Supervision

Excellent academic supervision is a central element of the University of Potsdam's support for researchers in the early stages of their careers. This requires, on the one hand, intensive specialist supervision of PhD candidates by experienced academics with the aim of increasing independent research performance and, on the other hand, a transparent, structured support for PhD candidates that is tailored to individual circumstances. Excellent supervision not only creates the basis for high-quality doctoral degrees and outstanding research, it also makes a decisive contribution to a culture of support and trust, strengthens academic exchange and counteracts abuse of authority.
 

SUPERVISOR AWARD - Nomination by PhD candidates or postdocs

With the presentation of the SUPERvisor Award by the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS), the University of Potsdam aims to publicly recognize and honor the outstanding commitment and sustained support of supervisors for their PhD candidates. The SUPERvisor Award is intended to emphasize this important role of supervisors, increase the visibility of excellent supervision and encourage academics to set high standards in the supervision of researchers in the early stages of their careers.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to doctoral studies at the University of Potsdam for at least two years, or postdocs who successfully completed their dissertation at the University of Potsdam less than a year ago, are cordially invited to nominate their supervisors for this award.

Supervisors can be nominated in the two award categories University Supervision and Daily Supervision in the two fields of humanities and social sciences as well as health and natural sciences. The award is endowed with €3,000 each (The award money must be used until the end of 2026 to further support PhD candidates and postdocs. Cash payouts or personal payouts are not permitted.). Further information can be found in the call for nominations (see documents for download)

Note: Individuals who have already nominated one of the award winners in 2025 are not eligible to nominate again in 2026. Out of fairness to other excellent supervisors, the winners of the 2025 SUPERvisor Award may not be nominated again in 2026.

Please also pay attention to the visibility of women and trans, inter, and non-binary (TIN) individuals in supervisory positions.  Since women and trans, inter, and non-binary (TIN) individuals were underrepresented in last year's nominations (and since nomination and selection processes are subject to gender bias, which means that women and TIN individuals are generally less likely to be nominated for awards than their colleagues (Lincoln et al. 2011), we would like to cordially invite you to also nominate your female- or tin-identified supervisors.
 

Quality Criteria of the Potsdam Graduate School

In 2007, the Potsdam Graduate School, together with the faculties, was one of the first universities in Germany to develop transparent, structured and individualized quality criteria, including discipline-specific criteria, as minimum standards for PhD projects, both for individual and structured doctorates.