Research, Writing, and Defense of Dissertation Research and Dissertation The rewarding process of carrying out the interdisciplinary research plan set out in the AIM Thesis Proposal in collaboration with the two co-advisors is the capstone of the AIM Ph.D. program. There will typically be pitfalls, and the final form of the project may well differ from the original plan, but this is the very nature of fundamental research. When both co-advisors are satisfied with the quantity and quality of the completed research, the student must write a dissertation. The dissertation is a document that describes the entire research project, including scholarly background, methodology of research, and original results. The dissertation must be prepared in accordance with the regulations in the Dissertation Handbook published by the Rackham Graduate School. Examples of actual dissertations written by former AIM Ph.D. students can be found on the Program History page. The Dissertation Committee It is a Department requirement to have at least 5 members on the dissertation defense committee. In most cases, there is no change in the makeup of the dissertation committee between the oral exam and the dissertation defense. Whether or not there are any changes, the student will need to submit a Dissertation Committee Form at least 6 months prior to the expected defense date to the Graduate Office. The student will then need to schedule the dissertation defense with the committee members and Department of Mathematics Graduate staff (a procedure very similar to scheduling the oral examination). Defense of the Dissertation When the dissertation is complete, and at least 6 weeks prior to the defense date, the dissertation should be submitted to the two co-advisors, who will read and evaluate the work. They will both report in writing to the AIM Doctoral Committee on the quality of the research and writing. The student will then provide each member of the dissertation committee with a copy of the Ph.D. thesis at least 2 weeks before the date of the defense. Each committee member will evaluate the dissertation prior to the defense, reporting directly to the Rackham Graduate School. The defense of the thesis is open to the public and is a truly exciting experience. The student should prepare a 50-minute long oral presentation based on the thesis work, and should plan for a wide range of questions from the public as well as from the dissertation committee. The defense may take up to two hours, and the result of the defense will be determined by the dissertation committee at the conclusion. Congratulations, Dr. (your name here)!