Hello,

I will be second year PhD student very soon. I've been collecting samples from this person for more than one year. Everything started fine until last week he started to harass me. I am scared now. He's one of the professors in my university. He's also the best friend to my supervisor. Luckily my sample collection has already met the target so I don't have to deal with him anymore. But my supervisor asked me to collect me just in case I lost the samples. However I can't deal with him anymore. Sometimes he made fun and yelled at me in front of all his staff. Sometimes he made abusive and homophobe jokes against me. He also has several times made sexual advancement towards me.

I just had to be patient because I got to collect the samples from him. I wanted to tell my supervisor but then he wouldn't believe me because that person is his best friend. What should I do? Should I stop the sample collection and be quiet about this since my samples are enough for research? Or should I tell the department about this harassment?

Hi Alexander,

If you have enough samples, don't get any more. While it's good to have extras, your situation is not a good one and you've highlighted that you are scared.

I would get in contact with your student union about your options regarding reporting harassment claims. The professor is abusing his power and is liable for his actions, especially as you are a postgraduate student. As to whether you should go to the department, I don't have an answer, but that might backfire on you...

Go to the student union, they will be able to help you out on your next options. Also seek counselling at your school, they should be able to help you, as well as if there is a safer communities (or something similar) unit at your campus.

This is a sad story indeed. This clearly violates any sort of equal opportunity policy for both students and staff. Report him and blow this creep out of the water. Find out who his line manager is too. Hopefully your university is less bureaucrat than mine and will actually do something.