Promotoren

Promotoren are the primary supervisors of doctoral candidates in the Dutch-speaking academic world. A promotor guides the research trajectory, supervises the study design and methods, and monitors progress toward the dissertation. In the Netherlands and Flanders, the promotor is typically a senior researcher, most often a professor, who has formal responsibility to supervise a PhD project. A candidate may have one or more promotors; the principal supervisor is the promotor, while a second supervisor may hold the title of copromotor (co-promotor).

Key responsibilities include shaping the research proposal and scope, ensuring scientific quality and integrity, guiding data collection and analysis, and advising on ethics and compliance. The promotor reviews and approves thesis drafts and final manuscripts, and signs the doctoral thesis and the conferral documents. During the doctoral defense, the promotor participates as part of the defense process, and the promotion results are formally announced by the university after the examination committee's assessment; the candidate becomes a doctor upon successful defense.

Terminology and usage: The term promotor is specific to the doctoral supervision system in the Netherlands and Belgium; in English, the role is often translated as “doctoral supervisor” or “promoter.” The copromotor provides additional supervision and may share responsibilities for the project. The promotor is distinct from the examination committee chair, whose members assess the final defense and determine the outcome of the promotion.