Click on the supervisor name below to find out more about them and their research group.
Just to note:
- These are the supervisors as listed on our ‘projects available‘ webpage under our 3 research areas (i.e. the listed main supervisor for the project).
- Supervisor profiles make reference to their supervisor style. You can view the diagram this makes reference to here.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: Day-to-day training in the fish lab will be provided by the supervisors, postdocs, animal care technicians and potentially other students. For in vivo work on animals, we favour a model in which we share skills and expertise, so that the person with most experience helps others to acquire skills. Animal care technicians usually lead on fish husbandry skills for example. Training in statistics and data skills will be provided by the supervisors (especially Wilson and Postma for quantitative genetics). We will also provide training in scientific writing, giving presentations, and other cores research skills.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 5
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: Main Exeter supervisor has weekly joint discussion meetings (covering behaviour and quantitative genetics) with the local second supervisor. There is also a weekly meeting of all fish lab researchers on the campus. The department has multiple weekly discussion groups and journal clubs led by PhD students and ECRs which help foster a collaborative and supportive intellectual environment in which ECR collaborations across groups are very much encouraged.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Typically flexible working possible, with meetings held within core hours. Animal work in the fish facility needs to be within core hours, evening and weekend work may be required on rare occasions (e.g. to facilitate data collection on a time-sensitive experiment).
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Student will spend time in Bristol to complete the second rotation project. Follow visits to the second supervisor are expected, and meetings of the project team (student plus all supervisors) will be held at regular intervals (e.g every 2 months or more if useful). This will include a mix of live and online meetings.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: I am available for contact by e-mail, phone or Teams every day. My office door is always open and we aim for a team-centric approach to our science in which everyone (myself, postdocs, other students) looks to support each other. Where possible I prefer meetings to be planned in advance to have time to think through how best to help, but this is not essential and not always practicable. I may sometimes contact you by email or Teams outside working hours (on occasions I do work late!) but do not expect a reply when I do so.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will be trained by AH in transposon-specific analyses, alongside additional training via other postgraduates/postdocs in the Exeter Transposon Research Group. Additional training is available via other members of the Penryn Genomics Research Cluster (PenGen), including bioinformatics-facing members of the Bass lab, and the Hammond-Kosack lab at Rothamsted, which includes several expert bioinformaticians. The Hammond-Kosack lab will also provide training in fungal biology, fungicide targets and working with fungi in the laboratory. In addition, the Hammond-Kosack lab will provide the student with training in data fairification and data curation from peer reviewed literature.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 7
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: In addition to the Exeter Transposon Research Group (AH), the PhD student will regularly interact with the large Hammond-Kosack group at Rothamsted, and the large Bass group at Penryn. Furthermore, the student will be encouraged to participate and present at monthly Penryn Genomics Cluster Meetings (PenGen), which involve the Hayward, Bass, Wotton, and ffrench-Constant groups. The student will also be involved with research group activities as part of the Evolution Subject Group at Penryn, which includes 17 research groups with an evolutionary focus, including several host-pathogen facing groups (Recker, Tschirren, Longdon, Bonneaud), and several evolutionary genomics facing groups (Wilson, Postma, ffrench-Constant, Hosken).
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): For bioinformatic work, within core working hours (9-5), or managed flexibly around this. For laboratory work, there may be a necessity to work during standard working hours.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Considerable involvement of the second supervisor (Kim Hammond-Kosack) and their research group is planned. There will be at least a regular bi-monthly joint meeting with the Hammond-Kosack group with more meetings scheduled as necessary. Additionally, the student will spend the second rotation based at Rothamsted, supervised by the Hammond-Kosack group, to learn laboratory and experimental evolution methods, and conduct a series of laboratory trials. Over the course of the three additional years of the studentship, it is anticipated that the student will spend further periods of time at Rothamsted, conducting follow-up laboratory tests, as well as presenting and discussing results. One of the strengths of this project is the substantial expertise in fungal biology, bioinformatics and genomics, provided by the diverse members of the Hammond-Kosack group at Rothamsted, which is anticipated to greatly benefit the student. Consequently, in additional to the wide experience provided by Kim Hammond-Kosack in molecular plant pathology and molecular genetics, a team of experts in her group will provide training in specialist skills, including fungal biology, the Pathogen-Host-Interactions database (PHI-base), genomics, and experimental laboratory techniques, which collectively will provide an integral supervision and training role in the fellowship (i.e. Martin Urban (microbiology, PHI-base, bioinformatics), Dan Smith (experimental evolution, microbiology, bioinformatics), Alayne Cuzick (PHI-base, bioinformatics)).
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): < 1 week
Communication: Available to email every work day. Meetings are generally arranged in advance, but I have an open-door policy for spontaneous updates and discussions with graduate students.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will be trained alongside supervisors/relevant group members to develop required skills. Supervisors are readily available for technical questions.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: Ben Longdon has weekly joint lab meetings with Camille Bonneaud and Xav Harrison's groups, presenting research or discussing papers. Angus Buckling also has weekly lab meetings that the student can also attend. There are twice monthly Microbiology seminars across the University of Exeter Cornwall campus where Postgrads and ECR’s present their work. Weekly internal PhD seminars allow students to present their work to others in the department. Weekly external seminar speakers have a scheduled slot to discuss research with postgrads and postdocs over coffee and cake (organised by Ben Longdon).
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Generally flexible but should main work and meetings with supervisors to be in core hours. Due to the nature of the research, there may be some weekend and evening working but this should be the exception rather than the rule, and we would expect the student to take time off in lieu when this occurs.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Supervision will be carried out jointly by first and second supervisors (this has been highly successful for a previous student). This will entail joint weekly meetings with both first and second supervisors.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available to e-mail whenever suits but generally unlikely to respond outside of core hours. We may contact you outside of working hours if we are working atypical hours but do not expect responses outside working hours. Meetings will need to be arranged in advance. Welcome to drop in for quick chats/questions.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: Training in microbial experimental evolution will be provided by me alongside a post doc also working with peptide antimicrobials. Training in insect genetics and insect expression systems will be provided by Mark Hanson (Wellcome Research Fellow). Training in purification, modification and peptide synthesis will be provided by Louis Luk and supported by his research team.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 5
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: Microbiologists on the Penryn campus have weekly research talks in term time and we routinely share specialist facilities with microbiologists in the Environment and Sustainability Institute. We also share office space with bioinformaticians and molecular biologists in Chris Bass's group. Fly group researchers (Ben London, Mark Hanson) are very close and there are plenty of opportunities to work physically in other labs on campus if required.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): Varies year to year as studentship progresses; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): I generally expect attendance in core hours 10-4 and am happy to encourage flexible working providing there are not clears impacts on productivity and communication. Occasional weekend work will be required for some selection experiments with regular transfers but this should be the exception.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Student will spend second rotation project in second supervisors group and may attend again over course of Phd. We plan on having monthly meeting during early phase of PhD but may reduce to bimonthly as experimental evolution aspects increase in importance.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: General open-door policy, but I encourage meetings in afternoons and pre-arrangement. Main supervisor works in person on campus a minimum of 4 days a week and so is generally on hand except during intensive teaching periods. I do not generally respond to emails at weekends but we run a lab WhatsApp group for emergencies out of hours.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will initially be trained by Dr Kuijper in basic bioinformatics (Linux shell programming, sequencing QC, mapping and alignment) and modelling (agent-based simulations, continuous-time models of eco-evolutionary systems). Dr Kuijper regularly organises training sessions to PhD students on programming and mathematical modelling and the student is encouraged to take part in this. The student will be trained by Prof Bass and his postdocs on lab techniques and working with aphids. This training will happen by running collaborative pilot experiments in which the student will get experience with handling aphids and setting up experiments. Kuijper, Bass and Whitehall, Clark will train the student on more advanced bioinformatics skills (metagenomics) during monthly sessions in the second year. The student will meet with the main supervisor on a weekly basis to discuss progress and challenges. Moreover, the student will interact on a monthly basis with David Withall, Ian Clark and Tim Mauchline via online meetings.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 5
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: The biweekly lab meeting of Kuijper’s research group is shared with that of Dr Barbara Tschirren, whose members work on stress responses and endocrinology – in part also using insect model systems. Moreover, the student is strongly encouraged to join some of the group meetings of Prof. Angus Buckling, who works on bacterial community ecology in evolutionary contexts at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): While flexible working schedules are at the heart of our working practices, students are advised to be present within core hours so that if any problems arise, colleagues in our labs can rapidly help out. When lab experiments are running there may have to be some weekend and evening working. However, we then ensure that the student can be off on weekdays for the necessary recharging.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The second supervisor and the student will meet once every month to discuss progress regarding bioinformatics and lab experiments. Moreover, while the student is running experiments in aphids, the student will join the lab meetings of Prof. Bass’ laboratory to discuss emerging problems and to learn from shared experience of all lab members.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: We pride ourselves on having an open-door policy so that students can ask for help during core hours whenever they need it. Beyond that, students can contact us through e-mail. Our email policy is that both the student and supervisors respond within two working days, but typically we reply within a few hours on working days. We do not expect responses outside working hours, although we may occasionally respond ourselves outside working hours. For the benefit of both the student and the supervisors meetings are scheduled well in advance (e.g., at the end of the previous meeting), but as per our open-door policy, we are always available to meet on an ad-hoc basis.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will initially be trained by Dr Padfield alongside postdocs who have expert knowledge in experimental techniques. Day-to-day lab support will be provided by Dr Padfield, Dr Leonard, and the wider lab group of Professor Buckling. We have a WhatsApp group to allow quick answers to small questions. Statistical and bioinformatics training and help will be provided by Dr Padfield and Dr Feil, and mathematical modelling support will be provided by Dr Padfield, Dr Feil, and Dr Kuijper.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 8
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: The wider Buckling lab – encompassing the groups of Dr Daniel Padfield, Professor Buckling, and Dr Elze Hesse, meet weekly to discuss lab issues, current work, and promote collaboration between groups, especially between PhD students and ECRs. There is also a weekly meeting of the groups of Dr Aimee Murray, Dr Anne Leonard, Dr Mick Vos, and Professor Will Gaze, that specialise in One Health approaches to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance. There are ample opportunities to engage with PhD students and ECRs across the wider Centre of Ecology and Conservation (CEC). There are weekly PhD seminars when students present their work to the wider department, and a fortnightly Microbiology-specific seminar series to showcase the wide variety of microbial work that goes on at the campus.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): We expect the student to treat the PhD like a job, working around 37.5 hours a week. If the student treats it like this then they will be very successful. There may be times during experimental work when weekend work and longer shifts are needed, and we would encourage the student to take extra time off during other times if this happens. A healthy work-life balance is essential to having a sustainable and happy PhD experience and longer-term research career.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: We will have joint weekly meetings with the student and the main and second supervisor. This has proved successful in a previous collaboration between the main supervisor when he was a postdoc and supervising a third-year undergraduate research project.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: I will always be available on email and Microsoft Teams. I will be on campus approximately 70% of the time available for in-person meetings, help, and training. Caring responsibilities mean I have to self-isolate every few weeks so will only be available for virtual meetings at these times and when caring for my partner. However, the student will be embedded within the second supervisor’s lab group, and when I am away there will be other PhD students, postdocs, fellows, and the second supervisor available for in-person advice and help.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: For lab projects (e.g. growth chamber infection assays, mycotoxin assays) the relevant supervisor (Dr Eyles, Dr Brown) will oversee training, with additional support provided by a post-doctoral researcher in the Eyles lab. Training in data science and mathematical modelling will be overseen by Prof Bebber. Supervision meetings will normally take place weekly or fortnightly, as required.
Supervision style: Directive support: C / Training structure: 7
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: The University of Exeter has a strong plant pathology and mycology (including medical mycology) community. Exeter also has a very strong data science community (including the Met Office Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence). There are numerous opportunities (seminars, informal meetings) to meet and exchange ideas with these groups.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): We expect students to work within core hours (10-4) but with considerable flexibility. Some elements will require working over weekends, for example to manage in planta infection assays. Data science and modelling elements are more flexible.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: We will schedule fortnightly meetings with the whole supervisory team. Work on mycotoxin assays will take place at Bath University under the supervision of Dr Brown.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 3-4 weeks
Communication: I am available to email every day and you can expect a reply within 24 hours.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will initially be trained by me and the second supervisor. Day-to-day support will be provided by me, the second supervisor, the other co-supervisors, our postdoc and the four other PhD students in the group. I meet one-on-one with everyone in my group at least once per week to ensure suitable support is provided.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: My group’s PhD students interact with several other groups including those of Austin Smith and Ge Guo (on embryogenesis), Alex Brand (on calcium in fungi) and Mike Deeks (on plant-fungi interaction). You will also have substantial interaction with the second supervisor’s group, including attending weekly group meetings.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): During core hours (10am-4pm).
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: You will be fully part of both my group and that of the second supervisor. This will involve attending weekly group meetings of both groups and bi-weekly meetings between the three of us and the other two supervisors.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): < 1 week
Communication: I am available almost every day and can normally find time to meet with any member of my group at short notice. I operate an open-door policy and, in addition to scheduled meetings, I am always happy to have ad-hoc meetings as the need arises.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will be initially be trainined by senior postdoctoral researchers and PhD students in the lab. Further day-to-day experimental support will be provided by the group (both PhDs and postdocs) and the mainsupervisor. Your main points of contact will be the main supervisor and the senior postdocs Dr Srikanth Pedireddy.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: LSI (Exeter) seminar series attended by all members of the Living Systems Institute Presentation by the LSI PhD Programme and workshops, PhD day at LSI/Vollmer lab we have monthly 'brain feed' meetings that discusses broad research topics.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): The lab works on standard core hours, self-selected between 8am and 7pm, and at least covering 10am-4pm to maximise interactions with the rest of the group and main supervisor.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Second supervisor will be present at biweekly update meetings which can be scheduled via zoom student to spend some time during PhD in second supervisor research group to develop protein engineering part of project.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): < 1 week
Communication: Available to contact by email or group WhatsApp channel every day. I may contact you outside of working hours but do notexpect responses outside working hours. I also operate an open door policy and my office is co-located in the same LSI building as the wet lab and co-supervisor office and labs of Nic Harmer.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The new student will initially work alongside the main supervisor and a senior postdoc fellow. The postdoc will be the main point of contact on a daily basis. Senior lab technicians will provide lab technique support including tissue culture, and micromanipulation. Other key technique skills including bioengineering, high-resolution imaging and data analysis will be supported by co-supervisors and collaborators when needed.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 4
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: We have a joint monthly lab meeting and journal club with Austin Smith lab.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): Varies year to year as studentship progresses; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): The student is expected to work at least within core hours. Due to the nature of the research there may be some weekend and evening working needed.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The student will do a rotation project in the second supervisor's lab to learn to faboricate and apply microfluidic systems. The second supervisor will also guide on design and application of the microfluidic platform along the project. The student will also meet both supervisors every three months.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available to email every day. Welcome to drop in if my door is open.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will initially be trained by me alongside our local research assistant. Further day-to-day training will be provided by all members of the lab (experienced PhD students, Research Assistants and PI).
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 8
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: We are having a joint plant science meeting every week at Exeter. The student will be able to visit and meet all other groups of the supervisory team and establish a network across Universities in Cardiff and Exeter. Furthermore, the student will engage with the PhD students of the primary supervisor at the University of Bath.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Working pattern will be flexibly adjusted to the needs of the student and the experimental setup. Due to the nature of the research, there may be some weekend and evening working.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The student will spend at least 3 months in the second supervisor's lab. In addition, the student will meet the second supervisor at least 1x month virtually.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 3-4 weeks
Communication: Students can communicate with supervisory team at all times during working hours. This can be via email and in person. Meetings can be scheduled in advance and start ad hoc.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: As a research fellow, the main supervisor still works a large proportion of the time in the lab. You will initially be trained by me but will also have support from our experienced postdocs who will work along side you on the project, so you will be fully integrated as part of the team but will have your own very distinct project.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 4
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: We have a close collaboration with Michael Schrader's research group who share our lab space, with occasional joint meetings We have a roughly twice yearly online meeting with two groups working on a similar area in Mannheim Germany (Exeter-Mannheim Forum). They have different model systems (e.g. knockout mice) and there is opportunity to visit Mannheim for future work.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): At least within core hours (10-4) and other time to be managed around this. Due to the nature of the research, there may be some weekend and evening working.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project:The second supervisor has specific expertise on one aspect of the project, so when the work focuses on this aspect (e.g. cell cycle) then they would be more heavily involved and would meet the student on a more regular basis and the student may spend some time in their lab for specific approaches.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available to e-mail every day and usually available during working hours to respond to short messages on MS Teams. I will also be physically there in the lab much of the time, or in my office which is 10 seconds walk away and I operate an open door policy, you can talk to me at any time. At the same time I want the student to develop as an independent researcher after a period of initial training, so don't want to stifle or micro-manage. I would only require the student to discuss data at weekly/fortnightly meetings and would not be checking up on them every day.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will be trained by JJ Phillips (PI), Monika Kish (RA) and Simona Frustaci (PDRA) in the lab. The Phillips group are all highly supportive and have a culture of cross-training and supporting each other in lab and computational skills. Everyone in the Phillips, Goodfellow and Parmeggiani groups programs in at least one language and can support you on a daily basis.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: Dr Phillips and Prof. Goodfellow's groups are based in the Living Systems Institute, which has large open shared lab space and 30 person shared offices that ensures frequent interaction with a wide variety of research colleagues. The Phillips group have joint meetings every month with Prof. Chahwan's group (Univ. Zurich). There is the opportunity to be based in Zurich for cross training purposes (e.g. generation of base editing enzyme mutants; learning realtime nuclease assay).
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Ideally with a significant presence during core hours early in the PhD in order to build relationships with colleagues and to enable training. As the student becomes more self-sufficient, flexibility can be greater whilst still ensuring research progress much more easily. Ultimately, flexibility can always be accommodated where needed and it is delivery of excellent research that is the priority.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: Meeting between all three supervisors will happen every three months throughout the project. More frequent meetings will be planned at the start of the PhD project to ensure the relationships are made and strengthened and to enable the project strategy to be more dynamic with input from all supervisors and the student.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: We have a group Slack channel which is extremely active and Dr Phillips is highly responsive. It is also a great way for all of us in the group to support each other and be less dependent on the supervisor directly. This cuts down the need for email within the group except for more formal communications (e.g. including external people; placing purchase orders), but email is also a reliable mode of communication. Dr Phillips is physically in the university most days – typically four days per week – and has an open-door policy for the research group to drop by. We also frequently eat lunch or go out after work all together, but we don't usually talk about work then.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The Main supervisor is still highly active in the laboratory and, in addition to other postdoctoral and technical staff, and post graduate students present within the wider research group, will offer a high degree of practical and technical supervision on a day to day basis. This project encompasses a very wide range of cutting-edge technologies (e.g. transgenic animal use, in vivo functional brain imaging, (semi)-automated behavioural assessment, (bio) chemical analyses etc.) and provides exceptional training opportunities for the successful student. These broad ranging interdisciplinary skills are surprisingly rare and are much sought after and will therefore enhance the future employment potential of the student greatly. The team of Winter/Tyler at Exeter is very well resourced and this will ensure the student will get access to some of the very best equipment, expertise and technical support for their project.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a month
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: There are close links between several zebrafish-focussed research groups at Exeter outside of the supervisors here (e.g. Kudoh, Scholpp, Ryu, Yang) meaning the opportunities to attend and present at other lab groups meetings is high, and actively encouraged. In addition there is an annual post graduate student conference in Bioscience where all PGRs present their work to the wider network of students at Exeter. This and frequent departmental and research group meetings allow ample opportunities for the student to hone their presentation skills, and networking capabilities.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): Varies year to year as studentship progresses; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Flexible working and personal time management is encouraged. Due to the nature of the research (using animals), there may be some weekend and evening working required.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project:The second supervisor (Dr. Nikolaou) will support the PhD project by meeting with the entire supervisory team and PhD student every two months to discuss the progress of the project. Moreover, the second supervisor will host the PhD student in their research group to learn advanced structural and functional imaging techniques, behavioural assays, and analysis of high-content data routinely performed in the lab. In addition, the second local supervisor (Prof Tyler) has supervised over 80 PhD/MPhil students to completion that have gone into careers including in regulation, industry and academia (incl. as full professors) and dedicates much of his time in the support of ECRs. He will promote this PhD project through his extensive international links with academics experts and industry partners to support maximum outreach for the student and meaningful impact of their work. His lab is very well resourced and he will make available to the student all the required equipment, technical support and wider expertise held within his team to support their project. Prof Tyler operates an open door policy for his PhD students but will meet with this student minimally twice every month. The student will also attend monthly Tyler group lab meetings integrating them into a wide supportive network of researchers studying the zebrafish as their experimental model (incl. in neurobiology). In addition to the provision of his knowledge for the work proposed, Prof Tyler will play a supporting role in mentoring the student in the basics of good science – experimental planning, in-life studies, animal welfare, time management, scientific writing and communication. He will also be on hand throughout the life of this PhD project (and beyond) to support in their career development.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available via email, teams or in person at all times. Both Dr Winter and the second local supervisor Prof. Tyler operate an open door policy.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: Training and support will be provided in weekly one-to-one project meetings, group meetings and training from the PI and other lab members.
Supervision style: Directive support: E / Training structure: 6
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: We have a weekly meeting that includes all of the Mezzanine researchers (encompassing the research groups of the primary and secondary supervisor, Helen Fones, Vinod Kumar and Hans-Wilhelm Nuetzmann). There could be opportunities to work with these research teams, as well as collaborators within the Living Systems Building.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): A typical working pattern would be expected to include core business hours (i.e. 9.30 -16.30). Due to the nature of the research, there may be some occasional weekend and evening working.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The second supervisor will attend the weekly project meetings and will (along with their research group) provide training in biochemical analysis techniques
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: I am available to talk to via e-mail / Teams every day and my office is situated opposite the research lab for ad-hoc meetings in addition to weekly supervisory meetings. I may contact you by email outside of working hours but I do not expect responses outside of working hours.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: You will work closely with the supervisors and their reserch groups, receive training with them personally and other members of the group and dedicated technicians. This includes further day-to-day experimental support that will be planned and shared depending on tasks, collaborative involvement of other students and staff. Both supervisor labs are supported by dedicated and experienced technicians who in addition to postdocs who will be also a main point of contact on a daily basis. In addition to scheduled regular meetings with both supervisors, we are also committed to supporting you through demanding points in the project, during which we will discuss with you the best ways of keeping in close contact.
Supervision style: Directive support: C / Training structure: 3
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: We have frequent and regular contact and joint meetings across the year with the Bristol groups and collaborator's group in Exeter Physics/Engineering, in person and online. We also use shared online work platforms and chat spaces (Slack). There is opportunity to be physically based in their lab when undertaking aspects of your PhD aligned with their research area, for example developing materials and setups for experimental or physiological work, undertaking measurements using their facilities and equipment, testing ideas.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): At least within core hours (10-4) and other time to be managed around this. Due to the nature of the research (seasonally-dependent data collection, experimental conditions, bee availability), there may be some weekend and evening working. Some not-extensive rota work shared with other members of the research group/technical services for bee maintenance.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: We will schedule regular meetings with both supervisors every 2 months, during intensive periods of work additional meetings might happen. We will assess this with the student on a regular basis. Student will spend time during the PhD with the second supervisor's group.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available to e-mail every working day but not all weekends/evenings. I have odd working hours but there will be members of the team you can copy in and/or e-mail individually, depending on urgency/nature of enquiry. I may contact you outside of working hours but I do not expect responses outside working hours. Meetings will need to be arranged in advance. Welcome to drop in if urgent but, considering that I share my office with another member of academic staff, I'd encourage a meeting to be arranged first (even if for later that day).
How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will receive primary training by the main supervisor on an ongoing basis, supplemented by discipline-specific training provided by the entire supervisory team and collaborators.
Supervision style: Directive support: C / Training structure: 3
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a fortnight
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: In Cardiff, the student will have opportunity to interact with collaborator Eshwar Mahenthiralingam's group with whom the Berger group closely works . In Exeter, the student will be integrated into the Bacterial Pathogenicity Research Group, which includes 6 research groups and the Citizen Phage Library in a shared lab space and holds weekly meetings and research presentations. They will also interact with collaborator Fabrizio Costa's research group in Exeter's Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and will be encouraged to attend regular IDSAI seminars and discussions (e.g. Theory Crunch). Finally, Chait is an affiliate of the Living Systems Institute which supports regular seminars and social events, and maintains collaborations within the LSI. The student will be encouraged to engage with researchers from this multidisciplinary community.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): While flexible, the expectation is for the student to broadly follow core hours (in-person where possible) and to attend all group meetings. Due to the nature of research, there may be evening and weekend working.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The student will spend a minimum of 3 months doing a rotation with the second supervisors group. Both supervisors will meet every 2 months.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Students are welcome to drop by in-person, email, or message at any time, but I encourage scheduling meetings for more detailed conversations.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will be initially be trained by me together with postdocs in the laboratory for experimental skills. Further day-to day experimental support will be provided by the postdocs in the lab and me as main point of contact on a daily basis.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 7
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: There are number of labs using zebrafish as model organism in the University of Exeter with whom we have frequent interaction. Living Systems Institute where the student will be based has an open lab structure where there is no barrier among different labs housed within the same floor. It also has a large open area for interaction with members of other labs.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once a fortnight; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): At least within core hours and other time to be managed around this.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The student and 2nd/3rd supervisors will meet at least once per month (together with 1st supervisor). The students will spend some time in the lab of Supervisors 2/3 for Rotation project 2 and for aspects of modelling/Ca2+ imaging.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: The student is welcome to drop in at my office anytime, but is encouraged to arrange a meeting time first for a longer discussion. I am available to e-mail every day.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The successful applicant will be initially closely trained by TB and BT in a shared lab that hosts the “Bacterial Pathogenesis” group. For all day-to-day support there are two technicians that oversee operation of the lab. Furthermore, both TB and BT will serve as major point of contact on daily basis as both are doing wet-lab work related to the studentship project. The lab also hosts 2 PhD students, 2 Postdocs, and a technician that are specifically involved in phage work.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 8
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: TB and BT are embedded within the “Bacterial Pathogenesis” group that encompasses the groups of 6 PIs (TB, BT, Remy Chait, Steve Michell, Steve Porter, Alan Brown) in a shared lab and undergrad/grad student office in which the PhD student will be located in. The Group has weekly group meetings in which all group members present their work regularly. There is further opportunity to interact with the groups of Stefano Pagliara and Vicki Gold (Living Systems institute) that closely collaborate with members of the ”Bacterial Pathogenesis” group, and Prof. Edze Westra (Penryn Campus) who shares a PostDoc with BT.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; Mixture of virtual/in person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Work will be done in core hours only.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The second supervisor will have regular, initially weekly meetings, and from year 2 on monthly meetings. We anticipate lab visits and exchnage to happen at least every 6 months. The first rotation will be in the 2nd supervisors research lab.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: I operate an “Open Door” policy and welcome meetings without prior arrangement. I’m also available via Email every day, although I strongly encourage all my students and co-workers to limit their Email communication to core hours and weekdays only.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will be given training in all necessary laboratory techniques by the Main and Second supervisors. We will provide ongoing support for day-to-day experiments, while you develop yourself as an independent researcher. Support is available from postdoctoral researchers and PhD students within the supervisory group. Th student will have easy access to both supervisors for discussions as well as help with experimental design and implementation.
Supervision style: Directive support: B / Training structure: 4
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: Your physical lab work will be based in both main and second supervisor's lab, and you will have the opportunity to join both group's regular lab meetings. Apart from Prof Holderied, all co-supervisors are based on the Exeter Streatham campus within minutes of walking, making frequent in-person interaction easy.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): Core hours (10-4) and additional time to be flexibly arranged, but may be determined by experimental schedule. There might be a small amount of rota work such as plant care or lab maintenance. We aim to keep weekend and evening work to a minimum but it might occasionally be necessary.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: The second supervisor is crucially involved in the investigation of the physiological implications of hail impacts. The majority of this work will take place in Dr Deeks' lab. Both supervisors will tightly collaborate and will hold regular (at least fortnightly) joint meetings with the student.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Available to email on work days and usually responding on the same day. Working on campus at least 50% of the week. Team members will also be available in person and via email for support. Welcome to drop in for short questions, but longer meetings need to be arranged in advance.
Research Group website >>How day-to-day research training and support is provided: The student will be given training in all necessary laboratory techniques by the Main and Second supervisors. We will provide ongoing support for day-to-day experiments, while you develop yourself as an independent researcher. Support is available from postdoctoral researchers and PhD students within the supervisory group. Th student will have easy access to both supervisors for discussions as well as help with experimental design and implementation.
Supervision style: Directive support: A / Training structure: 7
How often PhD students see you in a timetabled group meeting: At least once a week
Other research groups that PhD students will have the opportunity to frequently interact with: The student will join a dynamic group of researchers across 5-6 research groups who they will closely interact with. These research groups have very broad expertise in plant and microbial sciences. Project within the immediate research community includes molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, plant physiology, host-microbe interactions, epigenetics, biochemistry techniques. There are regular (weekly) lab meetings of all research groups on the floor.
How often you meet with your PhD students 1-1 formally outside of group meetings (i.e. meetings of >30 minutes): At least once per week; In person.
Expected working pattern (based on a full-time student): The project can be conducted during the core hours and provides ample flexibility. Due to the nature of the experiments that may involve sample collection at specific times, there may be very exceptional cases when work may extend to evenings and weekends depending on experiments. At all cases there will be ample support available. The student will have abundant opportunities to shape the project according to their interest. While the project can be efficiently managed during core work hours, we will provide ample support should the student wishes to go beyond.
How the second supervisor supports the PhD project: This is a collaborative project built on the expertise and longstanding interests of both the main and second supervisors. The second supervisor will be actively involved in the research, and will provide expert advice and support on experiments around plant physiology and metabolite analyses. In addition, the second supervisor will attend meetings.
Notice needed for feedback on work (based on a 5000 word report): 1-2 weeks
Communication: Supervisors are normally available in person and keep an open door policy. In addition, they are available to answer emails everyday. Meetings organised by the supervisors will be arranged well in advance. The student can request additional meetings is so required through email or in person.