Professor Mohan Balasubramanian
University of Warwick

Contact Details

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Who is your scientific inspiration and why?

There are many inspirations. Charles Darwin, Gerald Fink, Barbara McClintock, Paul Nurse, Fred Sanger

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

Freedom to explore, discover without boundaries, collaborate and understand

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

Provision of training:

I prefer to take responsibility for your technical training at first, leading to more independence later.

Technical aspects of your training will be supervised predominantly by my experienced post docs/PhD students, with additional inputs from me.

Progression monitoring and management:

I will expect you to take full ownership of your progression but come to me when you need help troubleshooting.

I like to be kept up to date, and will expect to see evidence of method development/data generation results on a weekly basis.

I have high expectations and will push you to your full potential.

Communication:

I am known to email my team/PhD students at all hours of the day and night, however I will not expect you to do the same.

The team has a WhatsApp group chat with which we regularly communicate during the week and weekends. Whilst I expect you to keep up with my/ team communications I will expect you to manage your work/life balance.

I am happy to discuss any issues that are impacting your ability to fulfil your potential or my/our expectations.

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 per week

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 week

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?

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings), I expect students to manage their own time.

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.