Amplifying The Voices Of PhD Students
Near the start of my PhD, a professor gave me insight into what publishing in academia was really like. This professor was one of the more successful ones in my department, and the most liked among PhD students, especially his…
Reviewing a paper takes time, and sometimes you just have so many other things to do that you don’t get around to reviewing your student’s paper for weeks or even months. Even when you realize that you have had the…
After a doing a PhD, most want to do a Postdoc. Only about 30% of PhD holders get a Postdoc position. The prevailing belief is that the number of papers you have, and the impact factor of the journals they…
It’s no secret that the chances of a PhD student developing a mental health problem is very high in academia. But, what makes academia so different? Why are the chances so much higher than most other industries? One reason could…
I was having a conversation with a supervisor (who was taking our supervisor training course here), and we were discussing whether it was good for a supervisor to let their students fail. We both quickly agreed that letting your student…
When it comes to research, laziness is universally frowned upon because as researchers, we’re expected to always go the extra mile. Always do that little more to make your research better, more robust, stronger. But, when it comes to writing…
Giving feedback is an important part of any supervisor’s job. That’s why it’s important to do it well. You can give the most useful suggests in the world, but if they’re not given in a constructive manner, they mean nothing…
As a supervisor, when you see something inaccurate about your student’s research, it’s tempting and easy to tell them that. While doing that in a caring manner is definitely helpful, it doesn’t lead to as much growth in your student…
Having your paper rejected is never fun, but it happens. Almost everyone who has ever published a paper knows what it’s like to have a paper rejected. It’s the norm. But, when you’re doing a PhD, paper rejections seem to…
Have you ever found something wrong in your lab, maybe an instrument has been broken or something not quite how it should be? Or, have you ever found that someone you supervise won’t ever take responsibility for doing something wrong?…