A doctoral supervisor may be a person holding the degree of doctor habilitatus (doktor habilitowany, dr hab.) or the title of professor, whose discipline declared in the declaration on the field of science and scientific discipline is consistent with the discipline of the dissertation being prepared by a doctoral student, and who also has current scientific output published within the last 5 years or at least 5 years of experience in conducting research and development activity. An assistant doctoral supervisor may be a person holding a doctoral degree.

The supervisor(s) may also be appointed from among persons not holding the professor or doctor habilitatus degree/title, who are employees of a foreign-based university or scientific institution, if relevant consultative bodies of founder institutions (Commission for scientific degrees in the discipline of biological sciences and chemical sciences at the University of Lodz, the Scientific Council of the CBMM PAN in the discipline of chemical sciences, the Scientific Council of the IBM PAN in the discipline of medical sciences, and the Scientific Council of the ERCE PAN in the discipline of biological sciences) decide and acknowledge that the person has significant achievements in the research area, which the proposed doctoral dissertation concerns.

A  person may not become a doctoral supervisor, if within the last 5 years:

• has been a supervisor of at least 4 doctoral students removed from the list of doctoral students due to a negative mid-term evaluation; or
• has supervised a dissertation prepared by at least two applicants for the doctoral degree who have not obtained positive reviews,
• has twice resigned from the role of doctoral supervisor at the Doctoral School, or
• has twice received a negative evaluation of scientific supervision by an evaluation committee during the mid-term evaluation of a doctoral student.

A doctoral supervisor / secondary supervisor / assistant supervisor will be appointed by the Director of the Doctoral School, after obtaining the opinion of the School Council. The appointment of a doctoral supervisor takes place within 3 months after a doctoral student starts the study programme. The appointment of an assistant doctoral supervisor may take place within 6 months after a doctoral student starts the study programme.

The duties of a doctoral supervisor include in particular:

1. developing the Individual Research Plan (IPB) with the doctoral student;
2. supporting the doctoral student in independent research work;
3. securing financing for research or supporting the doctoral student in obtaining funds for research;
4. providing the doctoral student with the necessary content-related and methodological assistance in research work;
5. providing assistance in the acquisition of research skills;
6. providing methodological guidance and assistance in gaining teaching experience;
7. conducting annual assessment of the doctoral student's scientific development in the form of a written evaluation referred to in §7(1)(3) of the Regulations of the BioMedChem Doctoral School (Regulations), referring to progress in the implementation of the IPB and the scope and degree of the achieved learning outcomes indicated in the IPB;
8. assigning learning outcomes to each of the elements to be assessed in the Doctoral Student assessment form referred to in §7(1)(1) of the Regulations;
9. selecting the subjects covered by the Individual Study Organisation (IOK) and submitting them to the Director for approval;
10. evaluating all applications of the doctoral student concerning the course of study;
11. evaluating the doctoral student's application for the extension of the time limit for submitting the doctoral dissertation
12. applying to the Director for removal from the list of doctoral students in cases referred to in §12(2)(1-2) of the Regulations, while the application needs to be justified

The supervisor is obliged to offer the doctoral student high-quality cooperation, with regard to the doctoral student's scientific development and their role in the academic community and its scientific milieu, ensuring that high standards of communication and ethical principles are observed.

The duties of an assistant doctoral supervisor include in particular:

1. assistance in the process of planning research, its implementation and analysis of results during the preparation of the doctoral dissertation;
2. evaluating the Individual Research Plan (IPB);
3. providing the doctoral student with the necessary content-related and methodological assistance in research work;

Please see the attached Recruitment Rules below

Find specific provision in Section (§) 14 of the Recruitment Rules:

1. Admission of a candidate of foreign nationality to SD BioMedChem outside of the recruitment competition may take place by means of the decision of the UL Rector if the candidate is already a doctoral student or has successfully passed the recruitment procedure to a doctoral school or to a doctoral programme at a foreign university and will be studying under a cotutelle agreement, and has been recommended by the Director of SD BioMedChem. Such a candidate shall provide the Director of SD BioMedChem with an application for admission to SD BioMedChem (in accordance with Annex 1 to the Recruitment Rules) along with the following attachments: - a statement from an academic staff member employed at the UL on his/her willingness to undertake the supervisorship, - a recommendation issued by a supervisor or a person who has agreed to act as a supervisor at a foreign university, 26 - a draft cotutelle agreement in the wording agreed with the UL authorities (upon consultation with the appropriate UL Committee for Academic Degrees or the entity responsible for the proceedings for the award of the doctoral degree at the Polish Academy of Sciences institutes which co-found the SD BioMedChem, as far as the scientific discipline of dissertation declared by the candidate is concerned) and the authorities of the foreign university, on the basis of which the candidate will be studying, - a document issued by a foreign university confirming that the candidate is a doctoral student of that university or has successfully passed the recruitment process, and that the university agrees to train the doctoral student under a cotutelle agreement (in accordance with the attached draft agreement) to be signed with the University of Lodz, - the other documents provided for in the recruitment process as referred to in Section 8 of the Recruitment Rules. 
2. The Director of SD BioMedChem shall take a decision on the recommendation of a given candidature after consultation with specialists representing the discipline(s) in which the candidate intends to write his/her doctoral dissertation, who are members of the School Council.

Recruitment for persons whose doctoral scholarship, if admitted to SD BioMedChem, will be financed in whole or in part from external funds shall cover the following categories of persons: 
a) persons whose doctoral scholarship, if admitted to SD BioMedChem, will be financed in whole or in part by grants for the implementation of scientific projects obtained by the UL, 
b) persons whose doctoral scholarship, if admitted to SD BioMedChem, will be financed in whole or in part from funds provided by external institutions (e.g. institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences) from their own funds or from grants obtained by these units, 27 
c) persons who have applied to industrial doctoral programme (Doktorat wdrożeniowy) and will obtain funding within its framework, 
d) foreign nationals undergoing training on the basis of the provisions of Article 323(1) (1-5) of the PSWiN Act and having external resources granted under the provisions of Article 323(2) of the PSWiN Act.

Find out more in Section (§) 15 of the Recruitment Rules (attached below)

Submit the Consent Form to the Secretary of the Doctoral School
(Annex No. 1 to the Regulation No. 109)

Read the admission schedule and recruitment rules

Submit the Appointment Form to the Secretary of the Doctoral School
(Annex No. 2 to the Regulation No.109)

Submit the Declaration to the Secretary of the Doctoral School
(Annex no. 4 to the Regulation No. 109)

Wait for the decision of the Director of the Doctoral School