One of the biggest problems in a PhD program is lack of students. More students means greater peer support. More students also means many events and activities are more cost effective (or less dollars per student). Transcript Quick tip. If you’re building a PhD program, don’t be scared of having a large number of students. […]
Eight Questions and Answers on Leaving Academia
Download as PDF How many people leave academia after doing a PhD?a. The data says about 50% of PhD graduates will leave immediately after graduation. And, that only 8% (or less) will stay in academia for ten years or more. What do people with PhDs do?a. Academiab. Anything else That’s a bit vague, can you […]
Setting Boundaries
The one thing we all have the same amount of is time, and we all value it differently. Some people are happy to spend more time if they save money. For example, they might choose to build their own website, rather than have someone else do it. Even if their web-building knowledge is limited. Even […]
Dealing with Power Imbalances When Setting Boundaries
All of this is pretty straight forward, unless you have an unreasonable person in your life. Someone who expect you to be available when they are. Someone who wants a response within minutes to any email. Someone who expects you to answer the phone. In which case you’ll need to prepare yourself for a difficult conversation. […]
Six Tips to Become a Better PhD Supervisor
Six tips to being a better PhD supervisor: 1. Do the training. 2. Know your students. 3. Respect their time. 4. Refer to others. 5. Model good behaviour. 6. Make progress visible.
Six Things to Do to Be a Better PhD Supervisor
Download as PDF We need better PhD supervisors.1 Yes – students need to take control of their own destiny. Yes – students need to be more aware of their role in the research, and supervisory process. Yes – students should be self-informing about options beyond their PhD. But…
Finding a Mentor
A mentor should be someone who can show you the way through things. They may not have THE answer, but they probably have AN answer. A bit like a Sherpa helps people up mountains. They cannot climb the mountain for you, but they can give you the best advice and support about how to climb.
Finding a Mentor
A mentor should be someone who can show you the way through things. They may not have THE answer, but they probably have AN answer. A bit like a Sherpa helps people up mountains. They cannot climb the mountain for you, but they can give you the best advice and support about how to climb.
A 9-Step Guide to Having Tough Conversations with Your Supervisor
Download as PDF If tough conversations were easy, we’d all be having them, and they wouldn’t be called tough. They are tough for a reason. Or sometimes several reasons. Tough conversations could be almost any topic with almost anyone. But conversations with your supervisor or your entire supervision panel or maybe some collaborators can be […]
Four Things to Look for in Your First Job
Download as PDF So, you’ve completed your PhD. What next? Do you stay in academia? Do you leave? If you stay do you work as a Post Doc with your supervisor? Or do you try to find another role in a different group, department, school, faculty, university or country?