Hi everybody, I am new to this forum.

I am something over half way through a part time PhD and it seems to be taking forever.

I was very fortunate when I started in being able to chose a supervisor who had only just joined the University and had the ideal background for my research.

However things have changed, the University department is really going downhill with the economy, and I know my supervisor is looking for a position elsewhere. There is also the problem that she is supervising a greater number of students than when I started and so is less accessible as a result. I am worried in that being ready to "jump ship" that she seems to have lost enthusiasm. My second supervisor, to whom I would transfer, does not have the same background at all, indeed no-one else in the department does have, to understand some of the concepts I am using in my research since it is drawing on other fields.

I am wondering what the experiences are of people who have lost a supervisor, half way through or late in the progress of a PhD.

If you are comfortable in your knowledge of your area is it possible to finish your dissertation without this current supervisor? Alternatively, can you follow your supervisor to his/her new institution? Even if you are off-campus this may be a way to keep her on your team. Also, is your supervisor the type of person who would be willing to continue contact on a casual 'needs-be' basis so that if you are really stuck there is someone you can email/call?

At this stage it sounds like this may or may not happen but it is good to start considering alternatives so that the interruption to your studies is minimised. I am sure that when the time comes your supervisor will be willing to talk to you about alternatives & can probably offer ideas/advice I haven't thought of as well.

Good luck.

Sounds like you have your mind made up. You could either follow your supervisor or transfer your research elsewhere by finding alternative supervision. This means stepping out of your comfort zone and may cost more but you will not regret this in the long run.

My sueprvisor left last year, and the whole of this year has been a really difficult time. They said they would be available, but other things have intervened leaving me with no proper supervisor for the whole year, and what is more all the 'systems' supposed to be in place to prevent this kind of thing happening failed misrably to highlight this. Result is that I am way behind, and although I now have a new supervisor, (I have had FIVE first supervisors so far and two directors of study) they have rubbished all the things that the old supervisor thought were good, so in reality I am back to square one. My thoughts therefore are:
don't expect that your old supervisor will be able to help you as much as you may want as they will have other things to do
make sure that a new set of supervisors are in place ready to go
prepare for the new people to want changes
if things are not as you want, complain early, don't think that next week all will be sorted. i did this and they just let things slide until I finally lost patience with them.