Hi

I am doing my Phd with a research institute and a university. My supervisor was fine at first but as my I am progressing is becoming very unhappy if I ask for advice from anyone else. They only know about one very small aspect of my research and has never supervised a PhD but this is only half the problem. I have spoken with her about seeking advice from other academics (the research is multi-disciplinary) and she always claims this is fine but is passive aggressive with me after the event. She seems to favour meeting me in public spaces in which she will loudly ask me whether I understand her and speak to me as if I were a little stupid. I have recently started to bypass this situation by suggesting quieter places to meet and this seems to anger her. She has also suggested that I can't meet with my uni supervisor 'unsupervised'. This is not company policy as I know that other students meet with their academic supervisor. I am not some crazy, unreliable wildcard who cannot be trusted to speak with an academic alone, nor am I some wild egoist with ideas above their station. I just want to do good work. I am really worried that I will not be able to complete my empirical work as the nature of this work is independent. The more independent I become the angrier she gets and I know that she has been badmouthing me to other staff. I can't speak to anyone about the situation, which makes it even worse. This is all very subtle, but as each week progresses I trust her less and less. How can I approach asking for a new supervisor without seeming gossipy/bitchy or ungrateful?

Do you have some kind of graduate board you can go to for support? Also, do you feel like you can approach your supervisor in a calm manner and letting her know how you feel?