#  Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) 

 



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Each student, in consultation with their dissertation advisor, will nominate a dissertation advisory committee (DAC) to oversee the progress of their research. A DAC of at least three members (in addition to the Dissertation Advisor) must be appointed by the end of August at the beginning of the student’s third year. By the end of November of the student’s third year, students should schedule the first DAC meeting, which should occur no later than 6 months after the PQE.

Purpose of DAC meetings:  
DAC meetings have several purposes. Most importantly, DACs provide an opportunity for the student and advisor to get constructive feedback about the student’s research project from the DAC members, providing strategic and tactical advice, helping address challenges, sharing ideas about publication and professional development, and finalizing the work for a thesis. In addition, DACs help the Chem Bio program make sure that students are getting the support they need, are having healthy mentor-mentee relationships, and are on a reasonable track toward completion in a timely fashion. We thus believe that DAC meetings are a critical element of the training experience.

Timing and scheduling of DAC meetings:  
As such, it is important that DACs start early in the third year (no more than 6 months after the PQE) and have follow-up meetings every 12 months thereafter (or more frequently if the student and committee favor it) until the box is checked for thesis writing. We know it is challenging to schedule DAC meetings and that is why the student should start the scheduling at least three months prior to the meeting date. The program coordinator will try to send reminders to you but you and your advisor should take responsibility to make sure these meetings happen on time. DAC meetings should be scheduled to allow for 2 hours but may be shorter at the discretion of the committee.

Composition of DAC committees:  
The DAC should normally include three Harvard faculty members, besides the thesis advisor, selected for their expertise in the thesis topic. You can also include a faculty member outside of Harvard, typically someone from another local institution (e.g. MIT). The chair of the committee should be a member of the Chem Bio faculty roster.