Nomination of reviewers

First of all, please note that reviewers and examiners are two different roles. At this stage, you will suggest two reviewers for your thesis. Once you submit your thesis, you will also suggest examiners (these may be the same individuals or different ones). For more information on examiners, please refer to Section “3. Submission of Your Thesis & Registration for Defense.”

To nominate your reviewers, please submit the following forms to Theresa:

Ideally, you should submit forms SL/D3 and SL/D4 approximately five months before your planned final exam date. While this may seem excessive, it is necessary. Depending on circumstances, it may take up to a month for reviewers to be officially appointed. Additionally, reviewers are legally allowed four months from the date of written thesis submission to complete their review and provide their report.

We recommend ensuring, before submitting your nomination forms, that the individuals you suggest as reviewers are willing to provide their assessments within a specific time frame—preferably at least one week before your defense.

Please Note:

  • The abstract must be submitted in both English and German. For the German abstract, you may use the DeepL online translator, which works exceptionally well. The abstract you submit does not need to be final and can still be adjusted with small last-minute changes.
  • Please also submit a short scientific CV of the proposed reviewers and a brief explanation of why you wish to nominate them. Do not include publication lists.

Who may serve as a reviewer?

  • At least one reviewer must be external (not affiliated with the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program and ideally not from the University of Vienna).
  • At least one reviewer must be a member of the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program.
  • All three suggested reviewers must hold a tenured position (e.g., professor) or be group leaders at prominent research institutions (e.g., EMBL, FMI).
  • Aim to propose a diverse range of reviewers

Who is excluded from being a reviewer?

Please do not suggest the following individuals:

  • Supervisors
  • Collaborators
  • Co-authors
  • Direct competitors
  • Members of your thesis committee

What happens after the nomination?

The Dean of Studies will select two out of the three proposed reviewers. This decision must then be confirmed by the Studienpräses. Please note that the order in which the names are listed on your forms does not influence the selection process.

You will be notified by email regarding which individuals were appointed as reviewers. In the same email, you will be instructed to inform the appointed reviewers of their selection and to notify the individual who was not appointed. Reviewers will not receive an official notification of their appointment from the university.