Nancy was a PhD student in Biology, and despite all her friend’s advice, she joined the lab of Dr.Burns. (Names have been changed for privacy) The reason all her friends discouraged Nancy from working for Dr. Burns, was that none of the students in her lab ever got their PhDs. Dr. Burns was so critical, that […]
supervisor
Are Two Thesis Supervisors Double the Fun?
Twice the Expertise and Three Times the Meetings… Alison was nearly ecstatic when she got accepted into graduate school. Unlike the other students in her cohort, who did rotations to determine which PI they would work for, Alison already had a well-defined thesis topic before she began her first year. Alison had a unique academic background […]
What Can You Do If You Are Stuck with a Narcissistic Thesis Supervisor?
Click here to get on the waiting list for the online “Finish Your Thesis Program” and get a copy of my free book “Finish Your Thesis Faster” Does Your Boss Try To Put You Down All the Time? Do you know that friend (or thesis supervisor) who always wants to be the center of every conversation, […]
Do You Ever Feel Ignored by Your Supervisor?
I recently received a question through http://www.benchfly.com from a graduate student who was desperate because he felt ignored by his PI (PI= principal investigator, another word for advisor). His advisor never spoke to him and acted like he was not there. As a senior student, he was upset because he needed his advisor’s support to […]
Are You Being Bullied by Your Supervisor?
A reader from Benchfly.com sent me a curious question: “Is it possible to get bullied by your advisor?” The answer is, unfortunately, yes. There are advisors who make the lives of their graduate students very difficult, through poor management or harsh words. Although your PI is your boss, it does not mean that you have […]
How Supportive is Your PI?
Many of us have heard that we need to find a PI (principal investigator or supervisor) we get along with, because that is the person we will be working with during the next 4-6 (or more) years. It turns out, that there is nearly a 100% correlation between one’s enjoyment of the graduate school experience […]