Questions tagged [supervision]
Questions relating to academic supervision, which is broadly defined as the supervisory relationship between advisors and their students.
492
questions
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4answers
4k views
Is supervisor bound to clarify the technical queries of a Ph.D. researcher?
Summary: are PhD advisers obligated to help with technical questions / tasks that PhD student is trying to solve?
This question arose due to my confusion regarding the role of a Ph.D. supervisor.
I ...
0
votes
2answers
184 views
Do reading projects get any recognition?
Background: I'm an undergrad math major, starting my third year of college soon. This summer, I worked on a reading project (some graduate-level math topics) under the guidance of a professor from a ...
1
vote
1answer
270 views
How is the PhD system in Turkey?
I met someone who graduated from Firat University in Turkey, and claimed to have published 60 journal articles in his 3 years of PhD studies (2015-2018).
Although I haven't studied in Turkey or Asia(...
5
votes
4answers
311 views
How to get feedback from my supervisor about me
I'm a first year PhD student in mathematics. One day I was having some conversation with my supervisor and we got to a point where he casually mentioned about his other students and said that one of ...
0
votes
2answers
221 views
Is there the risk of repercussions after making a formal complaint?
If I make a formal complaint against my PhD supervisor, where I have evidence of them failing to comply with university policy in Australia, is it reasonable to be afraid that they could essentially ...
10
votes
4answers
4k views
Informing advisors on a tangential sole-authored paper
Over the last year, I conducted research under two professors A and B on two topics A and B. In the last few months, I have come up with an idea that uses concepts from topic A to present a solution ...
0
votes
1answer
549 views
Queen bee syndrome in academia
The queen bee syndrome was first defined by social psychologists in the 70s, describing a behaviour of women in advanced positions in traditionally male-dominated areas that in part means that they ...
4
votes
1answer
168 views
Work experience certificate (Arbeitszeugnis) - Student Assistant (Wissenschaftliche Hilfskrafte)
I worked as a Student Assistant (Wissenschaftliche Hilfskrafte) for two years (19 hrs/week) at an institute of a reputed German University. I have received a work experience certificate (Arbeitzeugnis)...
6
votes
1answer
314 views
My supervisor often forwards me predatory submission invitations, how can I react appropriately?
My supervisor (a professor and head of a research institute) is otherwise very competent, accomplished and a well respected and renowned expert in his field. Yet, he keeps on forwarding me emails with ...
2
votes
2answers
195 views
Why are professors from some universities willing to supervise employees in industry?
I find that many professors are to some extent supervising employees in the industry. They are helping the industry guys publish papers or solve difficult problems.
I don't know what motivates them to ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
Approaching a teacher outside institution for MS thesis guide
My institution allows me to pursue MS Thesis with a teacher from any other institute, I have interest in a topic and want to do my thesis in that. There are many researchers in different institutes ...
4
votes
1answer
247 views
Being a reserch student of some professor that I am not officially a student at their university
I am very much interested in some specific subject in mathematics that there is no professor in the whole country of my residency working or knowing about that subject.
I am a first year masters ...
45
votes
6answers
9k views
Regret after not being able to solve a problem that my supervisor did easily
I'm a first year PhD student and I was asked to think about a problem last week and I tried to work out some examples, did some computations, but I wasn't successful. Basically, I didn't really make ...
2
votes
0answers
70 views
Can I ask a professor from another institution about getting involved in their research (undergrad CS)? [duplicate]
I am going to be a senior next year and was hoping to get involved with research for my capstone. The professor I was planning on asking to advise me had been one of my favorite professors and seemed ...
3
votes
2answers
306 views
Asking my supervisor a potentially dumb question [duplicate]
So I recently did my PhD project approval which is the process where I agree my objectives with my supervisor and present a short overview to a review panel.
All that went well and my project has been ...
1
vote
0answers
61 views
Should I withdraw from a funded research based graduate program at McMaster? [closed]
I accepted a research-based graduate offer from McMaster University. I applied to other schools but I did not hear back. I assumed I did not get in. So I accepted the offer I had. I know learned that ...
6
votes
2answers
829 views
Advisor wants to put his name on my paper when I did all the work and found the idea
During my master's work, when I was trying to solve the problem the advisor assigned to me, I solved another problem. I got an idea and it worked, I tried to talk to him about it, he refused. So, I ...
5
votes
2answers
384 views
My supervisor does not have time to read my thesis, what do I do?
I am a master's student, I started my degree in 2018. I wrote my thesis and sent it to both my main supervisor and co-supervisor a month ago and ask them to read but my main prof did not have time to ...
6
votes
2answers
518 views
A recently published paper seriously impairs the novelty of my dissertation. Which should be the purpose of the next meeting with my supervisor?
I am a second-year PhD student in management, and I've recently started working on my dissertation.
The topic I got assigned is a fast-growing one.
Nonetheless, I initially managed to ensure the ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it a good practice for PhD students in STEM to have supervisors who have no expertise in the students' field?
May I ask if it is a good practice for PhD students in STEM to have supervisors with no expertise in the students' field? I wonder to what extent should a PhD supervisor in the STEM knows about his/...
31
votes
8answers
7k views
What are the risks and benefits of being the first PhD of a new supervisor?
I am interested in a PhD project which will be supervised by somebody who has never supervised a PhD student before. In fact, this research group is not yet completely established. On their website ...
-1
votes
2answers
186 views
Is this a typical supervising style and what should I do to make research progress?
I am a research master student in STEM field. My supervisor and I have weekly meetings. Each meeting lasts for about 15-20 minutes. Before each meeting, I will summarize the most important work I have ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Can I refer my sibling for a PhD position under my supervisor? How should I approach this?
I am an international student who is completing a master's degree. I am very happy working with my professor at the university. I am a good student. My professor and I have some successful projects ...
2
votes
1answer
174 views
Wrote a paper, supervisor couldn't respond
I wrote a paper based on research done with my supervisor, and sent it to them.
They haven't yet confirmed they saw it. It's been some time, and I sent a followup.
What happens if they never reply? I ...
3
votes
1answer
306 views
Telling my supervisor I'm unhappy
An update to yesterday's post.
A mixture of events has caused me to lose interest in my PhD project. I started on the back of losing a close family member which really didn't give me a good start.
...
20
votes
7answers
6k views
How to explain to my supervisor that her style of input is hindering my progress?
I am in the fourth year of a part-time PhD. I have at least another couple of years left, the next two years are for writing up and this year was supposed to be for data collection.
I hit problems ...
0
votes
2answers
244 views
PhD without topic
I work in a computer science faculty (top ten here). I first worked with my advisor as a exchange student: got very good grades in his classes and did some projects (both academic and paid). This ...
23
votes
6answers
6k views
PhD students publish without supervisors – how does it work?
In my field (experimental physics) the supervision of PhD students works roughly like that: freshmen come to the lab, they are given tasks, then they do experiments, discuss the results with their ...
1
vote
2answers
316 views
How PhD projects are acquired in pure mathematics [closed]
In pure mathematics (please only answer for this field, as other areas are different), what is the ratio of PhD students finding a project on their own, versus working closely with their supervisor to ...
1
vote
1answer
172 views
Should postdocs give fewer (or otherwise different) status updates than PhD students?
This question is a bit weird to ask because generally speaking, a normal answer will be "the same way you used to work as a PhD student" but I am not sure if I picked a "bad" habit ...
2
votes
0answers
181 views
After a PhD internship, I've been offered to finish the PhD at the company. Should I accept? [closed]
I'm asking for an opinion here as I don't know many people that can help me with this decision. Any feedback is very much appreciated, sorry in advance for the long post.
I'm a 2nd year PhD student in ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
Did they do some of the project without telling me?
So I am doing this bachelor thesis for a research institute and they wanted me to do different kinds of development.
Like conversions of files and implementing a system (I call it system A for ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
Working on a methodology different from advisor's expertise. How to proceed?
I am pursuing PhD in materials engineering. My advisor is an expert in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory. She works with nanomaterials and batteries. However, for my ...
4
votes
1answer
373 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
172 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
385 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
128 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
265 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
189 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 ...
48
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
521 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
9k 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
853 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
48 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
248 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 ...
16
votes
4answers
304 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, ...
5
votes
1answer
205 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
264 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 ...
