Dr Katrin Schilcher
University of Leicester

Contact Details

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

I try to mentor my students to become independent researchers over the course of their PhD studies. In most cases, more hands-on supervision is beneficial in the beginning, but my students are constantly encouraged to develop their own ideas. My main role is to support the student in their way to independence.

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

Provision of training:

The form and intensity of training is tailored to the needs of the student and the research project. Accordingly, personal discussions with the students are an important factor to assess how much training is needed and wanted.

Progression monitoring and management:

As my research group is still small, I will most likely interact with the student on a daily base. In addition, there will be formal lab meetings to help seeing the project progress and identify problems and pitfalls early on.

Communication:

Communication is one of the most crucial aspects of science. It is important to not only communicate successful outcomes but also to openly discuss problems with experiments as well as new project directions.

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 week

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 every 2 weeks (more frequently if necessary)

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 (more frequently if necessary)

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

Face to face

Open door policy?

Yes, I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

My expectation of PhD student working patterns?

The timing of work in my lab is flexible (except for scheduled meetings), but certain tasks/experiments of this project will need the student to perform work outside of a common 9 to 5 schedule.

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.