Each student is guided by a supervisor. Supervisors are appointed by the dean of the faculty from the ranks of leading experts in the field relevant to the intended PhD thesis based on the recommendation of the Field Board. Supervisor’s appointment is conditional upon the consent of head of the institution to which the intended supervisor belongs and the intended supervisor must give his or her written consent to function as a supervisor.

Supervisor’s duties:

- Supervisor defines, in collaboration with the student, a proposal of an individual study plan and within two months after the beginning of the academic year presents this plan for approval to the Field Board via the SIS.

- Supervisor defines the subject of the dissertation thesis.

- Supervisor continuously checks that the student meets the targets set by the individual study plan and regularly discusses with the student the progress of his or her studies.

- Supervisor is responsible for making sure that the student has at his or her disposal all the facilities needed for continuing with work on the PhD thesis as defined in the study plan.

- Supervisor regularly (at least once a year) evaluates the student’s work and informs the Field Board in writing (via the SIS) about such evaluation. In case the student fails to meet the targets set by the individual study plan, the supervisor proposes to the Field Board termination of the student’s studies or other measures (see Article 12 of the Study and Examination Regulations of the Charles University).

- Supervisor bears the primary responsibility for scientific education of his or her students.

- Supervisor can propose the appointment of a consultant, i.e., an expert from a relevant field, a person who is in virtue of his or her specialised knowledge, eventually methodical or technical potential, capable of supervising the student during a particular task or part of student’s PhD studies. A consultant is then appointed by the dean based on a recommendation of the Field Board.