica-
tion among people engaged in related projects. Networking cannot substitute for good research, but
good research cannot substitute for networking either. And if no community is waiting for you, you
will have to go out and build a community – one person at a time.
Inform yourself about professional communities you could join (e.g. The Institute of Physics,
Biomedical Engineering Society, ACIDE, etc.). You will usually have to pay a member fee, but you
will also get many benefits in return. Last but not least the professional network boosts your chances
to quickly find a job after your PhD.
Links:
• Rezonance/ First Tuesday: people, knowledge and business network in Switzerland (in French).
• Women in Science.
• Reseau romand de mentoring pour femmes.
7.4 Active participation

Get involved! Doing a PhD implies taking an active role. It is no longer about passively absorbing
knowledge prepared by the professor in convenient bits. You are neither a passive and resourceless
‘observer’ of EPFL’s organization and life. There are many possibilities for PhD candidates to exert
influence on Laboratory, Institute or even School level. It is usually quite easy and rewarding to get
elected as PhD representative into the different commissions and associations (e.g. ACIDE).
Participate actively in the social life of your laboratory. You will feel more quickly comfortable
with your colleagues. Go to the seminaries, thesis presentations, cocktails, ‘apéro’, ‘verrée’. Your
colleagues will appreciate it and will willingly help you out with your technical problem in the lab in
return. By the way, a nice place to have an after-work beer with your colleagues is the Satellite (Why
not attending one of the concerts, cabarets etc. taking place there regularly).
7.5 How to deal with stress?

The following section has been reproduced with kind authorization of the Language and Learning
Skills Unit of the University of Melbourne [9].
What is stress?
Stress arises when a person has to respond to demanding situations. As a PhD candidate, you may
experience stress trying to meet the demands of yourself and your environment while juggling all the
other things going on in your life. Most PhD candidates are anxious to do as well as possible and, if
things don’t go as planned, their expectations may become a source of stress.
It is important to understand that stress is a normal part of daily life and the effects of stress are
not always negative. A degree of stress can be motivating and challenging and we all thrive under a
certain amount of stress.
50
The ideal is not to eliminate stress but to identify the optimum level that will motivate but not
overwhelm you. If you consistently exceed your limits of stress tolerance, loss of well-being or illness
will result.
Are you under too much stress? Consider the following:

• Are you feeling sad or upset?
• Are you feeling anxious or tense?
• Do you often lose control, become angry or hostile?
• Are you feeling tired, fatigued or exhausted?
• Do you have difficulty sleeping?
• Are you having difficulty concentrating, remembering things or making decisions?
• Do you experience butterflies in the stomach, shortness of breath or digestive problems?
If you are experiencing any of these stress symptoms, you need to reduce the stress in your life and/or
improve your ability to manage stress.
Managing stress
There are two main ways to reduce stress: change the situation that is causing stress or change your
response to the situation. Both are easier said than done, but the following strategies will help.
Don't ignore distress

Become aware of the situations that are stressful for you and register your physical and emotional
reactions. Try to identify precisely what it is about the situation that is stressful for you. Once you
know this, you can work to manage both these situations and the negative effects they have on you.
Identify what you can change about the stressful situation

Can you avoid the stressor, or reduce its intensity by managing it differently? For example, you may
be able to reduce exam panic by spending more time preparing and revising; you may be able to limit
essay-writing anxieties by planning the task more thoroughly and taking detailed notes.
Work at reducing the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress

Are you making a difficult situation into a disaster by overreacting? Try to moderate extreme emo-
tional responses when considering the consequences of events. Don’t focus on the negatives and the
"what if’s"; rather, try to consider the realities of the situation.
Learn to moderate your physical responses to stress

Practice relaxing. Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart-rate and respiration back to normal.
Relaxation techniques and stretching will reduce muscle tension. You may wish to seek medical
advice if stress is affecting your health adversely.
Build your physical reserves

Include aerobic exercise in your daily routines. Eat well-balanced meals; avoid caffeine, alcohol and
drugs; reduce your intake of refined sugars. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Spend time
each day relaxing; take a warm bath; go for a walk; play with a pet; daydream, practice yoga or
undertake any activity that you find relaxing.
51
Maintain your emotional reserves
Spend time nurturing mutually supportive friendships and relationships. Choose someone you can
trust and talk to them about the things you are finding stressful. Pursue realistic goals that are mean-
ingful to you; do things that you do well. Expect some frustrations and failures and remember how
you have managed to resolve these situations in the past.
7.5.1 Reducing stress

Revise your timetable
If several assignments are due together or you have exams to prepare for, you may need to review
the time allocated to university tasks, rearrange social or work commitments, or you may consider
applying for an extension.
Prioritise your workload

List everything you have to do and decide which tasks absolutely MUST be done. List these in order
of importance. You may find there are tasks that you can cross off your list without compromising
your overall results. Review due dates and deadlines and with these in mind, decide the best order
in which to tackle the important tasks.
Focus on one major task at a time

Don’t try to do everything at once - for example, plan to complete one assignment or lab report and
hand it in before focusing on the next task on your list. Identify the necessary stages of each task and
plan how you will finish them in a time-frame that will allow you to complete all work on time.
Resist perfectionism
Give yourself permission to vary the standard of your finished work. It is not essential that everything
be perfect. Decide which assignments you want to do your best work on and which ones you can call
finished when they are "good enough". Remember that academic results only reflect the amount and
quality of your work – not yourself.
Managing acute stress

Whereas with the above cited techniques and measures, you can avoid (when seriously practising)
the everyday stress, there are some situations (as your first conference talks or your oral thesis de-
fense) in which it may be beneficial to lower your stress level using well-known techniques such as
visualisation or general relaxation exercices.
The ‘Service de Formation du Personnel’ offers regularly courses on stress management. Go visit
their web site!
Links:
• Networking on the Network: A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD candidates.
• Centre de Recherche et d’Appui pour la Formation et ses Technologies (CRAFT).
• Stress management: Ten self-care techniques
Further reading:
A. Woodham and D. Peters, The Encyclopedia of Complementary Medicine, Dorling Kindersley
52
8
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Who can obtain a free Half-fare card for the trains?
All EPFL employees with an engagement higher than 50 % and a minimal duration of 12
months.
• What happens when I loose my Half-fare card?

You will have to pay a fee to get it replaced. CHF 30.- for the first and CHF 100.- for the second
replacement. By the way, when you leave EPFL you should hand back your card to the Human
Resources department.
• What about coverage against accidents?

EPFL employee working a minimum of eight hours per week, is automatically insured by EPFL
(a fee is deduced monthly from your salary). In case of a professional or a non-professional ac-
cident your health costs are refunded by the ‘Caisse Nationale d’Assurance en cas d’Accidents’
(SUVA). In case of accident, you have to contact as soon as possible the Human Resources de-
partment.
• Do I have to announce a change of address, civil status or bank account?

Yes, please send as soon as possible your new coordinates by email to:
. Ms. Danièle Jeanneret (Central Services, ENAC, SV)

. Mr. Frédéric Pantet (STI, I&C, CdH, CdM)
. Ms. Isil Keskin (SB)
Inform also the ‘Service Académique (SAC)’ and the secretariat of your Doctoral Program.
• If I have children, may I receive special contributions?

In case of a birth, please write a letter to the Human Resource department (pavillon C) and join
a copy of the family register or the birth certificate and maybe a confirmation of renouncement
of right from your partner. The allowance for nursing care per year is fixed to:
. CHF 4’062.- for the first child at your charge yearly.

. CHF 2’623.- for each additional child yearly.
• Military service - How to obtain your ‘Allocation pour perte de gains (APG)’?
Please send your APG card to Ms. Bernadette Dufaux, Resources Humaines, Pavillon C, EPFL,
CH-1015 Lausanne.
• How much is my contribution to unemployment insurance (AC for ‘Assurance Chômage’) and old-age
insurance (AVS for ‘Assurance Vieillesse et Survivants ’)?
From your gross income you pay 1 % for AC and 5.05 % for AVS.
• After how many days of absence is a medical certificate required?

The employee has to hand a medical certificate to her/his employer for an absence longer than
three days.
53
• May I smoke at EPFL?
Since May, 2004 EPFL is a smoke-free campus but not a campus without smokers. There exist
restricted indoor areas where you are allowed to smoke. Details (in French) can be found here.
• You are trapped in the juristic labyrinth of the Confederation (law of personnel, etc.)?
Do not hesitate to contact the Human Resources department. Their lawyers will help you to
find the way out.
• How long does it take in order to obtain the work and residence permit?
It depends on whether you are residing abroad at the moment of application or if you are al-
ready legally in Switzerland. As a rule of thumb the Human Resource department has to receive
your demand at least three months before the planned begin of work.
• How do I renew my work and residence permit?
Contact the Human Resources department at least one week before termination of the permit
in order not to have a gap.
• What are the official holidays in the canton of Vaud (to which Lausanne belongs)?
New Year (January 1), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day (Thursday), Whit Monday,
‘Lundi du jeûne fédéral’ (monday following the third sunday in September), National Holiday
(August 1), Christmas Eve (1/2 day, December 24), Christmas Day (December 25), New Year’s
Eve (1/2 day, December 31). Details (in French) can be found here.
• How many weeks of vacation do I have?
cf. Section 6.5. You have 5 weeks of holidays (when between 20 and 50 years old and when
engaged at 100 %), which you should take between January 1st and December 31 of the same
year. The school is closed between December 24 and January 2, with work starting on January 3
(The Christmas break has to be compensated during the year, either by overtime or by vacation
days).
• Do I get paid for an invention that gets patented?
You share the income generated by commercial exploitation of the patent (see sect. 5.8)!
• May I keep my health insurance in my country of origin?
Yes, if you come from an EU-EEA country. See section 12.7) for details !
• Do I need visa for conference participation ?
Yes, according to your nationality, you may need a visa. Contact the concerned embassy well
in advance about the entry formalities and inform the conference organizer of your visa needs.
See section 12.2 for the link to the full listing of foreign embassies in Switzerland !
54
9
You and your future (outside EPFL)
Start becoming a professional early enough. For the next four years your world is the lab and the
library - but there is life outside EPFL. Prepare for it. Learn the folklore and the tricks of the trade you
are going into.
The right preparation starts with the good choice of the research group: a thesis including project
work in collaboration with industry partners may help you to collect valuable work experience and
establish contacts already during your thesis.
9.1 Job search

You are about 6 months before your thesis defense and you are wondering what is coming next.
You may envisage a scientific career, and try to become once a renowned highly-paid professor. The
advantages ? You can continue what you know well and what you like: research (or development).
The disadvantages ? You will sign your first permanent employment contract at the age of 39. Until
then, and possibly afterwards, you will be paid significantly less than in private business.
Statistically (see [3]), roughly a quarter of PhD candidates choose this path, the majority, however,
moves into the private sector after their PhD thesis.
Whatever your personal career plans are, it is important to prepare the job search before the writ-
ing down of your thesis ! Preparing the necessary documents (a well-written CV, motivation letters,
photo etc.) takes much time which you will probably be lacking during the writing process. Also,
it will help you getting a clear idea of your career plans. The following sections will give you some
resources that may help.
9.1.1 Post-doc
A significant part of graduated PhDs (especially in science) chooses to carry out a post-doc in a
renowned university abroad (e.g. in the US). This is the moment when your professional network
which you built up during your PhD (e.g. at conferences, seminars in other groups, collaborations...)
is particularly useful. Also, don’t hesitate to discuss your plans with your supervisor, whose experi-
ence and connections may also be very beneficial.
When applying for a post-doc, it helps enormously if you bring your own funding for the first
year. You can apply for a Fellowship for Prospective Researchers from the Swiss National Science
Foundation. This possibility is open for PhDs of Swiss nationality, and of foreign nationality, if they
show a strong motivation to return to Switzerland after the post-doc. Due to the present high demand
for the fellowship, the Research Committee of EPFL allocates funding in principle only for 1 year with
a possibility of prolongation of additional 6 months at most. For details, please contact Mrs. Jeanneret
(phone: 021 693 35 73). One advantage of the post-doc fellowship is that you can go to almost any
place in the world you wish. If your initial plan was to go into the private sector, a post-doc has
some disadvantages: you will get even more overqualified, you get older, you delay the problem of
insertion into the non-academic world. It may be a good idea to choose a subject that is different from
your thesis in order to broaden your horizons.
55
9.1.2 Creation of a start-up
You have also the possibility to create a company. In this case, the SRI team is open for any discussions
with you about your start-up project and will be in charge concerning transfer of EPFL’s technology
and intellectual property rights to the start-up. Please see section 5.8.
9.1.3 Private sector

Concerning the job search, you should know that only about 10 % of the jobs are advertised by an
advertisement in a paper. The rest is found through personal contacts, forums, internet, spontaneous
applications, placing agencies, headhunters, etc. This does not mean that you should not look the
advertisements in the newspaper.
We have to stress it again, a big part of your success in the job search depends on your personal
networking capabilities. It is not enough to wait for the information coming to you, you have to go
towards it. Why not join EPFL’s alumni association A3 ?
Also, finding a job in industry is often more time-consuming than in the academic world. It
begins with the preparation of the application documents, focussing a public quite different to the
one you know already. Moreover, three interviews with possibly extended time-intervals between
them are not exceptional. Consequently, once more, it is crucial to start the whole process long before
your thesis preparation, which will also give you a bonus for good planification and multi-tasking
capabilities.
Here are a few addresses that will help you to get ready for the job market (e.g. learn how to write
a CV conforming to the private sector):
EPFL Forum The EPFL Forum, an annual event during seven days in November, welcomes about
200 companies. It was established in 1983 as a place to meet and for exchanges between the academic
and professional communities. There are attractive special services: For example, you can have read
your CV by HR professionals.
EPFL employment website The goal of this web interface is to coordinate all activities with respect
to employment at EPFL. Visit their web site: http://emploi.epfl.ch/
Bilan personnel This highly recommendable course, entitled ‘Elements de bilan personnel et offre
de service’ or ‘Career and personal assessment’ organized by the ‘Service de Formation du Personnel’,
sfp.epfl.ch (SFP), allows you to draw the balance on your primary achievements and competencies
and prepares you for the job search. It includes a graphological analysis, a psychological test, a sim-
ulated interview with a real HR manager, and much more. It is offered for free to all PhD candidates
of EPFL. For further information, please contact the ‘Service de Formation du Personnel’. Due to the
high demand, inscribe early !
EPFL Career Centre Since 2006 the Career Centre helps students and PhD candidates with the
preparation of their CVs and motivation letters. It organizes courses for this purpose and encourages
employers to recruit EPFL graduates. For more information please visit the website http://carriere.epfl.ch/.
Association ‘Bernard Gregory’ Founded in 1980, the french Association Bernard Gregory promotes
the value of training through research to the non-academic world and helps the entry of young PhDs
from any discipline into business. It is primary dedicated to young French PhD graduates.
They offer you
• Diffusion of job offers and Curriculum Vitae.

• Information for new PhDs.
• Seminars to polish up your career plan.
• Individual coaching in the job search.
56
The work certificate In Switzerland the work certificate is a very important document. Your em-
ployer (in your case your professor) is obliged by law to issue a work certificate for you (if you were
employed by her/him).
The certificate should not only state the dates you have occupied a certain function but should
list your responsibilities and appreciate your work and also contain a paragraph about your social
competencies.
57
A work certificate should contain the following elements [10]:
• Your name, birth date and hometown.

• The name of the function you carried out with start and end date.
• The main tasks you have carried out plus the responsibilities linked to it.
• Appreciation of the quality of your work.
• Appreciation of your behavior at work with respect to your subordinates, your superiors, col-
leagues, external clients.
• The reason for your departure (normally the end of the contract).
• Possibly regrets about your departure and a recommendation for future employers.
• Possibly a reminder about the professional secrecy.
• Wishes for your personal and professional future.
9.2 And if I don't nd a job?

It may easily happen that with the difficult economic situation in Switzerland and Europe in gene-
ral, you will not immediately find a job after leaving your laboratory. Although some professors
keep newly graduated doctors a few months after the end of the thesis, this is neither a rule nor an
obligation.
If you couldn’t find an employment and you are either Swiss or from a country of the European
Union, keep cool. You can directly apply for unemployment benefit. Do not feel ashamed to ask for
it. It is your right and you have contributed with a deduction from your salary for the last four years
after all.
The standard procedure is to subscribe to the ‘Office Régional de Placement (ORP)’ in proximity
where you live. A list of all ORPs of the canton Vaud can be found here. For people living in the town
center of Lausanne, the address is:
• Chauderon 9
1000 Lausanne 9
Tél. : +41-21-315.78.99 Fax. :+41-21-315.70.30 E-Mail : orp@lausanne.ch
You will have to attend an informative seminary of two hours and you will be allotted a personal
consultant. She/He will control your efforts for the job search and should also assist you in finding a
job, but do not expect too much. You will receive the money actually from the ‘Caisse de Chômage’
at Rue Caroline 9, 1014 Lausanne.
However if you come from a country outside of the European Union and you just have a student
permit, you cannot apply for unemployment benefit. To make things worse, you have to leave the
country if you do not find a job. In this case you should better not make a request because you may
be summoned by the aliens’ police and in the extreme case be asked to leave the country within 1
month. There is the possibility to file an appeal, but it is complicated.
Links:
• http://www.gate24.ch
• http://www.jobs.ch
• http://www.jobpilot.ch
• http://www.jobscout.ch
• http://www.topjobs.ch
• http://english.monster.ch
58
10
Safety and Environment
Safety is a subject that concerns everybody. The risks can change from School to School and from
Institute to Institute. A lab specialized in life-science will have to deal with biological risks, whereas
a physics lab may have to handle radioactivity. We advice you therefore to contact the responsible of
safety in your unit. Insist to get all your questions answered, since it concerns your health (and the
one of your colleagues).
On the school level, the Security, Hygiene and Environment (SHE) unit provides us with a safe
and secure campus. It operates in the following areas:
• Safety (fire department, ambulance men).
• Security (community events).
• Hygiene at work (monitoring of the working conditions in a global sense in order to prevent
professional diseases).
• Environmental protection (interface with the control organs).
Fig. 10.1 on page 60 summarizes the possible emergencies. In any emergency, you can reach the
emergency central of EPFL by dialling 115 from any internal phone.
Join the team of Samaritans of EPFL! The SHE offers regularly courses to employees that are inter-
ested in becoming a samaritan. The instruction goes from the basics up to cardiopulmonary resusci-
tation (CPR) and includes practical exercises (approximately 1 per month) on specific subjects.
The Samaritans are present at different events, like blood donation, Christmas for kids or Balélec.
For detailed information or inscription, please contact François Besson or Michel Cottier, delegate
of safety, phone: 021/693 30 35.
Links
• Security, Hygiene and Environment (SHE) (in French).
• Emergencies (in French).
59
Figure 10.1: For all emergencies there is a single phone number: 115
60
11
At your service
11.1 CAMIPRO
CAMIPRO is the abbreviation for microprocessor card (in French). It will serve you first of all as
electronic key providing you with 24-hour-access to your office and lab.
Your access rights are stored on the small chip. By default you have permanent access rights to
the buildings of your School. Should you wish to have access to other Schools, you have to address
the local administrator of the respective School.
The CAMIPRO will allow you:
• To have access to the buildings of your School and restricted research facilities beyond normal
working hours.
• To access the OSCAR terminals.
• Open an account at the library.
• Get student discounts at different places (see below).
• Pay your lunch with the student discount prices in restaurants, cafeterias, newsstands, stores
and other campus businesses.
How to get the CAMIPRO As soon as you are enroled in your Doctoral program (see section 4.4
and table 4.1), the ‘Service Académique’ (SAC) will issue a letter to you confirming your enrolment.
Now you can fix an appointment with the CAMIPRO service to get your card.1
To fix an appointment with the DII-E, just call the internal phone number 36666 (or from outside
EPFL: 021 693 66 66) in room BS 143. A photo will be taken and you can take away your card directly.
Discounts for EPFL student card holders Due to your student status and/or your association to
EPFL, you can benefit from considerable discount at various shops. To prove your student status,
your CAMIPRO is not enough, people will ask you to see the so-called ‘ticket académique’, validated
by a stamp from the SAC. To obtain this, just step by at the PhD office of the SAC (‘bureau des
doctorants’). Have a look at the following (incomplete) list of organizations offering special prices.
• Lunch special price at EPFL if you pay with the card
• Cinemas, theatres, museums
• Leisure: Baths, Bowling d’Ecublens, Cult, D Club
• Book stores: La Fontaine (EPFL campus), Payot, Librairie Basta, Les yeux fertiles
• Manora restaurant in Lausanne

1 Notethat no card will be issued before your enrolment dossier is complete. If there is, for any reason, a retardation in your
enrolment, you may receive a temporary card (with the status ‘invité’) which will give you 24-hour access to your office and
lab. Contact the secretariat of your Doctoral Program for more details on how to obtain this card.
61
• Car rental: Europcar, (for details, call Mrs. Teresa Duarte on 32137)
• Computer: Poseidon, HP, Apple, IBM
• Sports shop: Athleticum
• Office supplies:La Fontaine (EPFL campus), OfficeWorld, Kramer Krieg
• Various: AGEPOLY
In the beginning of next year, you will receive at home a new EPFL identification card based on
a more modern wireless technology. More information about the functionalities and the introduction
planning of these identification cards of a new generation will soon be made available on the website
camipro.epfl.ch.
Links:
• CAMIPRO (camipro.epfl.ch)
11.2 GASPAR
When people come to EPFL (staff or student) they are registered by the Human Resources depart-
ment and receive an unique ID (SCIPER). For all secured services at EPFL, GASPAR/TEQUILA is the
interface serving to identify and authenticate users from EPFL by means of the SCIPER. You can log
into GASPAR/TEQUILA from any Web-browser (e.g. Netscape) as depicted in Fig. 11.1.
Figure 11.1: Login page of GASPAR
In case of GASPAR password loss, the OSCAR terminal may be used via the CAMIPRO procedure
to choose a new password. The exact placement of the OSCAR terminals can be found by clicking
here.
GASPAR will allow you to...
• customize your email account with an address of type firstname.lastname@epfl.ch.

• install software on your office computer.
• revalid your access (once a year).
Links
• GASPAR in a nutshell.
• GASPAR login.
62
11.3 Sports facilities
Situated in one of the most beautiful places in close proximity to EPFL, the University Sports Center
leaves nothing to be desired. It offers more than 70 disciplines ranging from Aerobic to Yoga and its
direct access to the lake allows even for nautical sports such as rowing, sailing and windsurfing (see
Fig. 11.2).
You can take out a subscription for either one semester (CHF 50.-) or a whole year (CHF 100.-),
which allows you to participate in most of the courses. Further information can be obtained at the
secretary in Dorigny, phone: 021 692 21 50.
During winter, a bunch of ski camps are organized in the nearby Alps at very competitive prices.
A highlight is also the nautical week at the Mediterranean Sea in September.
Nearby outdoor activities include: hiking in the Alps, skiing, climbing and cycling.
Links
• University sports (in French).

• Lausanne sports clubs (in French).
• mySwitzerland.
11.4 Libraries
Documentation and scientific information are a common good.
The EPFL offers you a huge network of more than 50 libraries. Each is specialised on one or several
topics. One is fully open from 8am to 10pm every day and gives access to various services: the Central
Library.
Major services:
Online resources: campus wide access to 60 bibliographic databases (e.g. Web of knowledge), 6000
electronic serials (journals) and electronic books.
Books and printed materiel resources: Member of NEBIS, the scientific swiss union catalog i.e.
three Mios of books and printed materials. Fast and convenient Inter Library Loan.
Human aid and advices:
• Libraries all over the campus.

• Helpful and competent librarians.
• Short training sessions for Doctoral students and researchers:
. How to handle scientific information (offered in the framework of the Doctoral School).
. Introduction to the catalog search (Lasts 30 min).
. Introduction to the use of the library (Lasts 30 min).
. Work methods: Introduction to the use of the library (Lasts 2 x 2 hours).
. Work methods: Introduction to the use of document databases (Lasts 2 x 2 hours).
Figure 11.2: Why not join the nautical club?
63
Figure 11.3: Inside the central library
The first time you check out books, you have to register with your CAMIPRO card at the library
desk. Lending is free of charge. However, you will be charged for late returns of books (The first
reminder is free, the subsequent reminders cost 10, 20 and 35 CHF). Periodicals can not be lended,
but there is a copy machine for which the corresponding copy card is available in the secretary of
your Laboratory.
Please pay a visit : http://library.epfl.ch/(in French)
11.5 Language center

You have arrived in Lausanne without speaking a word of French? No problem! The Language
Center offers you standard or intensive courses in French. You would like to improve your English,
study for a certificate? Choose between TOEFL, First Certificate in English, Certificate in Advanced
English, or Certificate of Proficiency in English.
For further information please contact the office of the language center which is situated in the
‘Centre Est (CE)’, CE 2 445, phone: 021 693 22 89.
All the courses of the Language Centre are free of charge for PhD candidates and the signature
from your superior is not required. If you attend the course regularly (at least 80% of the classes),
then you may get an attestation of attendance.
In case you are married, your partner can participate to French classes only, which will be billed
at the rates applicable at the time of enrolment.
How to subscribe: Inscriptions may be completed online (http://langues.epfl.ch/) and you will
have to take an entry-level test during the inscription period (one month before the start of the
semester).
You can always register directly at the front desk of the Language Centre, during the same period
of time.
The timetable is set up at the beginning of the year according to the availability of the people who
register; it is then posted outside the Language Centre. Everyone can consult the file by following the
same procedure as for the online registration.
64
Links
• Language center (in French).
11.6 Social Services - The (HELP) program

Mission This service has been founded to favor the quality of interpersonal relations and the mutual
respect. It makes a variety of services available to all students and collaborators of EPFL, part of which
we present in the following.
Internal phone number 222 Here you can get detailed information about the complete offer of EPFL
concerning advice and support.
Links (HELP) (in french).
11.6.1 `La Main Tendue'

Mission Available 24h/24h, 365 days per year under phone number 143, this service offers an open
ear to everybody. Whatever your worries may be, ‘La Main tendue’ will be there for you to listen
actively to your problems in complete confidentiality.
Links ‘La Main Tendue’ (in french, german, italian), phone 143.
11.6.2 Social advice

The social consultation is offered to all employees and their families in case of professional or personal
problems. The service is optional and free of charge. You can directly contact them without asking
your supervisor and the social assistants are bound to professional discretion.
Contact
• Madame Annick FERROT

Avenue Tissot 8
1001 Lausanne
annick.ferrot@psb.admin.ch
phone 021 342 03 33
11.6.3 Psychological support

PhD candidates wishing to have temporary medical support or advice can arrange a psychiatric and
psychotherapeutic consultation.
Dr. Luc Michel or Dr. Pierre Ruffieux, both specialist FMH psychiatric doctors and subject to
medical secrecy, are available for PhD candidates twice a week.
Contact
• Service d’Orientation et Conseil, B.P. 1

1st level, EPFL
Phone: 021 693 22 82, Tuesday from 8am to 12pm
Web: http://www.epfl.ch/soc/social/versionAnglais/psychotherapeutic.html
In case of emergency, you may go to the:
65
• Département Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte (DUPA)
Site de Cery, Route de Cery
1008 Prilly Tél
Phone: 021 643 61 11 ,Fax: 021 643 64 69
Web: http://www.chuv.ch/psy/dupa
However, before directly going there, you have to call the physician in charge or announce yourself
to the polyclinic at the CHUV:
• Service de Psychiatrie et de Liaison (SPL)

Bâtiment de la PMU, niveau 07
Rue du Bugnon 44, Lausanne
Phone: 021 314 19 30 (24h/24)
11.6.4 Mediation
You think that in your work relationship your rights have been compromised by an administrative
mechanism of EPFL or you are a victim of an injustice or an imparity or your fundamental rights or
your dignity have been affected or you are a victim of discrimination, mobbing or sexual harassment.
If any of these is applicable, contact the mediation team.
Mediation is offered to all members of the EPFL community. You can address yourself to the
mediation team in order to get an information or an advice or to initiate an intervention.
What is sexual harassment ? Sexual harassment includes acts of physical intimacy or requests for
sexual favours or any act or conduct by a perpetrator, including spoken words, gestures or the pro-
duction, display or circulation of written words, pictures or other material that is unwelcome to the
recipient and could reasonably be regarded as sexually offensive, humiliating or intimidating to the
recipient. The unwanted nature of sexual harassment distinguishes it from flirtatious or sexual be-
haviour, which is entered into freely and mutually. It is the damaging impact of the unwanted be-
haviour on the recipient, not the intention of the perpetrator, which counts.
Contact
• Secretary, phone: 021 693 02 84

by email: contact.mediation@epfl.ch
by mail: Bureau de Médiation - p.a. SOC - Bâtiment Polyvalent - EPFL - 1015 Lausanne
Links
• Social services (in French).

• Mediation (in French).
• Help! Prevention and support (in French).
11.7 Human Resources

Among many other things, they do payroll accounting for you and transfer the money into your
postal or bank account. In particular the following subjects are treated by HR:
• Employment specifications.
• Prolongation of contracts.
• Work certificate.
• Work permits.
• Schedules and vacations.
• Address changes (notify!).
66
• Paid and unpaid vacation.
• Bank account changes (notify!).
• Medical certificates.
If something is not clear on your wage statement, you may want to contact them:
• EPFL PL RH
INN 011
Station 7
Phone: 021 / 693 60 93 (secretary), Fax: 021 / 693 35 95
Office hours: 8h30 - 11h30 14h00 - 16h30 (friday 16h00)
Links
• Human Resources (in French).
11.8 Academic service (or SAC for `Service Académique')

During your PhD, Mrs. S. Bucurescu and S. Jacot-Descombes will be your contact people concerning
academic issues, in particular:
• Reception of admission demands.

• Registration of candidates and academic following up.
• Attestations of inscription.
• Student card (CAMIPRO).
• Organization of oral thesis exam and public defense.
• Printing diplomas and thesis.
Contact For anything concerning doctoral studies, Mrs. S. Bucurescu and Mrs. S. Jacot-Descombes
are your contact persons at the Academic Service:
Simona Bucurescu Sandra Jacot-Descombes

BP 1137 (Bâtiment BP) BP 1137 (Bâtiment BP)
Station 16 Station 16
CH-1015 Lausanne CH-1015 Lausanne
phone 021 693 2115 phone 021 693 4456
fax 021 693 3088 fax 021 693 3088
simona.bucurescu@epfl.ch sandra.jacot-descombes@epfl.ch
Links
• Academic service (SAC) (in French).
11.9 Associations and exchange forum

ACIDE Association that officially represents all scientific staff with the exception of ordinary, ex-
traordinary, tenure track and assistant professors. It defends your professional interests (e.g. salary,
working conditions) within the direction and boards of the school and offers customized services to
its members. Note: You must register to become a member.
Why join ACIDE?
• ACIDE PhD Board organizes social events for PhD candidates

• ACIDE is your representative within the institution itself as well as outside;
67
• ACIDE is your link with the other associations of the EPFL (AGEPOLY-students, APC-administrative
and technical staff, APEL-professors) and other swiss universities;
• ACIDE maintains close contact with the EPFZ and other research institutions.
• ACIDE supports and advises you in case of professional problems.
• ACIDE offers free legal advises to its members.
Did you know that ACIDE has successfully defended the right to a minimum salary for PhD
candidate-assistants (75 % or better of salary class 15 in the past, and a better minimum salary as of
2008)?
ACIDE can not help you without your support. To join ACIDE you can register online.
For more informations about ACIDE:
• acide.epfl.ch
AGEPOLY This is the general association of the EPFL undergraduate students and is located on
the Esplanade. They offer a broad choice of activities and clubs: cabaret (NOT Striptease, the other
one), CD-thèque, Mountaineering-Club, Photography-Club, Drama-club, Sailing-club, Astronomy-
club, Chess-club, etc ...
For exchange students, a group called ‘Opération Parrainage’, a kind of coaching for foreign stu-
dents, has been founded and is member of the ESN (Erasmus Student Network). The local ESN
group consists of Swiss students who organize social activities and short trips. Activities include
weekly meetings, visits, plays, ski weekends and parties. Please have a look on :
• AGEPOLY (in French).
• Xchange ESN EPFL.
• Xchange ESN University of Lausanne.
Music If you are a musician, you may want to join the university choir, the university symphonic
orchestra or the jazz-funk project. There are band rooms with instruments (piano) at EPFL, where
you can practice your instrument of choice.
• University choir (in French).
• Lausanne University Orchestra.
• ORjazzM’!, the jazz-funk project.
Others The complete list of associations can be viewed here:

• Associations EPFL.
• Associations UNIL.
• Operation ‘Tandem’: how to find a linguistic partner.
• Association du Personnel de la Confédération – Section EPFL (in French).
• ACTIONUNI is the swiss researchers association.
11.10 Day-care centers - nurseries

Childcare organisations are still quite rare in Switzerland, depending on where you live. For this
reason, we advise you to find accommodation in the town of Lausanne where childcare is better
organized and subsidized. We advise you to register your baby even before it is born.
Two day-care centers (French ‘Crèches’ or ‘Garderies’) are located on the campus and reserved for
children whose parents are either studying or working at the EPFL or the University of Lausanne.
• La Croquignole, Phone: 021 693 73 00.
• Le Polychinelle, Phone: 021 693 73 14.
Children are admitted between the ages of two months and four and a half years.
Polykid: Infant School at EPFL (for children from four to six years). Dedicated to the children
of EPFL/UNIL students, staff and professors. Please contact the equal opportunity office (see sect.
11.11) for further information.
68
Links
• Day-care centres - nurseries (in French).
11.11 Equal Opportunities Oce

Their mission is to take measures and actions to promote equal opportunities on all levels at EPFL
on one hand and to attract and retain women in the scientific domain on the other hand.
In practice the Equal Opportunities Office takes measures..
• aimed at making it easier to reconcile family life and professional activity,
• intended to promote EPFL subject areas to young women and encourage academic careers for
all categories of female academic personnel,
• to encourage female administrative careers.
Contact
• Delegate for equal opportunities: Farnaz Moser-Boroumand, Phone: 021 693 19 81.
• Secretary: Josiane de Chambrier, Phone: 021 693 00 71, Fax: 021 693 19 80.
Equal Opportunities Office, Centre Midi, Bureau CM 1 520.
Figure 11.4: Work-life balance
Links
• Equal Opportunities Office (in French).
69
12
Especially for PhD candidates from
abroad
12.1 Switzerland, Lausanne, a quick glance
12.1.1 Switzerland
History
Present-day Switzerland has its origins in the ‘everlasting Confederation’ entered into by the three
earliest cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, in 1291. In 1803 Canton de Vaud, with Lausanne as
capital, became a member of the Swiss Confederation. Today the federal state of Switzerland consists
of 26 cantons and the federal capital is Bern. Switzerland is not part of the European Union (EU) but
associated to it through various bilateral agreements.
Languages
There are four official languages: German, French, Italian and to a limited extent Rhaeto-Romanic.
German is spoken in north-west, central and eastern Switzerland, French in the west and Italian to the
south of the Alps. Rhaeto-Romanic is spoken only in certain valleys in the Canton of Grisons. Around
72.5 % of the Swiss population speak German, 21 % French, 4.3 % Italian and 0.6 % Rhaeto-Romanic.
Facts
• Population: 7.59 mio (in 2007).
• Total area: 41’000 km2 .
• Highest mountain: Cervin-Matterhorn (4478 m), Monte Rosa (4634 m).
• Currency: Swiss Franc [CHF] (1.5 CHF≈ 1e).
12.1.2 Lausanne
Switzerland’s fourth largest city (129’400 inhabitants) enjoys a blessed location on the boarder of Lake
of Geneva (French Lac Léman).
The Romans built a military camp, which they called Lousanna, at the site of a Celtic settlement,
near the lake where currently are Vidy and Ouchy; on the hill above was a fort called ’Lausodunon’
or ’Lousodunon’ (The ’y’ suffix is common to many place names of Roman origin in the region (e.g.)
Prilly, Pully, Lutry, etc).
After the fall of the Roman Empire, insecurity forced the transfer of Lausanne to its current center,
a hilly, easier to defend site. The city which emerged from the camp was ruled by the Dukes of Savoy
and the Bishop of Lausanne. Then it came under Berne from 1536 to 1798 and a number of its cultural
treasures, including the hanging tapestries in the Cathedral, were permanently removed. Lausanne
70
has made a number of requests to recover them. During the Napoleonic Wars, its status changed. In
1803, it became the capital of a newly formed Swiss canton, Vaud under which it joined the Swiss
Federation.
From the 1950s to 1970s a large number of Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese immigrated, settling
mostly in the industrial district of Renens and transforming the local diet. The city has been tradition-
ally quiet but in the late 1960s and early 1970s there were a series of mainly youth demonstrations
confronted by the police. The next vigorous demonstrations took place to protest against the high
cinema prices and since then the city has returned to its very sleepy self, until the protest against the
G8 meetings on 2003.
This paragraph has been reproduced using wikipedia informations.
Links:
• Lausanne on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lausanne)
• City of Lausanne.
• Lausanne Tourist Office.
• Geneva airport.
• Zurich airport.
• All about Switzerland (http://www.all-about-switzerland.info/)
12.2 Passport, visa & residence permit

Passport Make sure you have a valid passport or identification card.
Visa PhD candidates coming from outside EU-EEA-countries need to acquire a visa. It must be ap-
plied for before departure to Switzerland at the closest Swiss Embassy with the letter of admission
from the EPFL. The visa is called ‘B permit’. A ‘tourist visa’ cannot be changed into a student permit
once you have arrived in Switzerland.
Residence permit PhD candidates coming from EU-EEA-countries do not need to apply for a visa.
You have to go to the immigration office (French Contrôle des habitants et police des étrangers) of the
city where you live within the first 10 days after your arrival with the following documents :
• Your passport.
• 2 passport-sized photos.
• Certificate of registration called ‘Attestation’ from the EPFL (you will get it after your arrival).
• Recent bank statements and your contract of employment or your grant.
Note: Only the Human Resources department of EPFL can start the process for obtaining the residence and
work permit.
Municipality of residence Address

CH-1003 LAUSANNE Rue Beau-Séjour 8
CH-1024 ECUBLENS Place du Motty 4
CH-1023 CRISSIER Ch. de Chisaz 1
CH-1022 CHAVANNES Hôtel de Ville, Ch. de la Gare 46
CH-1020 RENENS Rue de Lausanne 33
CH-1025 SAINT-SULPICE Rue du Centre 47
CH-1008 PRILLY Rue de Cossonay 40
Table 12.1: List of immigration authorities
In finding an apartment and getting a permit there is a vicious circle: to get your permit you need
an address and to get an apartment you need your permit. So, it is best to go get your permit using a
71
temporary address and then change that address when you get your apartment. But, you want to try
to stay in the same ‘region’ or else you’ll have to pay to change your permit.
The fees for the residence permits are between CHF 120 and CHF 182. For residents from EU
countries the permit is valid for several years whereas for the others the permit has to be renewed
yearly with an attestation and a fee of CHF 60.
Links:
• Listing of foreign embassies in Switzerland.
12.3 Traveling and transport

The EPFL campus can be easily reached by metro (called TSOL or M2). You can either pay single
fares, which will cost you a lot or you had better take out a subscription for a month or a year. When
you live up in town, coming by bike everyday may save you the fitness studio.
For traveling the country you may use the densest train network of the world. The cars are usually
new and comfortable and there is very little late arrival (there is joke which says you could adjust
your watch by the arrival of the train).
Since train tickets are expensive, it is absolutely recommended to have the ‘Half-Fare Card’ (French
le demi-tarif), which means that you have to pay only half of the price. This boon is granted also on
most private rail networks and mountain railways, and applies to both 1st and 2nd class. If you have
an assistant position at EPFL you will get the card offered by EPFL for free. Anyway you will need to
get one because of the business trips by train for which you can only claim back the half-prize ticket.
How to get a EPFL Half-Fare Card? You have to send the following documents to the Human
Resources:
• A voucher which you get from your secretary with the backside completed (address, language).
• A recent passport-sized color photo.
You will receive the card in 4-6 weeks.

If you are younger than 25, you may think of buying as well the ‘Voie 7’, voie7.ch, which allows
you to travel from 7pm until the last train of the night without paying anything.
Travel agencies at EPFL campus: Note that you can buy your train/flight tickets directly on the
EPFL campus, as there is both a counter of the federal railway as well as a travel agency at EPFL. For
details, click here.
Links:
• Services/Shops at EPFL
• Swiss rail.
• French rail.
• Geneva airport.
• Metro timetable.
• Public Transport in the Lausanne area (in French).
• easyJet.com.
72
12.4 Accommodation
In Switzerland students do not usually live on the campus. Seven student residences provide accom-
modation for students of the EPFL and of the University of Lausanne. They are located in differ-
ent parts of Lausanne and are administered by the foundation ‘Fondation Maisons pour Etudiants’.
Rooms are preferentially given to undergraduate students, but during summer break you may get a
room for a few months.
Most PhD candidates will get their own apartment or share one with other people. You may
wonder where is the best place to live in Lausanne. Some people prefer to be as close to the campus
as possible (suburbs Chavannes, Renens or St.-Sulpice). Although you will have a shorter way to
work in the morning the drawback is that going downtown in the evening will be an extra effort,
thus you will rarely do it. If you are a lively person and you like to go to the movies, have a drink
with some friends during the week, in this case you should definitely opt for a flat in the town center
of Lausanne.
Renting a flat: The housing market in Switzerland is probably organized quite differently from
your country of origin: 50 % of the population lives in a rented flat and the most flats are managed by
estate agencies (French gérance) that act on behalf of the owner and the protection of tenants is little
developed. At the moment there is a shortage on the flat market. The appartment vacancy rate in
Lausanne is about 0.1 %.
If you would like to rent or share an apartment, have a look at the roommate notices on campus.
Advertisements for flats can be found each Monday in the Lausanne newspaper ‘24heures’ under
‘Appartements à louer’: Each room (French une pièce) is livable space, hence kitchens and bathrooms
are not counted. When you are looking at places to rent, find out exactly what is covered by the rent,
electricity, water, furniture, etc ...
You must visit the flat before going to the ‘gérance’ (they will check with the caretaker). Once you
have visited the flat, you pass by the ‘gérance’ and ask to be put on the waiting list. You should bring
your work permit and a recent bank statement.
Once you have been accepted by the ‘gérance’ you may be required to draw up a lease for one
year with a three or six month notice clause. A guarantee is required which can represent an amount
of 3 months of rent. You will not hand the deposit to your landlord in cash, but rather put it on a
blocked account (see Sect. 12.8). You will notice that flats may be preferentially given to people with
steady jobs (and high income) and to Swiss citizens.
At the day of handover (French État des lieux) you will inspect the appartment together with the
agent of the ‘gérance’ and note any damages. Keep a copy of the record until you intend to leave.
Useful addresses:
• Adds for apartments (in French).
• Accomodation by SOC EPFL.
• GASPAR/TEQUILA: EPFL’s intranet (see 11.2.)
• Office du logement UNIL.
12.5 Getting your phone line installed

This is actually easy if you have the money. One option is to go to a Swisscom office and fill out the
application form. You can also call and apply over the phone but unless your French is up to it you
may have a hard time finding someone that speaks your language. After applying they will process
the application and send you a bill for the deposit. If you’re from Europe the deposit is CHF 500
whereas if you’re from North America or India the deposit is CHF 1000. You will need to inquire for
the exact deposits if you’re coming from another country. They will pay you interest on the deposit
though. They will tell you that it takes about one week to 10 days to have the phone turned on.
It may be desirable to simply buy a cellular phone (you can choose between three operators:
Sunrise, Orange and Swisscom). If you need to make a long distance call, you can buy a phone card.
This way, you can avoid the costs of a fixed line while enjoying the flexibility of a portable phone.
73
12.6 Cost of living
Okay, let us get this over and done with quickly: Switzerland is an expensive place. Prices for almost
everything are higher than in almost every other country. Take it or leave it, but do not complain the
next four years about high prices. You have to take into account that you will earn more than almost
every other PhD candidate in the rest of the world (those in industry excepted).
The Big Mac purchasing-power parity (PPP) is the exchange rate that would leave a burger in any
country costing the same as in America. The average price of a Big Mac in four American cities is
$2.90 (including tax). The cheapest is in the Philippines ($1.23), the most expensive in Switzerland
($4.90). In other words, the Philippine peso is the world’s most undervalued currency, the Swiss franc
the most overvalued (The Economist, May 27th 2004).
Links
• Foreign Exchange Currency Converter.
Figure 12.1: The world economy looks very different once countries output is adjusted for differences in prices
12.7 Insurances, health

EPFL employee working a minimum of eight hours per week, is automatically insured by EPFL (a fee
is deduced monthly from your salary). In case of a professional or a non-professional accident your
health costs are refunded by the ‘Caisse Nationale d’Assurance en cas d’Accidents’ (SUVA). In case
of accident, you have to contact as soon as possible the Human Resources department.
PhD candidates coming from EU-EEA countries may remain affiliated to their own insurance com-
pany if they bring the European form E111 completed and duly signed by their insurance company
or the European Health Insurance Card [12]. Most students remain affiliated to their own insurance
company. As soon as they arrive in Switzerland, they have to send the form E111 or a copy of the
European Health Insurance Card to the
• Organe Cantonal de Contrôle

Rue Saint-Martin 2
Case postale 288, CH-1001 Lausanne
info@occ.ch, http://www.occ.ch.
PhD candidates coming from outside EU-EEA may either join a Swiss insurance company or re-
main affiliated to their own insurance company provided that they ask permission from the ’Organe
Cantonal de Contrôle’: http://www.occ.ch, email: info@occ.ch.
A written statement from the foreign company giving full details on the extent and the amount of
the coverage must be joined to the request. To benefit from an exemption, two conditions are to be
fulfilled :
i. Affiliation to a sickness insurance is compulsory in the home-country of the PhD candidate.
74
ii. The coverage guaranteed by the insurance should be equal to that requested by the Swiss law.
The premium to pay will be based on the place of residence, on the age and on the deductible chosen
by the PhD candidate. Its price ranges from Fr. 150.- to Fr. 225.- per month.
Aware of the problems involved in choosing medical insurance, the Service social at EPFL has con-
tracted a society - GESTUNION S.A. - to help you find the least costly solution.
GESTUNION S.A. offers you:
• The choice of insurance most appropriate for your age.

• The possibility to reduce your premiums as much as possible.
• Individual advice on the choice of benefits.
• Help with the administrative procedures.
For more information, do not hesitate to contact :
• GESTUNION S.A.
Route de Vallaire 149
CH-1024 Ecublens
Phone: 0848 882 884 (client service), E-mail: info@gestunion.ch.
This service is free for EPFL employees!

You can compare rates by yourself on www.comparis.ch and www.c-primes.ch. Attractive offers for
foreigner students and PhD candidates may be found on c-primes.ch.
Emergency In an emergency, the number to dial in Switzerland for an ambulance is 144. If you
become ill and need urgent medical attention, contact the nearest health-care centre ‘Permanence
médicale’ or the CHUV (University Hospital Center for the Vaud Canton), phone : 021 314 11 11.
You can visit them without an appointment. In dental emergency you may go to the ‘Permanence
dentaire’ or to a dentist. Dental costs are not covered by the health insurance and are very expensive.
Links:
• Social service at EPFL.
12.8 Bank account

One of the first things you will need is probably a Swiss bank account. You will require one to have
your salary transferred to and to make your payments. The two largest banks, UBS and Credit Suisse,
offer student accounts with advantageous conditions, e.g. higher interest rates, free of charge, free
Maestro card, free credit card, e-banking. UBS has the advantage that they are located on the campus.
As an alternative you can also open an account at the Swiss Post, also present on the campus.
There is the inconvenience of fewer cash withdrawal spots but the convenience of much cheaper
money transfers to postal accounts abroad.
When renting an apartment, you have to deposit 2 to 3 months of renting on a blocked account.
You preferably open it at the same bank as your student account.
Which documents are required? You will have to prove that you are permanently living in Switzer-
land and that you are studying at EPFL. Therefore you need:
• Valuable passport / identity card.
• Resident permit (French permis de séjour).
• Student card.
• (UBS: Attestation from EPFL with duration of studies).
75
Links:
• UBS Campus personal account.
• Private Account Academica for Students.
• Swiss Post - Student set.
12.9 If you have children

If your children are of pre-school age you may be interested in day-care centers and nurseries (See
section 11.10). Note that there exist large differences in the offer of such services depending on the
commune you live in (e.g. St.-Sulpice is not very progressive in this respect).
If your children are of school age, you do not have to worry about schools. The Swiss educational
system has a good reputation throughout the world, even when not among the first places according
to the recent PISA study.
Infant school The infant school is from ages 4-6 and is non compulsory but highly recommendable.
Primary and secondary school Parents have a choice between a quality public school and the pri-
vate system. The private schools are numerous and well known. Several among them offer interna-
tional curriculum, which provide study in English, German or Spanish. The public schools, in which
courses are given in French, offers a level of excellence on a par with that of the private sector. These
schools provide the first two cycles of study: the primary school (from ages 6 to 10) and the secondary
school (from ages 11 to 15).
Apprenticeship training For many years, employers have appreciated the quality of our appren-
ticeship training programs. The emphasis in these programs is on the practical application in daily
work of knowledge acquired in class. The result has long been highly trained employees of excep-
tional quality. This is without a doubt one of the most important factors underlying not only the
excellent craftsmanship and manual work in Switzerland, but also the vaunted ‘Swiss work ethic’.
High school The High school (French gymnase) prepares for university studies and is from ages 15
to 19, generally.
Higher Education The canton of Vaud offers an array of advanced education and training programs
of exceptional variety and quality. The university offers programs in liberal arts, law or human sci-
ences, while a select group of high level schools and institutions offer advanced training in fields
ranging from hotel management to nanotechnology. Vaud has firmly oriented itself toward cutting-
edge research, education and training in the newest technologies: microtechnology, information tech-
nology, bio-technology (including bio-pharm and med-tech), telecommunications, electronics, energy
systems.
Links:
• Lausanne family (in French).

• Pro Familia.
• Cantonal funds for family aid.
• School system in Canton Vaud / General information about state schools (in French).
76
12.10 If you have a car
If you live in the center of Lausanne you do not actually need a car. In contrary, parking space is very
limited and you often risk to pay a fine if you do not park correctly.
There are three types of car insurance in Switzerland:
• Third-party liability insurance, which is compulsory.

• ‘Casco’ insurance (fully comprehensive or collision) covers damage to the vehicle and is op-
tional.
• Passenger insurance covers bodily harm to the passengers and is optional.
Note: Swiss car insurance typically insures a specific car, not a specific driver.
You can use your foreign driving license for up to one year. Within this time, you are required to
exchange your license for a national driving license (fee: 100 CHF).
Links:
• Insuring a car in Switzerland.
12.11 You work at EPFL, but you live in France

The bilateral treaties between Switzerland and the European Union have simplified the lives of people
working in Switzerland and living in France. It would be beyond the scope of this guide to enter into
the details.
Links:
• Frontalier France-Suisse (in French).

• Groupement frontalier (in French).
12.12 Reading list

• The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Swiss, by Paul Bilton, 2001, 64 pages, ISBN: 1-902825-45-4.
• Culture Shock! Switzerland (Culture Shock! Country Guides), by Shirley Eu-Wong, 1995, 165
pages, ISBN: 1558682481.
77
13
Useful adresses
13.1 Where to stay the rst week
Usually you do not have your apartment yet when arriving in Lausanne. In this case you need a
‘cheap’ hostel to stay while searching for an apartment. If you do not know anybody, try the follow-
ing:
• Jeunotel
Chemin du Bois de Vaux 36
CH-1007 Lausanne
Phone: +41 21 626 02 22 Fax: +41 21 626 02 26
http://www.jeunotel.ch
email: jeunotel@urbanet.ch
• Lausanne Guesthouse & Backpacker
Ch. des Epinettes 4
CH-1007 Lausanne
Phone: +41 21 601 80 00 Fax: +41 21 601 80 01
http://www.lausanne-guesthouse.ch
email: info@lausanne-guesthouse.ch
• Camping de Vidy
Ch. du Camping 3
CH-1007 Lausanne
Tél. 021 622 50 00 Fax 021 622 50 01
E-mail : info@campinglausannevidy.ch
• Hôtel du marché
Pré du Marché 42
CH-1004 Lausanne
Phone: +41 21 647 99 00 Fax: +41 21 646 47 23
http://www.hotel-du-marche.com/
• Hôtel Formule 1
Rue de l’Industrie
CH-1030 Bussigny-près-Lausanne
Phone: +41 21 701 02 02 Fax: +41 21 702 31 72
http://www.hotelformule1.com/
If you arrive in vacation period (e.g. July-October) you should try the student houses (see sect.
12.4). In addition you can obtain advice from the Tourist Office at the railway station : http://www.
lausanne-tourisme.ch
78
13.2 Emergency call
- EPFL : internal nr. 115 or http://securite.epfl.ch/urgences/urgences.html
- Police: 117
- Firemen: 118
- Medical emergencies: 144
- CHUV – University Hospital, Phone: 021 314 11 11, http://www.chuv.ch
- Vidy-Med : Rte de Chavannes 11-11A, Phone: 021 622 88 88, http://www.vidymed.ch/home.
Links
• Guide for International Students (pdf).
79
Appendix
13.3 Links
• Services/Shops at EPFL
• Swiss rail.
• French rail.
• Geneva airport.
• Metro timetable.
• Public Transport in the Lausanne area (in French).
• easyJet.com.
13.4 Maps
Figure 13.1: Switzerland
80
Figure 13.2: Lausanne
Figure 13.3: EPFL Campus
81
Bibliography
[1] Rik Harbers, Martin Näf, Christina Seyler-Jahn, Max Stroebe, and Katja Wirth. Survival Guide: Handbook
for PhD Students at ETHZ. Technical report, AVETH ETHZ, 2002. 13, 30, 31, 32, 33
[2] R. Prégent. L’encadrement des travaux de mémoire et de thèse. Presse internationales, Polytechnique, Montréal,
2001. 13, 25
[3] Isabelle Weber-Cahour. La Situation Professionnelle des Docteur(e)s EPFL des promotions 1995 - 1999.
Technical report, Unité d’évaluation de l’enseignement et d’insertion professionnelle, 2002. 14, 55
[4] Ordonnance sur le doctorat délivré par l’EPFL, 2005. 23, 24, 27, 28, 30, 40, 41, 42, 46
[5] Directives sur la formation doctorale à l’EPFL, 2005. 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46
[6] Nigel Stewart. www.nigels.com, 2002. 25, 26
[7] J.-D. Cone and Sh. L. Foster. Dissertations and theses from start to finish: psychology and related fields. American
Psychological Association, Washington, 1993. 38, 39, 42
[8] Ordonnance sur le personnel du domaine des epf, 2001. 46
[9] Language and Learning Skills Unit, University of Melbourne, Australia. Are you under too much stress?
50
[10] E. Didisheim. Documentation du cours “bilan personnel”, 2004. 58
[11] Damien Simonis, Sarah Johstone, and Lorne Jackson. Lonely Planet: Switzerland. Lonely Planet Publications
Pty Ltd, Victoria, Australia, 2003.
[12] Student Exchange Office, EPFL. Handbook for international students, 2004. 74
82

Practical Guide For PHD Candidates at Epfl: Version: August 12, 2008

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Practical Guide For PHD Candidates at Epfl: Version: August 12, 2008

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Practical Guide

for PhD Candidates at EPFL

Version: August 12, 2008

Background picture on the cover page by Alain Herzog, EPFL

Last revision: August 12, 2008

Embarking on a PhD is a wonderful experience at the crossroads of

It is with great pleasure, and also a sense of great responsibility,

The PhD is an intense and sometimes exhausting experience, one in

Through our newly developed Doctoral School, we will do our best to

I speak on behalf of the entire EPFL community when I extend a warm

by Patrick Aebischer, President of the EPFL.

PhD lexicon & List of abbreviations v

2 Structure and organization of EPFL 3

3 PhD, what does it mean? 13

4 Admission & Enrolment in Doctoral School 23

6 You and your employment 44

7 How to successfully cope with the world of research 47

8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 53

9 You and your future (outside EPFL) 55

10 Safety and Environment 59

David Leuenberger and the PhD Board of , Lausanne, December 2004

Figure 2.1: Air-side view of EPFL campus

2.2 Schools, Sections and Institutes

. Section of Architecture (SAR) . Institute of Architecture (IA)

. Section of Computer Science (SIN) . Institute of Core Computing Science

. Section of electrical and electronical en- . Institute of Transmissions, Waves and

. Section of Life Sciences (SSV) . Integrative Bioscience Institute &

. Institute of Logistics Economics and

• Architecture, City, History (EDAR)

3.2 Motivations and objectives

3.3 Motivations and involvements: 15 personal viewpoints

3.3.1 Eight junior PhD candidates

• What will you work on during your PhD?

• How did you choose your supervisor?

• Do you have an idea of what you will do after your PhD?

Ounsi El Daïf, PhD candidate in physics

• What will you work on during your PhD?

• How did you choose your supervisor?

Yuosre Badir, PhD candidate at the College of Management of Technology

Robin Evans, PhD candidate in biomedical engineering

Ilkay Cesar, PhD candidate in chemistry

Damien Bouard, PhD candidate in environmental engineering

• Do you have an idea of what you will do after your PhD?

Blandine Alloing, PhD candidate in physics

• Do you have an idea of what you will do after your PhD?

Jean Berney, PhD candidate in physics

• What will you work on during your PhD?

• How did you choose your supervisor?

• Do you have an idea of what you will do after your PhD?

3.3.2 Three recent graduates

• Does it still make sense to do a PhD nowadays?

• Would you do it again?

• The worst experience during your PhD?

• The greatest experience during your PhD?

• If you could do your PhD again, what would you do differently?

• What are your future plans?

Andrea Feltrin, PhD in physics, graduated in 2004 (EPFL)

• Would you do it again?

• The worst experience during your PhD?

• The greatest experience during your PhD?

• What are your future plans?

3.3.3 Four professors

Damien Bouard, PhD candidate in environmental engineering

4.1 Time ow of a thesis

5.16 Submission of the nal print version

6.4 Employment specications