Hi guys,

I'm just trying to get opinions here. I'm coming to the last year of my PhD and want to share something. There is a technician in my university who has engaged in bullying several people over the entire time I was here. He has now taken to blocking young girls leaving a room and kicking people behind the legs. He's friends with the line manager (technical manager) so has got away with this for years. Before Christmas there were two new complaints against this man but I'll be surprised if anything is done. He has been previously kicked off from two PhDs and a masters program yet the university continue to employ him. I'm also the student rep for PGs. What advice can you guys give me?

Thanks again

What on earth? You sound psychotic. Have you read Hollis' posts above? The postdoc is clearly at fault and the supervisor needs to be made aware of the situation.[/quote]

In fairness to the poster I failed to inform the thread that it was the post doc in question telling me to take up the slack for his lack of action. I just said I had to take up the slack. Saying that I do think the poster is being a bit dramatic about his crucifixion threat,[/quote]

Oh I know, I read through the whole thread trying to understand why that poster is so angry and vitriolic, but it's no excuse for that language. That is a really bizarre post - "your life simply would not be worth living", etc.

Plot twist: he's the postdoc.[/quote]

Ha ha maybe. I don't buy into the never question attitude. I think it belongs in the past and I'm certainly not putting my PhD in danger to cover for a lazy postdoc.

However, I don't see why it wouldn't be okay to let your supervisor know that the post doc wasn't providing any instruction in specific lab techniques (for yourself), if that is actually what your supervisor is expecting that is and your supervisor has directly said this to you.

Rather than having a blunt (and perhaps angry) conversation, can you have a clarifying and polite conversation with your supervisor that just confirms what you are responsible for in your role and the lab, and what your supervisor expects of others. Don't make it about the post doc, make it about your own need to have clarity around your own responsibilities and role and then, as others have suggested, keep focusing on your own work and data-as really that is your main priority. You could do this just as a way of getting feedback regarding your own progress and role in the lab.

Understand completely the need to have an anonymous or private vent about it. If the post doc is shirking their responsibilities, this would be a frustrating experience to have to live and work with.[/quote]

Thanks for taking the time to read through my emotive posts! Yes there's several issues at play.

1. The post doc telling us to take on the masters and undergrad students he has been assigned when we have our own.
2. The post doc was specifically hired to teach us an aspect of our project that was providing some trouble. He tells our supervisor he will teach us but tells us he won't. As a result we're not making as much progress in this area as we should. I paid out of my own pocket to go to a workshop on the lacking area.
3. My supervisor's under the illusion that the postdoc is teaching us the technique and we're not listening.

Sorry for the rant it's all very frustrating.

.[/quote]
Why are you worrying about the other PhD students? Let the other PhD students worry about themselves.
This thread started off with you complaining about your lack of training. We dealt with that and then it became about you having to look after undergraduates. When I told you to look at the positives of that you started talking about other PhD students.
You are changing the goalposts. My advice is still the same. Stop obsessing over what this one crappy postdoc is doing or not doing and get on with your job. If the undergraduates are taking up too much of your time tell your boss it is impacting on your work. Under no circumstances should you even consider bringing the postdoc into this unless you have a desire for career suicide.[/quote]

I mentioned other PhD students to communicate the fact I'm not alone in my thinking. Our supervisor insisted the postdoc here train us in certain techniques. He doesn't inform the supervisor that he doesn't want to teach but tells us he won't teach us. More recently we have been assigned project students, one of which is to be under his supervision. Like before he didn't tell our supervisor he won't be taking this student on and we have to take up the slack. I don't see why this should be kept secret?

Hey guys some more details are needed. I completed my summer project, research project in undergrad and masters without a post doc. The most I had in the masters was a PhD. I am quite capable of operating on my own.

The thing is I am now also looking after masters students and undergrads. The post doc was told by our supervisor that he should be helping in a specific area as I'm in new territory and to put it bluntly he's not. He was told to help out with the masters students and project students but he's not.

The post doc in my group hasn't dedicated a single hour to teaching me. I am a relatively new PhD in the lab and I have had no lab supervision what so ever. My supervisor is great but he's an extremely busy man and has only managed to show me a few things. The post doc seems a bit of a creep to be honest and offers lab advice to girls outside of the group. I've even shown the post doc how to do some techniques that he isn't familiar with.

In short I'm not happy with the level of lab supervision I'm getting. I've completed masters ect where it was only me and the supervisor but I don't think it's fair to have a post doc in the lab who actually does nothing.
Without sounding like a d1ck what's the best way to phrase this to my supervisor?

I don't think it's racism but it's certainly unfair and damaging to science. Also the fact that you can't effectively search for PhDs that offer full funding to EU citizens non resident in the UK makes it very difficult indeed.

It's certainly not fair because at this moment the UK is having its cake and eating it. Students from UK can obtain full scholarships in most other EU countries but the same doesn't apply in reverse. The people supplying the funding can apply criteria but I don't think they should claim to "support" EU students at the same time. Some of the advertisements are very misleading and it's being used as a loophole by the UK to not do it's fair share. I wouldn't mind this but the fact is UK students are availing of PhDs with full funding in my home country of Germany.