Supervisor role information

Information about being a supervisor.

Supervisor roles and responsibilities

PGR supervisors should be the primary source of advice for PGR students.  For a specific list of the supervisors role and responsibilities, please refer to the Code of Practice for Research Students and Supervisors. In summary, the Principal Supervisor, sometimes referred to as Lead Supervisor in a CoSupervisory team, has the main responsibility for supervision arrangements and guidance for the student throughout their programme of study. This includes taking overall responsibility for:

  • The administrative aspects of supervision, for example submitting requests for leave of absence or interruption of studies and ensuring minimum contact requirements are met.
  • Ensuring appropriate approval for any co-supervision arrangements is obtained from College.
  • Ensuring the student’s progress is reviewed for each year of study.
  • Providing advice on pastoral support as well as academic matters.
  • Ensuring the student’s intellectual property is respected.
  • Leading on initial and ongoing discussions with the supervisory team to negotiate and agree on roles and responsibilities for each team member.
  • Ensuring the student is aware of the responsibilities of individual supervisory team members.
  • Communication within the supervisory team

Resolving problems

Most supervisors are very experienced and can advise on strategies for dealing with the kinds of problems that arise in the course of research. The student-supervisor relationship requires a degree of patience on both sides, but sometimes the relationship begins to break down, and in such cases it can be helpful to seek outside advice or support. 

Please refer to the IGS Student Support and/or Resolving Problems webpages for more detailed information of where students and supervisors can go for advice and guidance. 

 

UPDATED 11/FEB/2021