Thesis Chair

Thesis Chair is a member of the academic staff of the University who is a Registered Level 1 Supervisor. This position is the only member of the thesis committee who is not assigned a contribution percentage.

Before the final HDR application form is sent to the Curtin Malaysia Graduate Studies to be processed, the Enrolling Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D must propose a Thesis Chair

Only a member of the academic staff of the University who is a Registered Level 1 Supervisor can be proposed as a Thesis Chair of Thesis committee. A Thesis Chair will be an experienced Supervisor who can play a mentoring role to less experienced supervisory team.

A Thesis Chair should not have a perceived or actual conflict of interest with the HDR student and any member of the supervisory team.

A Thesis Chair should not be appointed to any supervisory panel where his/her spouse is the Principal Supervisor or Co-/Associate Supervisor. In some circumstances if the spouse is an associate supervisor then this is permissible if the potential conflict is noted and approved by the DGR/AD, R&D and Chair of CMGSC. This may be approvable in areas with limited numbers of academics who can fill the Chair role.

One must not play roles as a thesis chair for more than 8 HDR students, unless approved by Chair of CMGSC and/or ADVC, RE.

The thesis chair is to:

  • provide necessary inputs to the proposed research project to ensure that all are satisfied with the plan of study;
  • monitor student’s progress and provide recommendations related to student’s status;
  • ensure all supervisory team members and student in compliance with all HDR policies and procedures;
  • oversee and approve HDR administrative processes as relevant;
  • assist with conflict resolution and mediate disagreements  if there is a conflict between the student and any supervisory team member and/or among the supervisor team members. Thesis chair should discuss the issues above with Associate Dean of R&D to find the solutions and report the problem to the Curtin Malaysia Graduate Studies (the Chair of Graduate Studies Committee) if it can not be solved at the faculty level;
  • ensure that the examination process is carried out according to relevant policies and procedures

In the event that an appointed Thesis Chair is unable to perform the assigned duties, the Enrolling Faculty’s Associate Dean of R&D shall nominate a replacement Thesis Chair for the relevant period for approval by the Chair of Curtin Malaysia Graduate Studies Committee.