First of all, thank you for showing interest in doing a Master’s thesis with my group. Please read this letter before our first expectations meeting. We will discuss your reactions and set clear agreements together.
Agreements and collaboration
Approach and roles
My main function is to encourage and support. I aim to be an “expert colleague” who motivates you to find your path, challenges you appropriately, and helps you love the discipline and the learning process. I value a flat hierarchy: we grow as a team, and I expect mutual learning in our supervisor–student relationship.
You are responsible for moving the project forward, managing your time, and meeting formal requirements and deadlines. I will guide you “from above” as a navigator: you are encouraged to challenge my direction, but the outcome remains your responsibility as an independent researcher.
Meeting pace
Weekly meetings during the first month; less frequent during the middle phase; then more frequent again in the final 2–4 weeks. I prefer in-person meetings; online only if strictly necessary. We may occasionally involve a colleague to add perspective.
Preparation
Arrive with prepared questions and discussion points, visible learning progress, and a rough personal timeline to structure your work.
Scientific content and feedback
Field and supervision
My expertise includes data and model analysis, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty quantification, and statistical theory, applied to engineering domains (e.g., biomechanics/aortic dissection, mechanics/dynamics, railway, materials). I supervise at the intersection of numerics and mechanics, including methodological analyses such as sensitivity studies.
Read the material I provide and seek additional high-quality resources to expand perspectives and enrich the manuscript (the final thesis). You are expected to build expertise through broad reading and to strengthen your writing as we progress.
I provide feedback in person and, when needed, online through live revision sessions, by prior agreement. Feedback focuses on produced material: texts, figures, and schemes.
Draft policy
We will review the working draft together at the midpoint. Later, I will read your full final draft carefully, provide detailed comments, and return a commented version for your final revision before submission.
Evaluation criteria
A strong manuscript begins with a clearly stated goal and a well-defined problem, then traces a transparent path toward the proposed or investigated solution. Equally important are high-quality, informative figures and consistent, precise mathematical notation throughout.
Resources and progress
Planning and timeline
We will define a timeline that both of us understand. I prefer a soft timeline to allow for the realities of research…things may and sometimes should go wrong. However, you are solely responsible for keeping the timeline on track. Please do not wait for me to move forward; prepare questions and materials in ways that do not hinder your thesis process.
Deadlines, cancellations, and reporting
Progress reporting (not necessarily in text form) every 1–2 months, depending on the project. We will agree on procedures for rescheduling when needed and keep deadlines visible and shared.
A final note
As a rule, I comment on a complete draft rather than on many partial sections, to provide coherent, criteria-based feedback and support your independent writing development.
Gian Marco Melito