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Three professors shortlisted for Times Higher Education’s Research Supervisor of the Year award discuss their approach to mentoring, says Jack Grove, covers research and science policy for Times Higher Education, as well as on issues relating to PhD, postdoctoral and early career researchers.
As a mother of seven, Tara Moore has a certain affinity with some of the PhD students she mentors, especially those feeling the strain of combining their studies and other commitments.
“They are sometimes reluctant to admit that they are struggling to do a PhD and look after two children, but I am always happy to talk – even if it is to acknowledge that these things can be difficult,” said Professor Moore, director of the Biomedical Research Institute at Ulster University, who was named Research Supervisor of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards last month.
As well as Professor Moore, we spoke to several of the outstanding supervisors shortlisted about how they support doctoral students in achieving their potential...
For him, publishing a journal paper during the PhD journey is important not just because “publications are the currency of science” but because “students have to learn to write and organise what has been done, so if they can publish before their thesis, that is a godsend”.
With many PhD students – including his own – locked out of labs or facing other disruptions related to the pandemic, it has been a tough year for students and mentors alike. “I’ve had to meet students on park benches when the lab has been shut,” he said.
Source: Times Higher Education (THE)
