Background on Advisor-Trainee Relationships: Expectations and Responsibilities
At universities, the expectations and responsibilities associated with the advisor-trainee relationship are part of the academic culture; and education, learning, and professional development are central features of the relationship. The important fact about an academic institution is that education of the trainee is, and should be, the primary goal. This is true for both the graduate student and the post-doctoral fellow, although the post-doc begins with more experience, is more intellectually independent, and usually is more concerned with career advancement. Because the advisor-trainee relationship is shaped by academic culture rather than, for instance, federal regulations, there are seldom any external policies or rules that dictate the nature of the relationship, with the notable exception of harassment protections. Instead there are, at most, guidelines, best practices, procedures, and/or recommendations.
When dealing with trainees and their advisors, it is very important to be aware of the dependence involved in this relationship. Trainees, particularly graduate students, depend on their research advisor to guide their work from idea through data collection and analysis to writing and publication. The advisor is also an important factor in the trainee's long-term career path. Advisors introduce their trainees to the norms and people in their professions, and play critical roles in the trainees' next career step: possibly by finding the position, but definitely by writing the most important letter of recommendation. In fact, letters of recommendation from the advisor may be part of the trainee's career advancement for many years to come, particularly if the trainee stays in academia.
In the physical and natural sciences, the dependence of trainees on their advisors is particularly acute. The trainees' research projects are usually part of a larger research program pursued by the laboratory directed by the advisor and funded by external sponsors. The trainees are part of a research team, and are supported to pursue their projects with funds from the external sources. Thus, they are dependent on the advisor both intellectually and financially, for their dissertation project and for their tuition and stipend. In turn, the advisors of these laboratories depend on their trainees for progress on their funded projects; for results that will affect publications, future grants, and their professional reputations. Unlike some of the social sciences and humanities where an advisor and trainee might consult monthly, trainees and their advisors in these laboratories frequently interact several times a day.
Regardless of the discipline, the advisor-trainee relationship is a critical one-on-one relationship. For graduate students, because their education and professional development are the principle goals of this relationship, the interaction between student and faculty member should consist of more than just advice on possible courses to take and periodic checks on dissertation progress. The relationship should involve frequent discussions, address the many aspects of the student's professional development, and be more personal, changing over time as the student matures. It is hoped that the relationship will develop into a true mentoring experience, but the realities of people's skills and personalities do not always make this possible. In response, some institutions make it clear that graduate students are encouraged to seek out mentors beyond their research advisor, and that having multiple mentors is not unusual.
Many institutions have taken steps to support the advisor-trainee relationship, in order to both insure that graduate students have reasonable expectations of their research advisors, and that advisors and students understand their responsibilities. For instance, universities, schools, and departments may have documents that explain how the graduate program is structured, what the students are expected to accomplish, and the responsibilities of the students, advisors, and the university/school/department. Graduate students and faculty should be familiar with these and refer to them as needed.
It might be a good idea for department administrators to find out if their department and/or school has such a document, and if so, where it can be found so that they can refer people to it. A collection of links to materials concerning the expectations and rules for a number of graduate programs can be found in the Bibliography.
Most graduate programs have several mechanisms to insure that students are not solely dependent on their advisors for assistance. Due to the inequality that is part of the advisor-trainee relationship, abuse of the advisor's power can occur either through neglect, or by exploitation the student. Because of this, a graduate student needs others, particularly faculty, who can help if problems develop. Graduate programs usually have a faculty member who serves as graduate program director and coordinates the interactions of the students with the institution and faculty. Graduate students also usually have a dissertation committee of several faculty members, including their research advisor, who guide and evaluate the progress of the student. This does not, however, alter the fact that students are uniquely dependent upon their research advisors. In addition, the culture of an academic institution is such that other faculty members do not generally over-rule a research advisor unless a serious issue is involved.
The situation for postdoctoral fellows is less well defined than for graduate students. Post docs, as the name implies, already have earned a doctorate and are now working with a faculty member for a shorter period of time, typically 2–4 years, to gain additional experience before looking for a position as an independent researcher, perhaps as university faculty. Post docs are neither students nor typical employees, and so there is a lot of variation among institutions as to their status within the community of researchers. Some accord them the same rights and privileges as visiting faculty. Others have an established special employment rank for them. However, at many institutions post docs are betwixt and between, without a defined status in the institution. As a result, post docs can be even more vulnerable and dependent upon their faculty advisor than graduate students because their only source of income is the advisor's grant and they lack the safeguards graduate students have by virtue of being students in a graduate program within an educational institution.
Institutions that have many post docs may have employment policies, guidelines for the responsibilities of post docs and their advisors, special career development opportunities, and even support organizations. Administrators working in departments employing post docs should find out what the situation is at their institution. Some external resources can be found in the Bibliography.
