My first supervisor has gone to another university, and had promised to still keep in touch and be my supervisor. The director of studies is still here. My problem is that I have not heard from the director since January, fair enough I suppose, but I sent a chapter to my first supervisor in April, who said he was tied up with the election and would get back when it was over. I also CCd in the director of studies, but I have heard from neither of them. This is annoying as if they had read, commented etc. I could have jumped the next hurdle this academic year, whereas it is going to be September before I can get it in. I have started writing the submission for the board, but obviously need their comments to get it right, plus there are two things they have to arrange and I can't. I feel let down by them. I don't want hand holding or anything like that, but as there are things that they have to do, I am stuck until they sort it, plus I feel as a part timer I am not getting the service I am paying for. The trouble is, what to do about it. I can't get into the uni to talk to anyone as they are not there when I can get there, plus there will probably be the excuse that they have undergrad stuff to mark. I'm reluctant to e-mail them as I think they should be organised enough to know they have things to do that they are not doing. I am going to a meeting on Thursday run by other members of the department, so do I mention it? Do I ask for a change of supervision? My field is different enough for anyone to take it on as none of them have experience in my research area, but it seems a big step to take, especially as they will probably have to arrange my examiners in the fullness of time as theirs is the closest match and they are the world experts in their field. Any ideas?:-(

hmm, what stage of your PhD are you at Joyce? If you are more than half way through I'd say stick with them, supervisors are often crap at this kind of stuff, I've been waiting months for one of my sups to come back with data to me, I've emailed him several times and asked him during meetings several times but still nothing.

If you are still in your first year then I'd see if it's possible to change, but try using the tack that you feel it would be better for you to have someone on-site as your primary, and that there are obviously minor dificulties that would be simplest to deal with by changing sup. I would say email your sup as much as you have to, and phone as much as you have to to get your feedback. If you need it for Uni-set deadlines then they should really try to keep on top of it, but often rely on students to remind them about these things.

I remember my dissertation supervisor could never remember what I was doing at the start of our meetings, I always had to remind him about my project before I could ask him a question!
Sorry I can't help more..

Hi Joyce - supervisors leaving to go to another university is always a disruptive and disorientating experience for everyone concerned - the PhD students, the colleagues that need to probably cover his/her workload temporarily until they've been replaced with someone else, and probably for him who's now somewhere new trying to fit in and familiarise himself with his new environment.

Why not go to see the Director of Studies (just a quick knock on his door) or email him to oraganise a meeting to discuss your submission for the board and also to organise a new structure for your supervision - you don't need to suggest a new supervisor at this stage; just stating that because of your supervisor's move away, you'd like to discuss how your supervision will (moving forward) be structured will in itself give him an indication that you want to know who'll be responsible for giving you feedback on your work. Having CC'd him might not be enough for him to realise that the other sup was busy with elections, etc. Go and see the director of studies directly and ask if there will be a second in-house supervisor also allocated to you in addition to the one who's left to cover in when the former is say too busy - I'm sure he'll catch your drift. He'll then be able to perhaps make suggestions for a new supervising structure (arrangement) to accomodate for the fact that your primary supervisor has left. It might be possible that the old one can continue to supervise you (externally) but that you can also be assigned an internal one to fill in the gaps & jump in at busy times like this when you've got deadlines to meet and need quicker feedback.

My Director and first supervisor, both know each other very well, the director was my first supervisor for a while, then the other asked if he could be my first supervisor and ousted someone else, who had been my other supervisor (but he wasn't really on my wavelength anyway, so that was a good move) so there have already been some changes to my team. I'm sure they have loads of things on their minds, but I had my summer holidays from school planned so I could get on with some data stuff, having completed the set task, and now I feel in a bit of a limbo situation. If I could just pop in, I would, but that just isn't possible. I may just give them another week and a bit as it is half term then  and I should get the statement for the board prepared by then, perhaps if I send this off they may remember they have yet to send feedback on the chapter - and remember they have other things to organise too. :-(