10. Appointing the pane of experts
Together with the agreement through which the authorisation of the formalities for the defence of the thesis is notified and considering the proposal for the panel of experts presented by the Academic Commission of the PhD program, The PhD Commission of the UPM will approve the panel of experts who will judge the thesis. The panel of experts will be made up of five graduates and two substitutes.
Not more than two members of the PhD student’s university or centre may make up part of the panel of experts. The director or directors of the thesis may form part of the panel of experts when the thesis is presented within the framework of the joint bilateral agreements with foreign universities that also envisage it. A member may not form part of the panel of experts if he or she complies with any of the abstention criteria set out in article 28 of the Law 30/1992 of the 26the November.
The PhD Commission of the UPM will designate a Chairman and a Secretary from the panel of experts. As a general rule, the Secretary will be a member of the Teaching and Research Staff of the UPM.
In the case of a member of the panel of experts pulling out for a justified reason, the Chairman will substitute him or her.
Of the Chairman has to be substituted for unexpected reasons, he or she will be substituted by a person proposed by the Chairman of the Academic Commission of the PhD program from the other members of the panel of experts. In any case, the substitution has to be communicated as soon as possible to the PhD Commission of the UPM.
The appointment of the panel of experts will be communicated to the Academic Commission of the PhD program so that, within a maximum period of five days, each of the members of the panel of experts can be notified about the appointment and a given a copy of the PhD thesis. The Academic Commission of the PhD program must also notify the PhD student and the director or directors of the appointment of the panel of experts within a maximum period of five days.
The defence of the PhD thesis must take place within a maximum period of three months from the appointment of the panel of experts.
The PhD student will be responsible for making the necessary copies of the definitive thesis for the Academic Commission of the PhD program so that they can be sent to the appointed members of the panel of experts.