Thesis Manifesto

What is a thesis?

A thesis is a project that you are expected to start, develop and conclude in order to graduate the university. The topic belongs to you and can be one of your passions or an idea you want to try. You might also have no idea what you want do. That would not make you neither the first, nor the last. Try though to make at least a list of likes and dislikes in terms of subjects. Bouncing ideas to define a topic is definitely an option before working together. You can also check a list of ideas that I would be interested to develop as theses.

Whatever the topic though, you need to remember that you have the ownership of this work and you are responsible for completing it. I am merely here to help and guide you through its completion.

How I like to work

• before we work together, we will have a talk to make sure we are aligned in terms of topic and working style
• once we decide to collaborate for your thesis, we will work as follows:
  • we will have a weekly meeting decided for a specific day and time of the week
  • we will set goals and deadlines for intermediary outcomes
  • every meeting will have an agenda and meeting report that you will take care of
  • at the end of every meeting we decide what are the goals for the upcoming period
  • the meeting is for you, not for me. So if you do not have any questions, we can skip a meeting

What I can help you with

• My background is in Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics, Robotics
• I can help with design of devices, robotic modelling and control, medical applications

Communication

• our principal channel of communication will be MS Teams
• we will announce on time (as much as the situation allows it) if we cannot make it for the weekly meeting
• when sending an email, expect 1-3 days for an answer
• when asking for feedback on text, expect 3-4 days for an answer

Deadlines

• deadlines are there to help us work bit by bit during the year and not stress on the last minute
• deadlines are helpful for you, so that you can focus and progress
• deadlines are helpful for me, so that I can plan ahead my time and make sure I provide feedback on time

To keep in mind

• I am just as interested as you are in developing a good thesis, so whatever I ask is in order to make it happen and help you achieve it
• I am here to help and support, not to intimidate and stress you
• It is absolutely normal not to know everything, so don’t be afraid to ask questions
• I hope you understand that I myself don’t know everything either :)
• If you’re stuck, drop me an email or mention the issue at our next meeting. Don’t stay stuck, you are only loosing time

Overall planning

• During the first month of your work, we should define the objectives and the specifications of your work
• One of the first things you should complete is the bibliographic study. We can only start developing your thesis once this is done.
• We should foresee if you need special equipment that is not available before the holidays of Christmas
• A first version/prototype of your work is expected to be ready after the exam break in February
• You will have minimal time to work on your thesis after March. Your second semester is fully loaded with projects.
• We will define a deadline for determining if it is feasible to defend your thesis in the July session

Conclusion

If you are still reading, and you don’t think I am a crazy, absurd, over-complicating teacher, then please contact me for your thesis :)