My name is Edgar Huitema, a senior lecturer and postgraduate research lead at a UK university.

Problems that arise in the PhD journey are rarely random. They follow patterns that can be predicted, named, and resolved. That is what I aspire to do.

I design and lead multiple funded doctoral training programmes, train PhD supervisors, and have examined and supported doctoral students for over fifteen years.

I’m not writing from the outside. I work within these systems, which means I understand how supervision is supposed to work, where it breaks down, and what students can do about it when it does.