Although a doctoral degree is a phenomenal individual accomplishment, I would be remiss in saying that one can do it completely alone. Yes, your advisor(s) play a big part in your development as a researcher, but I (and many others) would argue that it takes an entire committee to be successful! While building out my dissertation proposal, I’ve really started to contemplate who to consider for my dissertation committee. Ultimately, I’ve found that the perfect dissertation committee has a lot in common with a classic crew in the heist movies. Whether it’s the master planner, the people expert, or a hacker with access to building blueprints – each member of the team is made up of highly skilled individuals with the expertise that you need to steal that diploma. When building out your committee, consider finding yourself the following crew members…
The Smooth Operator: In heist films the smooth operator specializes in talking their way past human obstacles: bodyguards, police, and politicians. They know who they are working with, their past experiences, and insights into how they may think or behave. On your dissertation committee, they serve as a populations expert – providing insight into the experiences and perspectives of your key population.
The Hacker: Amongst heist films the hacker is a specialist in various technical skills. They think in patterns, identifying potential security barriers or avenues to gain additional insight. They identify weaknesses in the plan and (with enough time) the hacker can garner information on the physical layout of a heist location. In turn, the information laid by the hacker can help guide the heist. The exact same can be said of an expert in theory for a dissertation committee. Although you may have an idea on what the layout of your research and findings will be, having someone who can suggest or get you to think about alternative pathways and obstacles may be incredibly insightful to your work.
The Infiltration Specialist: Locks? Easy. Alarms? Not a problem. Rappelling from an open skylight into a ridiculously large room where the target just so happens to be conveniently located below you? A regular Tuesday. The infiltration expert is the specialist in actually obtaining your target. In your dissertation committee, this is the methods expert who can help you consider how to directly tackle obstacles and acquire the information needed. The also get you to consider appropriate methods for analyzing this data as well.
It will take a lot of time, effort, and careful planning, but you are the coordinator and mastermind of this heist. Therefore, it’s important to consider team chemistry while building out your squad. Is one of your members a loose canon? Will they all collaborate with one another, or might one turn into a lone wolf? Only you can put together the perfect team to snatch that coveted diploma, and you need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Ultimately, each team is different, and members may extend beyond the typical committee members. For instance, I think my wife Savannah would make the perfect get away driver – but that’s just my thoughts. What do you think though? Who’s your Ocean’s 5? I’d love to hear about what you think makes a good dissertation committee!