Adaptation Plan
Adaptation Plan for new PhD candidates
Starting a PhD comes with a range of new responsibilities, expectations and situations that may not always be clear from the outset. That is why we have prepared the Adaptation Plan to help PhD candidates and their supervisors open up important topics from the very beginning and establish a good foundation for their future collaboration.
The plan guides you through the first year of your PhD through a series of five adaptation meetings. It provides specific questions and discussion points covering study requirements, mutual expectations, communication and feedback, work organisation, professional development, and how the PhD candidate is settling into their new environment.
TIP: Clarifying mutual expectations, communication, study requirements, work organisation and feedback right from the start can help prevent misunderstandings and make future collaboration between the PhD candidate and supervisor easier.
How to Use the Adaptation Plan
Option A: Printed Adaptation Plan
For in-person meetings, you can use a printed copy of the Adaptation Plan. The supervisor and PhD candidate go through the individual topics together, discuss the questions, and can add notes, agreements or tasks for the next period directly to the document.Printed copies of the Adaptation Plan are available at the Doctoral Hub, NB18.
Option B: Interactive PDF
If you prefer a digital format or meet online, you can use the interactive PDF, which can be completed electronically. The supervisor and PhD candidate can share the document by email between meetings and gradually update it together.The interactive PDF is available for download below.
How does the Adaptation Plan work?
The Adaptation Plan consists of five meetings spread across the first year of the PhD. The suggested timing is indicative and can be adjusted to the individual needs of the PhD candidate and supervisor.
These meetings do not replace regular meetings dedicated to research, publications or other work-related matters. Instead, they provide dedicated space to focus on adaptation and the collaboration between the PhD candidate and supervisor.
| Meeting | When | Main focus |
| 1. Initial meeting | At the start of the PhD | Setting mutual expectations, communication and ways of working together; discussing study requirements, work organisation, and practical aspects of getting started and becoming familiar with the faculty and department. |
| 2. Second meeting | After the first month | An initial reflection on the adaptation process – what is going well, whether expectations and responsibilities are clear, and whether the PhD candidate needs any support. |
| 3. Third meeting | After the first quarter | Reviewing further progress, completion of agreed tasks and study requirements, and the overall progress of the adaptation process. |
| 4. Fourth meeting | Approximately halfway through the first year | Reviewing the first six months, the cooperation so far and progress with study requirements, and preparing for the next important milestones of the PhD. |
| 5. Final meeting | At the end of the first year | Reflecting together on the first year – what went well, what could be improved, how the PhD candidate has progressed, and what to focus on in the next year. |
Ongoing feedback
Selected meetings also include self-assessment by the PhD candidate and assessment by the supervisor. The purpose is not to grade the PhD candidate. Instead, both sides have an opportunity to reflect independently on areas such as autonomy, proactivity, reliability and communication, and then discuss their perspectives together.
The PhD candidate is also given space to reflect on their own experience – how the adaptation process is going, whether communication and feedback are working well, how they feel within their workplace and whether there are any areas in which they need additional support.
Need help getting started with the Adaptation Plan?
I am happy to provide consultations for both supervisors and PhD candidates. We can go through the individual sections of the Adaptation Plan together, discuss how to use it in practice or talk through specific topics you would like to address. If a supervisor is unsure how to approach the first adaptation meeting, I can also join the first meeting by prior arrangement and help guide the PhD candidate and supervisor through the individual topics. Contact: Mili Markvartová (mili.markvartová@vse.cz)
Printed copies are also available at the Doctoral Hub office, NB 18.