According to Article 15 of Regulation UCA/CG06/2012 of 27 June 2012, which regulates the organization of doctoral studies at the University of Cadiz, after the admission of the doctoral student to the doctoral program, the academic committee will assign / may assign a tutor from among the doctors with proven research experience that is linked to the unit or school responsible for the doctoral program. The requirements for the tutor are the same as those for the appointment of the thesis supervisor.

2. The appointment of a tutor proceeds when the director of the thesis is not attached to the doctoral program in which the doctoral student is enrolled or when it is external to the University of Cadiz or the unit or school organizing the program. The appointment of the tutor may be modified at any time, if the academic committee, after hearing the Ph. D. student finds that there are justified reasons and agrees. The functions of the tutor are those set out in Article 15, paragraph 3, of Regulation UCA/CG06/2012, which regulates the organization of doctoral studies.
3. According to article 16 of Regulation UCA/CG06/2012, of 27 June 2012, which regulates the ordering of doctoral studies at the University of Cadiz and the instruction UCA/I03VP/2016 by which this regulation is applied, at the time of admission to the doctoral program, if possible, or in any case within three months after such registration, the academic committee of the doctoral program will assign each doctoral student a director of the Ph.D. thesis.

The thesis supervisor is the person most responsible for the coherence and suitability of the doctoral student’s training activities, the impact and novelty in his/her field of the Ph.D. thesis topic and the guidance in planning and adapting it, where appropriate, to that of other projects and activities in which the doctoral student is enrolled. Preferably, the director of the thesis will carry out the functions assigned to the tutor.

The thesis advisor may be any Spanish or foreign doctor with accredited research experience, regardless of the university, center, or institution in which he/she works. In the case of belonging to a public research organization, it will require the prior agreement of the body responsible for the doctoral program, in the manner provided for in its own regulatory regulations.

A doctor will be considered to have accredited research experience for the purposes of appointment as a thesis advisor; when he or she meets one of the following requirements:

1. a) Have been recognized as having at least one positive evaluation of research activity by the CNEAI in the last six years if applicable, when the application of this criterion does not correspond, the director must accredit merits comparable to those indicated. The criteria will be evaluated and informed by the Vice-Rector with competence in the area of doctoral studies.
2. b) To be a principal researcher on a research project under the European Union Research Program, the National R&D&I Plan or the Andalusian Regional Government’s Project of Excellence, or other research projects from equivalent national or foreign competitive calls, or to have been so in the last five years. The criteria of equivalence will be evaluated and informed by the Vice-Rector with competence in the field of doctoral studies.

1. c) To have directed or co-directed a Ph.D. thesis in the last five years that has obtained the maximum qualification and that has resulted in at least two publications in journals with an impact index or an equal number of relevant contributions in its scientific field, according to the criteria in force for the evaluation of research activity by the National Research Activity Evaluation Committee.

The appointment of the director or co-director of a doctoral student may be modified at any time during the period of the doctoral program, if the academic committee of the program, having heard the doctoral student, considers that there are justified reasons and agrees to do so. For the assignment of the Thesis Director, the interested party may consult, on the program’s website, information on the lines of research and the researchers that make it up with their contact details, so that they may meet with the researchers and, if necessary, reach an agreement on the direction of the thesis. The Academic Committee will ratify, if appropriate, this assignment.

In case the interested party does not make use of this possibility, once admitted to the Doctoral Program, and according to his/her Curriculum Vitae and the chosen research topic, the Academic Committee will select the most appropriate director or directors with whom to contact by sending the student’s curriculum vitae. After his or her study, the researcher may or may not admit the student as a doctoral student, informing the Academic Committee, which will ratify, if appropriate, that assignment.