HDR Supervisor of the Month

Associate Professor Chaitanya Sambrani
Research School of Humanities & the Arts
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
 

Chaitanya's supervisory approach:
"The experience of having been an HDR candidate at ANU in the early 2000s has provided my practice as an HDR supervisor with an important sense of perspective. It has remained significant for me to share with my students an understanding of the intellectual delight and opportunity that HDR candidature offers, along with a clear understanding of the challenges for contemporary research practice in the arts and humanities. Treating HDRs as colleagues in training or as tomorrow’s ECRs is an ongoing principle in my supervisory practice.

Undertaking doctoral research is transformative in many ways. While our original contributions play a role in transforming the world, the process of getting there also has a transformative effect on our personal and social selves. It has remained important for me to acknowledge and support doctoral researchers in a holistic perspective, fostering a sense of social participation, engaged citizenship, intellectual collegiality, and encouraging their engagement with;academic communities at and beyond ANU. It is important for me to celebrate the achievements of HDR candidates as they build their unique expertise, distinguishing themselves as independent scholars and original thinkers. Generous mentorship is the most important aspect of supervisory practice for me, challenging and encouraging doctoral candidates to achieve their breakthrough moments while emphasising the cultivation of rigorous discipline and patience required to get there."

Find out more about Chaitanya's work by visiting Chaitanya's profile on the Research Portal webpage.

Professor Mark Krumholz
Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics
ANU College of Science and Medicine
 

Mark's supervisory approach:
"Back when I was a postdoc (longer ago than I’d like to admit), I had a great supervisor, who imparted to me perhaps the greatest bit of wisdom I have heard in academia: “When you look back on you career someday, you’re never going to say ‘You know what, in that situation I wish I had been more of an ass****.'” It’s a remarkably simple observation that I have found is the key to being a good supervisor: be kind, put your students’ interests before you own, treat people with decency, don’t be an ass****. Of course advising is a skill like any other, and you get better at it with practice, and you make mistakes while you’re getting better. But the most important thing isn't skill, it’s having your priorities in the right order."

Find out more about Mark's work by visiting Mark's profile on the Research Portal webpage.