Advising

The Department of Energy Science and Engineering is committed to providing academic advising that supports doctoral students’ scholarly and professional development. Effective advising is built on sustained, collaborative engagement between advisor and advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be discussed and periodically reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both advisor and advisee are expected to uphold professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisors mentor students in key areas, including course selection, research design and execution, development of teaching skills, navigation of program requirements, and exploration of academic and professional pathways.

PhD students are assigned a primary research advisor in their admission letter. The primary advisor guides the student’s research direction, helps identify doctoral research opportunities, and ultimately oversees the student’s dissertation and overall research progress.

PhD students are expected to meet regularly with their advisor(s), typically on a weekly basis, either individually and/or in group meetings, as determined by the advisor. When regular meetings are not possible, students are expected to provide brief updates summarizing their ongoing activities and progress.

At least once per year, students and advisors are expected to review the student’s progress toward completing their research and degree, either formally or informally. These discussions may include other members of the student’s research committee, either collectively or individually. A formal meeting of the full committee—particularly if the student and advisor differ in their assessment of research progress and goals—may be convened by either the student or the advisor.

Most students are advised by a member of the department’s primary faculty. In some cases, the research advisor may be a faculty member from another Stanford department with experience supervising doctoral students and the ability to provide both advising and funding for the duration of the program. When the research advisor is external to the department, the student must also identify a program advisor from the department’s primary faculty to provide guidance on departmental requirements and opportunities.

Students are responsible for consulting with their advisor before or during the first week of each quarter to agree on their planned course selection. Advisors formally approve the study list via email.

The DGS meets with all doctoral students at the start of their first year and remains available by email throughout the academic year. The department’s student services office is also an integral part of the doctoral advising framework: it informs students and advisors about university and departmental requirements, procedures, and opportunities, and maintains official records of advising assignments and approvals. Students are encouraged to consult the DGS and the student services office for guidance in working with their advisor(s).

Doctoral students are active participants in the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for understanding program policies and degree requirements.

See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.

Change of Advisor

While the same faculty member is typically expected to serve as the primary advisor throughout the PhD, PhD students may request a change of primary research advisor. 

Such requests must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and are subject to review and approval by the Graduate Standing Committee. Requests will not be considered for students who are not in good academic standing. For students in good standing, approval remains contingent on alignment with program requirements and faculty availability.