Dr Eva Frickel
University of Birmingham

In three words or phrases how would you describe your supervision style?

I believe in supporting and guiding the PhD student to be able to design and conduct experiments and interpret results. I encourage students to approach biological problems with a technique-oriented and goal-driven view and seek help from any appropriate person within the Institute or outside. I love spontaneous discussion of new data, literature or ideas and am always open for suggestions. I strongly follow the concept of “your success is my success”.

In one or two sentences please describe your strategies regarding the following.

Provision of training:

Your daily practical training will mostly be taught by experienced postdocs. I will expect you to gain independence from them gradually. Throughout the whole process, I will always be available to discuss details of protocols and bigger picture questions and ideas.

Progression monitoring and management:

I expect you to take full ownership of your progression, but am always available to troubleshoot, as well as discuss direction of the project. I will help you develop to your fullest potential by giving general advice and opening doors to novel techniques and methods. My door is always open. I typically walk around multiple times a week and casually chat with my staff about their projects, smaller or bigger problems and successes.

Communication:

The group has a WhatsApp chat to communicate daily business and questions most effectively between us. I am always available via phone, messaging or email. I expect communication to be swift within working hours and offer the same on my end.

How often do your PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting?

At least once per week

In year 1 of PhD study, how often do your PhD students have a scheduled >30 minute 1:1 meeting with you?

At least once per fortnight

In year 2 of PhD study, how often do your PhD students have a scheduled >30 minute 1:1 meeting with you?

At least once per fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study, how often do your PhD students have a scheduled >30 minute 1:1 meeting with you?

At least once per fortnight

What form do your 1:1 meetings with PhD students take?

Face to face (if allowed under current health and safety advice)

Open door policy?

Yes, I am usually contactable for an instant response (if required) on every working day.

My expectation of PhD student working patterns?

Certain tasks in my lab need to occur at set times, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team. This is usually in the core hours of 10am-4pm, Mo-Fri, mostly to make training more efficient. Work outside these hours occurs on a flexible basis and is managed independently by each member of the group.

Notice for feedback (e.g. on reports, manuscript drafts, thesis chapters)?

I need at least 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.