updated 9/2026
The student is responsible for scheduling the first meeting with his/her Special Committee a maximum of 5 months after successfully passing the ACE examination and he/she must have at least one meeting per year (each meeting should be scheduled for a duration of 1.5-2 hours) in order to remain in good academic standing. Within one year of passing the ACE, the student also must submit a predoctoral fellowship application to a government agency or a foundation in order to remain in good standing. The number of meetings per year is often greater than one, depending on the student's research needs and progress. As you enter your 5th year and beyond, you are required to have two meetings per year.
For each Annual Thesis Advisory Special Committee Meeting the student should prepare a written document according to our guidelines (click on the link at the right), which MUST be distributed to their committee by email 7 days prior to the scheduled meeting. (If this is not been received by the committee before the meeting, the meeting may be cancelled by faculty.). This document must also be uploaded in your Academic Milestone Tracking Portfolio. You are now also required to send a calendar invite to your committee members as a confirmation and reminder to add to their calendars. Please reach out to Aileen if you need assistance with this action.
The following documents must be submitted in your Academic Milestone Tracking Portfolio in order receive credit of completion for program and graduate school requirement (be sure to check that the form is submitted under the correct Year tab):
Nomination of Thesis Form - Required to be submitted in the Year 3 tab (be sure to indicate and label your Thesis Chair in this form)
Thesis Committee Student Self-Evaluation Form (the student should initiate this form prior to the meeting. Once submitted by the student, this will initiate an email evaluation form to your PI and for your Thesis Chair to complete during the meeting)
Upload your Scientic Progress Report (required for each annual thesis committee meeting as noted above
These forms must be completed and signed by the respective faculty in order to remain compliant with program requirements.
At the Thesis Advisory Special Committee meetings, the student will present the research he/she has accomplished, the research he/she is currently pursuing, and a plan for future research will be discussed and agreed upon. Only limited background information (2 powerpoint slides) on the project should be given so that the focus is on future plans.
The Thesis Advisory Special Committee chair, documents the faculty members' recommendations in the online evaluation form initiated by the student in the Academic Progression Portfolio. The Thesis Advisory Special Committee must consist of your thesis advisor and two other faculty members. It is optional for you to add a fourth memeber; all faculty members must be faculty in the Weill Cornell Grad School of Biomedical Sciences. It is required to have at least two faculty members on your Thesis Advisory Special Committee be faculty members from the Pharmacology PhD Program. Your Annual Committee chair should not be the same as your PI, or your Final Thesis Defense Chair. Your committee members should be listed as minor sponsors in the portal once you submit your Nomination of Special Thesis form Follow these instructions to initiate the online: Academic Milestone Tracking Portfolio
