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Most of the time the professors spend 0 time specifically on a student (PhDs excluded) as postdocs/PhD students mark coursework and even (in some institutions)

Most of the time the professors spend 0 time specifically on a student (PhDs excluded) as postdocs/PhD students mark coursework and even (in some institutions) exams

almostgotcaught 2y ago
> PhDs excluded lol you think professors spend time on their phd students? they have postdocs for that... edit: a typical research lab functions exactly like any other organization in the world: hierarchically. a chief executive/leadership role/head (the prof), his/her direct reports (post docs), their direct reports (phd students), and their direct reports (undergrads). if a phd student is being directly advised by the prof that's simply because the prof currently has no postdocs not because they don't desire some.
- anticensor 2y ago
  For legal reasons, the thesis supervisor has to be a professor in most unis (a non supervising advisor can be anyone with a doctorate, though), not just a random postdoc fellow.
  - almostgotcaught 2y ago
    > For legal reasons, the thesis supervisor has to be a professor in most unis you're wrong - eg in my uni (a "top tier" uni) thesis advisor could be a RAP (research associate professor) which was not a full nor tenure track prof and thus not much more than a postdoc.
- dotnet00 2y ago
  Might be different for other universities, but in my department, as well as all the PhD's I've known in other well known universities, there is no such hierarchy, they all worked directly with their professors. Mine doesn't even have many postdocs (if any) as far as I'm aware. Similarly, while sometimes promising PhDs might be assigned to handle undergrad researchers, most of us worked directly with the professors back then.
- cherryteastain 2y ago
  I have a PhD and my supervisor (who was a professor) spent some time on me
kwhitefoot 2y ago
In the US.
jrpt 2y ago
In my experience as a Stanford alum, this is not true. The professors interact with undergrad students all the time.

Most of the time the professors spend 0 time specifically on a student (PhDs excluded) as postdocs/PhD students mark coursework and even (in some institutions) exams

almostgotcaught 2y ago

> PhDs excluded lol you think professors spend time on their phd students? they have postdocs for that... edit: a typical research lab functions exactly like any other organization in the world: hierarchically. a chief executive/leadership role/head (the prof), his/her direct reports (post docs), their direct reports (phd students), and their direct reports (undergrads). if a phd student is being directly advised by the prof that's simply because the prof currently has no postdocs not because they don't desire some.

anticensor 2y ago
For legal reasons, the thesis supervisor has to be a professor in most unis (a non supervising advisor can be anyone with a doctorate, though), not just a random postdoc fellow.
- almostgotcaught 2y ago
  > For legal reasons, the thesis supervisor has to be a professor in most unis you're wrong - eg in my uni (a "top tier" uni) thesis advisor could be a RAP (research associate professor) which was not a full nor tenure track prof and thus not much more than a postdoc.
dotnet00 2y ago
Might be different for other universities, but in my department, as well as all the PhD's I've known in other well known universities, there is no such hierarchy, they all worked directly with their professors. Mine doesn't even have many postdocs (if any) as far as I'm aware. Similarly, while sometimes promising PhDs might be assigned to handle undergrad researchers, most of us worked directly with the professors back then.
cherryteastain 2y ago
I have a PhD and my supervisor (who was a professor) spent some time on me

kwhitefoot 2y ago

In the US.

jrpt 2y ago

In my experience as a Stanford alum, this is not true. The professors interact with undergrad students all the time.