Professor James (Jim) Tucker
University of Birmingham

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

Supportive, outcome-orientated, collaborative

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

Provision of training:

Guidance and concepts will be provided by me; technical training will be carried out predominantly by members of my research group. The group works as a team in a collaborative manner, which enables problem solving and exchanging of ideas.

Progression monitoring and management:

I like to set agreed goals together each month and to be kept up to date with results on a weekly basis. The aim is for you to achieve independence and to improve interpersonal skills; you are encouraged to train others as you become more experienced (e.g. undergraduate project students).

Communication:

Most communication with me is done by email and I am normally in informal contact with group members, either by email or in person, most days each week. There is also a WhatsApp group chat for group members for sharing information about day-to-day lab activities.

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 month

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 month

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 month

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.

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

I need at least 2 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.