NIHR Doctoral Awards - the PhD supervisor's view

1. The supervisors view!
Dr Mary Hickson
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

2. What is the role of a PhD
supervisor?
• Steer you through the University processes for doing a
PhD
• Make sure you follow the regulations
• Guide you in doing your research to make sure it is the
right level for a PhD
• Help you with contacts and networking
• Answer your questions and help you identify
appropriate learning
• They don’t: do things for you, tell you what to do,
organise you, take responsibility for the conduct of your
research.

3. CDF
• Academic supervisors for your PhD
• 1 or 2 – think very carefully about more than 2
• Clinical supervisor to support your clinical development
• Don’t need to be in the same institution
• Think about accessibility, what support they will give
you, how much time they have, previous supervisory
experience – you will need at least one with significant
experience.

4. What do collaborators do?
• Assist with specific part of a project that require
specialist knowledge
• They may help arrange training for you in a particular
technique
• Advise you on the best way of doing things in their
specialist field
• Help with contacts and networking
• They will expect to be authors on any papers relating to
the work.

5. NIHR application
• Sell yourself – they want research leaders of the future
– why do you think you can do this?
• Support – your university will need to complete part of
the form – get that process in progress now – don’t
leave it to the end. You may need to write it.
• Project – realistic, feasible, appropriately costs, clear
and specific

6. How you will be judged
• External peer review:
• 1=inadequate; 2=poor; 3=average; 4=good; 5=very
good
• Research proposal
• Applicant
• Training plan
• Recommend for interview and issues for interview

7. Other points
• Money – NHS or University? Think carefully.
• Write your ideas down – you will get better advice
• Allow time for peer review
• Get wide ranging peer review

8. Relying on others
• Agree with them what it is you are
expecting/asking them to do
• Make sure both of you are confident they are
the right person to advise you
• Give them feedback – communicate clearly.
Say if you are unsure.
Do this on an ongoing basis

9. Anxiety
• Don’t try to avoid feeling anxious
Healthy responses to anxiety:
• identify what it is you are anxious about
• remind yourself of your purpose and your values
• keep the needs of the others in mind
• be prepared to admit to uncertainty, involve
others in discussion, and allow an outcome to
emerge

10. Anxiety
Unhealthy responses to anxiety:
• Rushing to a protocol
• Finding something to count or data to look for
• Discovering or remembering a competing
priority