What are the main skills you want your supervisors to have? Then I mean both the main supervisor and co-supervisors?



1. Good communication skills?

2. Has written a number of peer-reviewed articles (is this necessary for co-supervisors also?)?

3. Experience in supervising PhD students?

4. Interested in the subject?



Etc....



Do you think it's a great disadvantage if your co-supervisors have little experience in being first authors of peer-reviewed articles and have not been supervisors of a PhD student before?

My supervisor has had 4 or more PhD students so far and I think its great. According to her other current PhD student, who is about to hand in, she has completely changed her tactics with me, as she has learnt from supervising the others. E.g. she has got me writing for publication first, rather than thesis chapters. She is also fantastic in terms of my career, she is always pulling me in for career chats about how to become an academic and what I need to do. So I think experience in supervising is very important.

In terms of the other aspects, I think good communication skills are hard to judge - although if they seem enthusiastic about you and your project that's great. I think peer-reviewed articles are almost a must, as you should have a few of these in a few years time yourself, so you need someone with more experience.

Interest in the subject, funnily enough, I would say is the least important. For me my sup has to guide me, suggesting what would make a suitable thesis - I don't need her to know the ins and outs of everything in my subject (that's my job) she just guides my direction - and she does that from the info I give her about the subject.