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The Thesis Garage

The Thesis Garage is a weekly, online, drop-in session for everyone writing a thesis with Alex Jung — bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students alike, whichever university you are enrolled at. Think of it as an open workshop: you stop by when you need to, stay for as long as you need, and leave when your question is answered.

Attendance is optional and there is no agenda you have to follow. The garage is a low-pressure space you use on your own terms — but it is the main channel for feedback on work in progress (see the thesis guide), so plan to come regularly.

When and Where

  • When: Every Tuesday, 10:00–11:00 Helsinki time (09:00–10:00 in Krems/Vienna)
  • Term: Tuesday 1 September – Tuesday 15 December 2026 (16 sessions). Cancelled sessions (for example on public holidays) and the dates of the next term are announced on this page
  • Where: Online via Zoom — the room is hosted on Aalto's Zoom, but anyone with the link can join; no Aalto account is needed

You do not need to register or announce that you are coming — just join the Zoom room during the hour. If no one has questions on a given week, the session simply ends early.

What the Garage Is For

Drop by to:

  • Ask questions — anything from framing your ML problem, to a method that will not converge, to a LaTeX or referencing issue.
  • Present your progress — show a result, a plot, or a draft section and get quick, informal feedback.
  • Get unstuck — talk through a blocker before it costs you a week.
  • Sanity-check a direction — confirm an approach or scope decision before you invest in it.
  • See what others are doing — the sessions are shared across levels and universities, so you can learn from the questions your peers bring. Bachelor's students get a preview of what a master's thesis looks like; doctoral students can rehearse how to explain their work to a broader audience.

How to Get the Most Out of It

  • Come with something concrete. A specific question, an error message, a plot, or a paragraph you are unsure about leads to far more useful feedback than "how is it going?".
  • It is not a substitute for full-draft feedback. Detailed feedback on your manuscript still happens on a complete, polished draft, as described in the thesis guide.
  • University paperwork is not handled here. Questions about your programme's forms, deadlines, or submission system go to your programme's study services; see University-specific information for where to look.
  • Respect the shared time. If a question needs a long, one-on-one deep dive, we may agree to take it to a separate meeting so the room stays useful for everyone.

Not sure whether your question fits the garage? Bring it anyway — if it needs more, we will find the right next step from there.