Frame of a PhD thesis

Administrative procedures

    All IFP PhD students have to register with a Doctoral School (École Doctorale). These schools are each part of a university. It is mandatory to register in an école doctorale attached to the same university that employs your PhD supervisor (Directeur de Thèse).
As with any registration at university, you will receive a student card, which means that you can benefit from the usual student discounts: RATP, McDonalds, cinemas, etc! Find out what your exact salary status is (employee of IFP, bursary, etc), in order to be able to apply for some of these benefits, such as housing support by the CAF.

Furthermore, when you register, you will have to choose a Social Security scheme (régime de Sécurité Sociale). As you are both a student and a wage earner, you can choose between the Social Security’s Student Scheme (Sécurité Sociale Étudiante), for which you have to pay some fees, and the General Scheme (Régime Général). Because you are a wage earner, you are already paying taxes for Social Security, so there is no point in choosing the student scheme, as you would pay twice ! Your status is not changed automatically from student to wage earner. You can contact the IFP-EN human resources department (DRH) to help you with this procedure. Find the DRH worker in charge of your division at this link (intern access only).

As Social Security does not refund all medical expenses, you may choose to get medical insurance (Mutuelle). Those of you who have chosen to stick with student status, will be able to choose between several insurances for students. If you registered for the general scheme, you also have a choice of several insurances, and in particular IFP-EN offers complementary health coverage. This program lasts 3 years (the duration of your PhD) and cannot be extended. The fee is around 30 €/month and is automatically subtracted from your salary. You can continue to be covered by this program after the end of your contract (for a limited amount of time), if you are looking for employment. For more information, please contact Martine LE MAREC.

You will also have to get liability insurance (assurance responsabilité civile). This type of insurance is mandatory. Again, you can choose between several insurance programs. Your household insurance, as well as some banking contracts (Visa card), include liability cover.

Concerning transport, a form has to be filled out at DRH to be refunded.


The concept of the doctoral school (l’école doctorale)

Every university has several doctoral schools. Organisational aspects can differ widely from one school to another. Thus there is no one procedure valid for all of them. The requirements of each doctoral school depend on the university that you belong to. Generally, since 2000, it is mandatory to attend some courses. These may be courses pertaining to some Masters degree, or other types of course.

It is important for you to find out from your doctoral school how to attend and validate these courses.

For PhD students at IFP-EN, some doctoral schools accept courses offered at IFP School. Contact the management of IFP School for more information on the courses that are proposed :

Once the director of the training programs at IFP School (Hervé TOULHOAT) and the director of your doctoral school have come to an agreement, you will be able to attend and validate the courses proposed at IFP School.


Training Programs and the Doctoral College at IFP School

The director of the doctoral training programs is Hervé TOULHOAT, his assistant Martine DURANTE. They are your correspondants for any questions regarding the organisation of your PhD (such as contact with the doctoral schools, scientific counselling, etc.) They are also the organisers of the doctoral colleges’s activities.

In addition to what is offered by your Doctoral school, IFP School’s doctoral college provides a number of courses and seminars. These activities are accessible to all PhD students doing their PhD with IFP-EN. If you attend, you may ask (after completion of your PhD) for a certificate from the doctoral college to attest your competences in the relevant fields. All these programs are organised in collaboration with IFP School, and all fall under the name of ''Introduction to the petroleum and engine industry'' (''Formation d’ouverture à l’industrie du pétrole et des moteurs''). Duration is usually one week (35 hrs) and the following subjects are offered :

Each year, you will be notified of the dates for these courses. You have to attend one course per year, for the three consecutive years of your PhD. You will obtain a certificate for participating in each of these courses. These training programs can also be validated by your doctoral school in place of the courses usually required by a doctoral school. Ask your specific doctoral school for more information.

Starting in November 2009, monthly seminars on a wide variety of research subjects are offered. All PhD students are required to attend at least eight of the twelve seminars during the course of each year. Important speakers (often from Collège de France!) are invited: it is important to show our appreciation by attending their seminars, even if sometimes the seminar subjects may not be relevant to our everyday problems.


Role of the PhD supervisor (directeur de thèse) and tutor at IFP-EN (promoteur IFP-EN)

The PhD supervisor and tutor are the main correspondants for a PhD student. Depending on where you spend most of your time (IFP-EN or an external research lab), you will have more contact with the IFP-EN tutor or the PhD supervisor. In either case, you should regularly meet both of them.

Your IFP-EN tutor completes the functions of your PhD supervisor : he/she works with your PhD supervisor, or in the same field, and his/her role is to aid the PhD student with professional integration.


The Scientific Board and Scientific Management at IFP-EN

Doctoral research at IFP is organised by the scientific board, under the direction of Olivier FAUGERAS. At the moment the board consists of 30 French and foreign experts in scientific fields. These persons are responsable for approving the research subjects offered by the various PhD tutors. The board also evaluates each PhD student’s progress half-way though the PhD (conseil de mi-parcours). The scientific board can provide help for working progress at any time, if asked to do so.

This is a support structure composed of IFP employees. Its role is to define a policy of applied research, in accordance with the scientific board. The scientific management is led by Philippe UNGERER. Benoit NOETINGER is in charge of scientific monitoring of PhD students. Any questions may be adressed to him. He provides the link between the scientific board, scientific management and PhD students. He also organises the conseil à mi-parcours halfway through your PhD.


Evaluation of PhD Progress at half-term

This evaluation normally takes place after a year and a half of PhD work. Sessions are organised every year, usually between February and March. However, for students who atarted in the middle of the academic year, this evaluation takes place after only one year of work. This occasion gives you a valuable opportunity to speak with members of the scientific board, by explaining the progress of your research.

The progress report outlines the work done so far, and what is planned for the latter half of the PhD. This report is aimed at your PhD supervisor and IFP tutor, as well as the relevant members of the scientific board and the director of your research division. The progress report has to be sent to these recipients at least 15 days before your progress presentation. You should therefore, after about a year of work, start writing a report containing some bibliography and your first results.

As the review takes place between January and March, all 2nd year students are advised to have completed their report before the Christmas Holidays.

The presentation lasts about 20 minutes and is followed by 30 minutes of discussion and ten minutes of deliberation by the board members. The purpose of the presentation is to outline the contents of your progress report, to give direction to your futur work and to discuss about possible solutions to scientific and technical problems you may have encountered. After the deliberation, the panel, made up of members of the scientific board, the PhD supervisor, the IFP tutor and Benoît NOETINGER, decides whether funding for your research project should be continued. (This presentation should therefore be taken very seriously !)