Thesis – AgroParisTech

The thesis project is a research project that must deal with environmental and, preferentially, tropical issues in natural ecosystems or within cropping systems including tree as a major component.. It is usually part of an internship in

• a research institution either national (e.g., Cirad, IRD, Inrae, CNRS, higher education institutions) or international (e.g., CGIAR research centre, Smithsonian Institute, CATIE…), or
• in a non-academic entity such as an NGO, an international organization, a consultancy firm or a foundation.

Preparation is organized and assessed as part of the Research planning module. Fieldwork should last at least three months and be achieved preferably in the tropical area. The thesis subject and its logistic implementation are validated by the academic staff and the host/placement supervisor (at the hosting entity) after a project document/individual plan has been submitted and defended (see module Research planning). Except in special circumstances the mandatory placement agreement between the hosting entity, AgroParisTech and the student cannot be signed before the project document defence.

The thesis is developed under the guidance of the host supervisor seconded by the academic supervisor at AgroParisTech:

• your host supervisor is your key contact at the host organisation. S·he will ensure that the thesis project/internship is carried out properly in terms of materials, logistics and science. S·he will check that your dissertation is in line with the initial assignment from the host organisation.
• your academic supervisor is your academic contact throughout the placement. S·he will help you to clarify the terms of reference contained in the initial assignment from the host organisation -if any-, through the individual plan/project document developed in the Research planning module as well as during the placement. The academic supervisor is chosen on the basis of the student’s areas of interest, in consultation with the academic team. S·he may be chosen from outside the academic team, with the latter’s agreement.

Before embarking on a thesis project, it is important to clarify who is primarily responsible for the scientific supervision of the thesis between the host supervisor and the academic supervisor. The scientific supervision of a thesis consists of translating the research problem into research questions, guiding the choice of methods to be used to answer this question, and evaluating this choice a posteriori. The host supervisor acts as the scientific supervisor by default.