Support Ombuds program
A team of ombudspersons is available to doctoral researchers and doctoral advisors at Heidelberg University as confidential points of contact. In the event of conflicts that may arise from work on a dissertation, they serve as an independent body to which both doctoral researchers and advisors can turn. The ombudspersons see themselves as a consulting and mediation service.
Good to know!
Ombudspersons
- do not exercise any influence over the evaluation of the work submitted.
- may organize and facilitate discussions during the ombuds process.
- support both parties in finding constructive solutions.
The responsibilities of other bodies, in particular the doctoral committees or the Commission for the Safeguarding of Good Academic Practice, remain unaffected.
The Ombudsprogram Team
The Ombudsprogram team consists of up to twelve people. They:
- are experts with diverse professional, geographical, cultural, and ideological backgrounds,
-
and each belong to a specific academic discipline:
- Life Sciences and Medicine
- Mathematics, Engineering, and Natural Sciences
- Humanities
- Law, Economics, and Social Sciences.
Substitution Policy
During their term of office, each ombudsperson has two designated substitutes: one serves as the predecessor and the other as the successor. All ombudspersons are available as points of contact and can be approached as needed.
Consultation process
How to contact us
Questions or problems can be submitted to the Ombudsperson of your choice initially
- by email
- or by post.
The ombudsperson will then contact the applicant in order to clarify the problem and determine which offices or authorities could contribute to finding a solution. In some cases, a simple advising session may be sufficient to resolve the problem. In other cases, the ombudsperson will, with the permission of the applicant, arrange a mediation session with the other parties involved. The ombudsperson has the authority to make recommendations regarding further action. The implementation of the recommendations, however, is up to the parties involved.
Services
The services of the office of ombudsperson
- are free of charge
- cannot be contested in a court of law
- or referred to another authority.
The responsibilities of the following institutions remain unaffected:
- jurisdictions of the doctoral committees or
- the committee for the safeguarding of good academic practice.
