MCB students form a Doctoral Supervisory Committee after joining a permanent lab. Students are encouraged to select members from different participating institutions to promote productive scientific interactions across the program.
Students must submit their Supervisory Committee to the MCB office (Maia Low) by the following dates:
- MCB students: Last day of Winter Quarter of Year 2
- MSTP students: Last day of Winter Quarter of Year 1
- MSTP students are highly encouraged to include on MSTP Co-Director on their Supervisory Committee (as long as they are not serving as a GSR)
The Supervisory Committee must have a minimum of five members as follows:
- One Chair
- The student’s faculty advisor who is endorsed by the Graduate School.
- One Graduate School Representative (GSR)
- The GSR represents the Graduate School and attests to the validity of the General Exam and Final Exam.
- The GSR must be endorsed by the Graduate School and cannot be affiliated with the same UW department or Fred Hutch Division as the Chair.
- Three other committee members
- At least one must be outside of the Chair’s department or division.
- At least two must be MCB faculty.
- The majority of the committee must be endorsed by the Graduate School.
Once you have selected your Supervisory Committee, please submit the following to Maia Low. Maia will submit the Committee to the Graduate School via MyGrad.
- Chair Name, Primary Department or Division, email address
- GSR Name, Primary Department or Division, email address
- Three (or more) Committee Member Names, Primary Department or Division, email addresses
Faculty must receive an endorsement from the Graduate School to chair a doctoral supervisory committee and to serve as a GSR.
UW faculty receive endorsement through their department. UW faculty often have appointments in several departments or units.
Fred Hutch, BRI, PNRI and CIDR faculty who do not have an UW appointment must apply for endorsement through a UW department. This can take some time, so these students often must appoint a nominal Chair until the faculty advisor has received a UW Grad School Endorsement.
Use The Graduate Faculty Locator to find out if faculty members are endorsed and in which departments or units.
A majority of committee members must be endorsed by the Graduate School. At minimum, then, 3 members (including the Chair and the GSR) must be endorsed.
Fred Hutch students whose faculty advisor is not yet endorsed must make sure to have at least 3 endorsed committee members to form a majority. Sometimes, students will form a committee of seven faculty to meet the endorsement majority requirement.
Students select a GSR, who is a voting member of the committee. The GSR represents the Graduate School and oversees the examination process. The GSR should also not have collaborative ties or shared grants with the Chair.
Current and recent MCB Co-Directors of MCB cannot serve as GSRs for MCB students. This includes:
~ Celeste Berg
~ Michael Lagunoff
~ Julian Simon
~ Nina Salama
These current directors of the MSTP program cannot serve as GSRs for MSTP students:
~ Heather Cheng
~ Marshall Horwitz
~ Mary-Claire King
~ Stephen Tapscott
UW-based GSRs cannot have a primary, joint or affiliate appointment in the same UW department as the Chair.
Fred Hutch-based GSRs cannot have a primary appointment in the same Fred Hutch Division as the Chair. In addition, Fred Hutch-based GSRs cannot have a primary affiliate appointment in the same UW department as the Chair.
Students may change GSRs but the GSR must always be endorsed.
Annual Committee Meeting
All MCB students are required to hold at least one Committee Meeting (60-90 minutes) by the last day of Spring Quarter every year starting in Year 2. The meeting is an opportunity for the committee to guide, assist and evaluate progress toward a doctoral degree. The General Exam does not replace a Committee Meeting.
Year-Specific Meeting Objectives
- First committee meeting (Year 2 for MCB, Year 1 for MSTP)
- Evaluate if research plan is sufficient for a General Exam
- Second committee meeting (Year 3 for MCB, Year 2 for MSTP)
- Evaluate if project still viable for a PhD based on experimental progress (ideas are no longer as relevant as results)
- Third committee meeting (Year 4 for MCB, Year 3 for MSTP)
- Evaluate progress toward papers
- Presentation of figures and paper outline(s) for feedback
- Fourth committee meeting and beyond
- Evaluate progress toward papers and dissertation
Meeting Requirements
Student Summary of Accomplishments
This requirement applies beginning in Year 2 for MCB students and Year 1 for MSTP students.
At least one week prior to your Supervisory Committee meeting, you must provide your committee with a one-page summary of your accomplishments since the last Supervisory Committee meeting.
- Your presentation to your Supervisory Committee must include:
- A one-page summary of research accomplishments since the last Supervisory Committee Meeting (or since joining the lab if this is the first meeting).
- A copy of an updated IDP.
- A copy of the Committee Meeting Guidelines.
- Any meeting abstracts or publications accepted and grants awarded since the last Supervisory Committee Meeting.
Annual Committee Documents Completion and Submission
To help in the evaluation process, the Advisor and Supervisory Committee fill out the Annual Committee report after the meeting to summarize the consensus of the Supervisory Committee concerning your Academic/Research Progress and Recommendations. The report allows the Advisor and Supervisory Committee members to provide comments on your strengths and areas that need improvement. This will also help us understand the reasoning behind the option chosen.
The form should be signed by you, your Advisor, and all Supervisory Committee members present at the meeting. Submit the following within one week after your committee meeting:
- Annual Doctoral Supervisory Committee Meeting Report (signed by Committee and student)
- One-page research summary
- Updated IDP
- List of publications
Annual Committee Documents Upload Site
Progress Outcome Options
There are three options for overall evaluation on the Annual Supervisory Committee Report. These options will help give you context for comments you’ll receive after the Supervisory Committee meeting.
Academic Notification (formerly known as Academic Probation) occurs when Subpar Expectations are met.
Most of you will meet this first option. This option shows that you are meeting or exceeding research and academic milestones and are on track to graduate in 5-6 years.
Some of you may face this second option. This option indicates that you have made partial advances toward previously expected goals, but the committee has concerns about your progress toward passing your general exam or graduation. This option requires an additional Supervisory Committee meeting in a time frame determined by the committee, preferably within six months of the last meeting.
We anticipate very few of you will encounter this 3rd option, but this helps alert us to serious problems as they arise and we want to do our best to help you remedy them. If progress is subpar, you will be placed on Academic Notification as of the current date of the last Supervisory Committee meeting.
1) Academic Notification (handled internally by the program)
2) Academic Alert
3) Final Academic Alert
These status levels are used by the Supervisory Committee to highlight unsatisfactory performance and progress.
The first status, Academic Notification, will not appear on your transcript. If you are put on Academic Notification, the Advisor and Supervisory Committee must work with you to provide specific recommendations and short-term milestones so you can exit this status by the following quarter.
If you do not meet the milestones, the MCB Program will recommend to the Graduate School that you be placed on Graduate School Academic Alert. This alert will not appear on your transcript. When recommending Graduate School Academic Alert, the Supervisory Committee must again provide specific milestones for you to complete to reinstate good standing in the program.
If you do not meet the Graduate School Academic Alert requirements defined by the Supervisory Committee, the MCB Program will recommend to the Graduate School that you be placed on Final Graduate School Academic Alert. Once Final Graduate School Academic Alert is in effect, you will have one quarter to demonstrate sufficient progress before dismissal from the MCB Program and UW.
Related Documents
- Supervisory Committee Meeting Guidelines
- Annual Committee Report Form (Word)
- Remote Committee Meeting Instructions
Related Tasks
| Task | Deadline |
| Meet with faculty advisor to formulate or update Individual Development Plan | By last day of Winter quarter of every year starting Year 2 (MCB) or Year 1 (MSTP) |
| Contact committee members to schedule Annual Committee Meeting
~ Three members of the committee (including the Chair) must attend. |
By last day of Winter quarter of every year starting Year 2 (MCB) or Year 1 (MSTP) |
| Email Maia with your committee meeting date and time | By last day of Winter quarter of every year starting Year 2 (MCB) or Year 1 (MSTP) |
| Hold Annual Committee Meeting | By last day of Spring quarter of every year starting Year 2 (MCB) or Year 1 (MSTP) |
| Complete and submit Annual Committee Documents | By last day of spring quarter of every year starting Year 2 (MCB) or Year 1 (MSTP) |