Advising

The Department of Bioengineering is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

Graduate Advising provides a statement of university policy on graduate advising.

Faculty advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways. The department’s intranet provides information and suggested timelines for advising meetings in the different stages of the doctoral program.

PhD students are initially assigned a program academic advisor based on the interests expressed in their application. This faculty member provides initial guidance in course selection, exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways, and identifying doctoral research opportunities.

PhD students are encouraged to take advantage of three research rotations during this first year, before matching with a dissertation advisor. The research advisor assumes primary responsibility for the student’s future direction, taking on the roles previously filled by the program advisor and ultimately directing the student’s dissertation. Most students find an advisor from our department’s primary faculty members. However, the research advisor may be a faculty member from another Stanford department who is a member of the Academic Council, familiar with supervising doctoral students, and able to provide both advising and funding for the duration of the doctoral program. When the research advisor is from outside our department, the student must identify reading committee members from the BioE faculty.

Matching with a dissertation advisor is an essential milestone in the PhD program and is required for making satisfactory degree progress and maintaining good standing. Upon matching with an advisor, students transition from department fellowship to advisor-provided funding. Therefore, students must select an advisor who can financially support them. Students are encouraged to complete three rotations and are expected to submit a thesis advisor agreement by the end of the spring quarter. Students may submit a petition for a 4th rotation to be reviewed and approved by the DGS. PhD students who do not match with an advisor by the end of the 4th quarter of study at Stanford are subject to dismissal from the program.

MCL faculty may not be the primary advisors of students. Although a co-advisor from the MCL line is permissible in some situations, the primary advisor must provide at least 50% of the mentoring for the student. Evidence that a student is receiving greater than 50% of mentoring from the primary advisor includes full attendance of lab meetings, regular one-on-one meetings, dedicated space in the primary advisor’s lab, funding provided by the primary advisor, and research being performed in an area that is of current relevance to the primary advisor. Advising situations that do not meet these criteria are subject to review by the graduate studies committee.

PhD students may need to change advisors after initial alignment due to unexpected circumstances. Since an advisor is necessary for continued funding and good standing, please consult the Director of Student and Academic Services or the Director of Graduate Studies as early as possible to ensure proper coordination and uninterrupted support. Additional guidance is available in this resource opens in a new tab. If a student needs to change advisors, the Department requires the student to actively seek and find a new advisor within one quarter to satisfy minimum progress requirements of the Department and the University and continue enrolling. If the student is unable to secure a new advisor by the end of the quarter, the Department will initiate procedures for dismissal per the “Guidelines for Dismissal of Graduate Students for Academic or Professional Reasons” in the Stanford Bulletin.

Throughout the PhD, each student must complete an annual Individual Developmental Plan (IDP), usually in the Summer. The IDP is then discussed with the research advisor as a way to facilitate: advising the student, both during and beyond the PhD; establishing clear expectations on both sides concerning degree progress and timely graduation; and emphasizing the importance of wellness in graduate school, together with access to university wellness resources.

The Faculty Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is also available during the academic year by email and during office hours. The department’s student services office is also an essential part of the doctoral advising team: they inform students and advisors about university and department requirements, procedures, and opportunities, and they maintain the official records of advising assignments and approvals. Students are encouraged to talk with the DGS and the student services office as they consider advisor selection or for guidance in working with their advisor(s).