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With input from DEAR Centre Directors, Education Studies Alumni & DEAR Centre Affiliate Dr Bing LuLink opens in a new window has recently completed her project “Migrant supervisors learn to supervise in UK institutions; an inclusive perspectiveLink opens in a new window”. This project explored how migrant supervisors—academics who obtained their doctorates outside the UK—experience and engage with supervisor development programmes in UK universities. In the context of an increasingly international academic workforce, the study examines how diverse doctoral education backgrounds shape supervision practices and institutional training responses.

The project has been funded by the SHRE's Newer Researcher AwardLink opens in a new window. Each year the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) invites applications from Newer Researchers to enter a research proposal for a small scale project. All entries are reviewed by an expert panel of experienced researchers. Successful SRHE Award winners receive a number of benefits from the Society in addition to the award money awarded to fund the selected project.

Dr Lu, who is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of Student Experience and Progression in the Faculty of Arts University of Warwick, investigated how migrant supervisors learn to supervise doctorates through supervisor training programmes in UK institutions. Through investigating different stakeholders, the study focused on how supervisors respond to the mandated and/or optional training sessions through a design that aimed to elicit reflective accounts based on the notes they kept when attending the development sessions.

The study generated a number of very interesting findings:

• Supervisor training is shaped by UK-centric norms and assumptions.
• Migrant supervisors bring valuable, globally-informed perspectives.
• Their understanding of doctoral milestones differs based on where they trained.
• Institutional training often overlooks this diversity, unintentionally marginalising these contributions.
• Inclusive models like communities of practice can be strengthened by integrating migrant supervisors’ experiences.

The project findings will inform future policy conversations and the design of inclusive training materials. Dr Lu is currently working with two UK universities’ CDTs to co-create inclusive supervisor development resources to support supervisors’ development. The study will be presented at the SRHE Annual Conference December 2025, with further dissemination planned through workshops and publications. If you’re interested in collaborating on research, dissemination events, or resource development, please contact the Project Lead: bing.lu.1@warwick.ac.uk who is keen to connect with researchers, academic developers, policy professionals, and doctoral education leaders who are:

• Exploring doctoral supervision across borders and institutions
• Interested in developing inclusive and relational supervisor training
• Designing comparative or international research on academic development
• Engaged in building communities of practice around doctoral supervision

The SHRE have recently published the final project report which can be accessed at https://srhe.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/LUbingNRreport.pdfLink opens in a new window