HDR Supervisor of the Month

Amy Wen
Senior School Administrator
Research School of Management 
ANU College of Business and Economics

Amy's approach to supporting HDR candidates:
"I am truly honoured to be nominated as HDR Administrator of the Month. This recognition reflects the invaluable support I receive from the College of Business and Economics (CBE) HDR team, our RSM School Manager, HDR Program Convenor, and School Director. Together, we are dedicated to building an exceptional HDR program that fosters student success at every stage.

In my role as a school administrator, I guide prospective applicants and HDR candidates from initial inquiries through key milestones. My focus is on timely, proactive support, helping students navigate administrative processes with a solutions-oriented approach. I am committed to ensuring candidates feel empowered to focus on their research, knowing they have someone to assist with paperwork, policies, and procedural challenges.

Seeing our students achieve their milestones and reach their goals is incredibly rewarding. Each success is a testament to their hard work and resilience. I am privileged to be part of their journey and strive to create a supportive, empathetic environment where HDR candidates can thrive and make meaningful contributions to their fields."

Professor Prashant Bordia
Research School of Management 
ANU College of Business and Economics

Prashant's supervisory approach:
"My supervision philosophy is based on Kram’s (1985) typology of mentoring functions: Effective mentoring requires task-related and psycho-social support. In terms of task mentoring, I believe that PhD training is best provided in close research collaboration between students and supervisors. This is because a PhD involves acquiring a combination of explicit (easily communicated) and tacit knowledge (not easily communicable; learnt by doing & collaborating with experts). These skills can best be learnt when students and supervisors work together on multiple projects.

PhD is a demanding experience, and students need socio-emotional support in balancing studies with other life roles. I support students through ups and downs; model patience during slow progress while recommending strategies (e.g., daily writing) to recover from the downs and advise students to become comfortable with inconsistent rhythms of life where research progress can happen in stops and starts.

The benefits of working closely with students and developing their identities have flown both ways. My students have always expanded my theoretical and methodological horizons. Giving feedback and working on multiple drafts of students’ writing has deepened my own insights when it comes to crafting manuscripts and communicating complex ideas effectively. Finally, the collaboration involved in PhD supervision has greatly enriched my academic role and remains the favourite component of my academic activities."

Find out more about Prashant’s work by visiting Prashant's profile webpage on the Researchers website.