In three words or phrases: As a supervisor, my goal is to:
- Ensure students and postdocs generate excellent outcomes from their work.
- Help them develop skills so that they pursue their chosen career paths in science and have access to opportunities in their careers.
- Create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their opinions.
Provision of Training
I encourage students and postdocs to learn things on their own and seek their own answers, but at the same time I realize that guidance is important, so that research can be efficient and productive. For this reason, I am always available to discuss and troubleshoot technical aspects of the projects or discuss any other aspect related to scientific training (preparing for presentations, critical thinking, reading, ideas on published work, applying for jobs etc).
Progression Monitoring and Management
Understanding expectations while working in a team is important to me. To achieve our goals as a team I like to set expectations clearly. I discuss expectations with my team members on a biweekly basis. I also like to check-in regularly so we can quickly discuss a plan of action together, particularly around certain experiments and technical trouble-shooting. Every day or so, I like to come in to the laboratory and have a quick, one-on-one chat about what my team members are doing.
Communication
My team uses a WhatsApp group chat to communicate during the week (and weekends, where necessary). I expect my team members to keep up with my communications and reply to e-mails within normal working hours.
As a supervisor, it is important to me to know your thoughts, feelings and concerns around your project. Research can be stressful and create anxiety; I recognize the need for work/life balance and the importance of mental health. It is important to me that my team members communicate their concerns, so we can find ways to ensure work is less stressful.
PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:
In a group meeting
At least once per fortnight
In year 1 of PhD study
At least once per week
In year 2 of PhD study
At least once per fortnight
In year 3 of PhD study
At least once per fortnight
The meetings will be a mixture of face to face, via video chat or telephone and I am usually contactable for an instant response (if required) on every working day.
Working Pattern
The timing of work in my laboratory is mostly flexible, and other than attending pre-arranged meetings, I expect students and postdocs to manage their own time, be productive and work consistently towards defined goals and expectations. I am happy to support students and postdocs with time management and project planning.
Notice Period for Feedback
In most cases, depending on my schedule, I need at least 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.
