Supervisor Communication

​​​​​​If you're having issues with your supervisor, there are a number of people who want to help you.

• Director of Graduate Studies (DGS): the role of the DGS is to oversee graduate study, and they are best placed to discuss through issues with a supervisor. They can also take action to resolve problems. In the 2023/2024 academic year, the DGS for Taught Students is Christoph Reisinger, and the DGS for Research Students is Tom Sanders.
• College Advisor: typically separate from your research group/supervisor, these assigned staff members can offer an outside perspective on your progress, and advice for addressing issues with your academic supervisor. If you're unsure who your college advisor is, try contacting your college to ask, or Dave Borthwick in the Mathematics Department.
• Research Group Members: each research group in the Department has a number of specific individuals responsible for supporting their members in different ways. See here for a list of research groups, their member's responsibilities, and how they can help you.
• Departmental Mentor: further information on the Department's mentoring scheme can be found here. The scheme allows every graduate research student to approach a member of the academic staff and ask them to act as a mentor for their career and personal development.
  If you would like a mentor but are unsure how to find/approach one, you can contact Dave Borthwick or the relevant member of your research group.
• Student "Buddy": normally allocated at the start of your course, your student "buddy" will likely be in a similar research area to you, and may have experience with the same sort of issues that you are facing from the perspective of a student, in particular those relating to managing their supervisor.
• Rosie Lee (the Graduate Studies Administrator) & The Academic Administration staff: Rosie Lee is very happy is happy to talk about supervisor issues in confidence with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

• I want to ask about career opportunities but don't want to bother my supervisor. Who else is an appropriate person to talk to about it? Your Departmental Mentor or the Career Development lead in your research group are good choices to approach for questions like these. 
• I have concerns about my academic progress. What should I do? Most of all, you should not suffer in silence. Reach out to someone - your student buddy, your supervisor, your college advisor - for support. In addition, more support resources can be found here.
• I'm not sure who my College Advisor/Student Buddy/Head of Research Group is. Contact Dave Borthwick and he'll put you in contact with the right person.