Questions tagged [supervision]
Questions relating to academic supervision, which is broadly defined as the supervisory relationship between advisors and their students.
464
questions
3
votes
2answers
273 views
Should I do my Ph.D. with a supervisor who rarely responds to my emails?
I have recently been offered a place on a Ph.D. program at a certain university abroad. However, before, during, and after my application, my potential supervisor has generally been unresponsive to my ...
4
votes
1answer
156 views
Asking a foreign professor to be your thesis co-advisor
I am a master's student and I started searching for someone to be my thesis advisor. I went to ask a well-known professor from my university, that I wanted to work with, and he was happy to help.
...
1
vote
2answers
219 views
How to email a professor requesting to supervise a PhD thesis?
I am interested in applying to PhD in Mathematics in University of Luxembourg. In the webpage it is written that "We recommend that you contact potential thesis supervisors by email to discuss ...
1
vote
1answer
114 views
Getting an extra advisor late in my PhD
TLDR: what's the smoothest way of getting a professor as a third advisor in the penultimate year of my PhD without offending my current advisors?
(Note: I know I am lucky and this is not a big problem,...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
How frequently should PhD students update their advisor? [closed]
I'm a 1st year phd student in math. My advisor adopts a more ambiguous meeting policy that I approach him whenever I want to talk. So I was sending him long emails on a biweekly basis with updates of ...
2
votes
1answer
232 views
How much feedback should you get from a Supervisor? [duplicate]
My dissertation is due next month and I’m extremely stressed about it.
I meet with my supervisor nearly every week but apart from being given papers to read I don’t feel like I’ve been supported ...
0
votes
1answer
184 views
Working as an Academic researcher difficulties [closed]
What do you do if you have to perform research in a field that you didn't like, as I'm currently passionate about computer vision stuff, but my research is about Android security. More than that the ...
1
vote
0answers
97 views
Can I do PhD under the supervision of a Research Fellow running a group at a research institute in Germany? [closed]
I appreciate a researcher very much for (s)he has very clear concepts. (S)he also points out what could go wrong in a theory. (S)he is a research fellow running a group at a respected institute in ...
46
votes
4answers
12k views
Supervisor who accepted me for a research internship now says he doesn't know who I am
I've been accepted in a research internship. However, after I sent an email to my supervisor asking about some details, he told me that he has no idea about who I am, and that maybe I've been ...
5
votes
2answers
498 views
My PI assigned me to a direct supervisor who is academically incompetent. What should I do?
This is very closely related to this question. However in that question on top of the academic problems there are also major safety issues and the answers correctly focus on that. But this still ...
22
votes
3answers
6k views
Failed at all meetings
I am a postdoc researcher in mathematics and finished my Ph.D. some month ago. I wrote three papers during my Ph.D., and I am the only author for two of them.
The day when I started my postdoc ...
21
votes
11answers
8k views
Should I quit a PhD with little supervision at a prestigious university and start a new PhD?
I am a second year PhD student studying at a prestigious university in the UK. My main supervisor recruited me 2 years ago just because he is interested in my field and hopes to develop a new ...
14
votes
5answers
845 views
I suspect someone deliberately ruined my experiments by poisoning my lab insects. What should I do?
I'm a graduate student who's currently working on an experiment involving some animals. I have two separate places where I keep my animals, and one of them is in a locked section of a lab (which is ...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
co-supervisor from a different university?
I am from a maths/physics background currently doing a PhD in fluid mechanics within the engineering department. I am not enjoying it as much as I'd liked and have raised this with my supervisor (only ...
3
votes
0answers
229 views
Does time taken and a poor grade for a PHD in Germany destroy chances for a post doc? [closed]
I come from a violent country that gives me no hope for the future. I cannot go back. My supervisor has more than 30 students, did not read my chapters, and insisted that I give in the first draft as ...
14
votes
4answers
279 views
Where can I find resources on how to be a good supervisor?
I am a relatively new tenured professor. My responsibilities increase gradually, and this year I have started supervising students' thesis: a bachelor thesis and a master thesis. (This is in Europe, ...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Should I change my dissertation topic? [closed]
I'm a second-year PhD student in Management, and I'm wondering whether I should change my dissertation topic or not.
My topic is an established one, but it started to revive thanks to cutting-edge ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
How to manage a colleague in your research group taking your idea?
I have been a newly appointed lecturer (18 months). Within my first 6 months I have advertised a PhD subject in order to recruit a good student. The specific project was advertised a year ago. I ...
1
vote
3answers
252 views
Should I leave this PhD and start another one? Would I be in trouble?
I am currently doing a fully funded PhD in a European country. I just finished my first year. The topic is ok but i dont feel very passionate about it. I dont feel i connect with the topic even though ...
0
votes
1answer
159 views
Why would a professor not reply? [duplicate]
A professor has offered me a summer research project at his lab. The last we had talked was on a Zoom call during which I was offered the position. He had then asked me to send my academic records ...
0
votes
0answers
104 views
What can I do if I face conflicts with my supervisor?
I am an international Ph.D. student in Canada. I have many conflicts with my supervisor and I really don't enjoy working under his supervision and I prefer to change my supervisor. However, the ...
2
votes
2answers
144 views
Should I always address both PhD supervisors in emails?
I am starting my PhD and have two equivalent supervisors at different universities in different cities. I am going to city A first and then later to B and so on.
What is the etiquette regarding emails?...
5
votes
1answer
171 views
How to proceed after reject & resubmit
I recently got a reject & resubmit which usually would not bother me too much, however, this case is a bit special:
The specific journal runs a single-blind peer review process. One review was ...
2
votes
1answer
329 views
Should I email a professor during Christmas and New Year Holidays?
I got a project confirmation from a professor 2 days ago. The project would require me to travel abroad during the summer vacation period of May-July 2021. The formalities such as offer letter and ...
17
votes
4answers
714 views
How to deal with unwanted physical contact, presents and attention by a postdoc supervisor?
Posting this to academia stackexchange, but if this may fit better in other place please let me know.
My girlfriend is a new PhD student in a male dominated field, and is supervised by a postdoc in a ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views
Personal chapter comments to supervisor
Is it a good idea to keep my comments in the chapter draft to be sent to my supervisor?
Sometimes when writing, I comment on the text, like personal notes.
I am feeling that it may sound like ...
2
votes
1answer
124 views
How early should I start asking professors for a summer position?
I am a high school student and have several professors at colleges nearby who are conducting research I find very interesting. I am going to ask them to consider letting me work under them during the ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
How should a high-school student approach professors in research institutions about research opportunities?
I am a high schooler who lives in the vicinity of many premier research institutions and am very interested in going into STEM. I know that I will have to ask a lot of professors to let me work under ...
2
votes
2answers
133 views
Involving additional staff members in PhD supervision (beyond co-supervisors)
Is it possible that a staff member (Asst. Prof.) offers their help to a PhD student even they are not their co-supervisor ?
How involved (if solicited) could Lab members (mostly Asst. Prof.) be in the ...
3
votes
2answers
416 views
Is it normal for universities to limit the number of PhD students a professor can supervise?
It came to my attention that one university limits the number of PhD students each professor can supervise simultaneously. The policy makes a vague reference to "legislative and regulatory ...
21
votes
3answers
10k views
Supervising a lazy BSc student
I am a PhD student and I have to supervise two BSc students in conducting their thesis. Unfortunately, I am very (very!) frustrated with one of them.
First of all, this specific student doesn't show ...
20
votes
4answers
7k views
Doing a PhD at a famous football school: how can I ask for time off to attend games?
Consider a famous football school in the U.S., for example Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Auburn, and Ohio State.
I am doing a PhD in a STEM field at one of these schools, and on 6 or 7 ...
8
votes
5answers
840 views
Pure mathemathics: authors appearing in alphabetic order [duplicate]
So the title of the question is quite broad, I've seen a few of questions in the site regarding this particular topic (quite a few actually, so let me know if this is somehow a duplicate).
My problem ...
2
votes
1answer
139 views
Potential PhD supervisor replied short but expressed interest, what to do next?
I wrote a relatively long email to a potential supervisor and they answered quite short, saying that they are delighted to hear of my interest in the program and they would be happy to work with me. I ...
4
votes
1answer
232 views
Forced out of an abusive advisor relationship, how to find an advisor in another university?
I'm posting for a friend in the interest of anonymity.
For context, they're in the third year of a US mathematics PhD, and are currently without an advisor following the failure of an 18 month ...
2
votes
0answers
161 views
What resources should a PhD student expect their advisor to have?
I am contemplating changing PhD advisors and wanted opinions as to whether I am being too critical and if there is any basis to my concerns.
I am a little over a year into the PhD program and am with ...
26
votes
7answers
6k views
How to prove episodes of academic misconduct?
My former PhD supervisor asked me different times to produce false results, including complete fabrication from scratch of otherwise non-existent results. I always managed to get away from that and I ...
6
votes
2answers
530 views
How to refuse to work with graduate students?
How do you refuse to work with graduate students when they come to you and explain they want to work with you without necessarily being offered a job (e.g. a project that pays).
My advisor was very ...
1
vote
1answer
179 views
Should I leave my area of interest as my supervisor advised? [closed]
I am an undergraduate student, applying for honours next year. I asked my current supervisor if he is willing to supervise me and he said he had to change the current project as I took a lot of time ...
1
vote
0answers
93 views
How to persuade my supervisor to write a recommendation letter for P.h.D in the US?
I am currently a MS student at EE department at my final year pursing my thesis. I could not publish any of my works yet however I am willing to submit one journal paper for publishing at the end of ...
3
votes
0answers
214 views
Choosing a project for a fresh graduate student
I am starting to advise a new graduate student for M.Sc. degree (in theoretical computer science), and I am considering what should be the first problem they should work on.
One option is a small and ...
1
vote
2answers
125 views
Humanities Research with Professors as a High Schooler?
I am a high school student (legally old enough to work) looking for opportunities to work with professors in political theory. The way research is done is quite different from many folks in STEM, so ...
16
votes
3answers
4k views
Should I tell my supervisor that I added his/her name as a reference for my next academic position?
Recently I finished my PhD level and I did an interview with a research group for a postdoc position. After my review, they asked me for some references to contact them.
I choose my supervisor and ...
0
votes
1answer
75 views
How to justify research assistant's role in the grant application
How can we justify the role of Research Assistant in the grant application?
Everyone knows that faculty members are busy with teaching, admin tasks, writing grants etc. so they actually seek PhD and ...
23
votes
7answers
5k views
Is it common/ ethically acceptable for PhD advisors to propose and supervise topics on which they lack basic knowledge?
I've just graduated in STEM in a small but respected university in Europe. I had two supervisors who hold their PhD in my field. The aim of my PhD was to utilize a particular chemical compound in the ...
28
votes
5answers
9k views
My research supervisor left the university and no one told me
I am currently doing my Masters in a program that has both a practicum component and a thesis component. My research supervisor and I had been working over the past few years on a thesis topic. The ...
-1
votes
1answer
101 views
How to ask politely to a potential supervisor? [duplicate]
I have some initial conversations related to the scope of the research area with my potential supervisor. I took a course with him as well. He knows me well too. I asked him to supervise me in my ...
55
votes
9answers
7k views
Telling a former supervisor you don't want to publish
I graduated from my PhD in the middle of last year and have since landed a full time job in industry. Currently I'm pretty ran off my feet with work, but I'm also enjoying having free time at weekends ...
4
votes
1answer
118 views
What to ask a prospective supervisor regarding advertised PhD position?
I have completed my master's degree in aerospace engineering from India, and I am continuously looking for PhD opportunities in Europe in the field of aerospace propulsion.
In this regard, I have come ...
2
votes
2answers
434 views
Graduate level advising - how to put limits to the nature of questions and make students independent?
I just started advising graduate level students, but I am having a lot of problems. I thought I would be a patient, understanding, helpful advisor but really I am being tested.
One of the students ...
