Hi everyone,

I have this doubt because my PI just got a grant with A LOT of money, it will be this first year and it will continue for five years depending on the progress.

We are a team of several people and everyone is getting their part (as raising salaries) but I did not have anything on it except my stipend that will be the same. I have fees to pay but my PI told me that the budget is already closed and that he did not know that I got those fees to pay, but nobody asked me about my own budget to include it in the grant and I did not know that I could do that (like ask for some fee payments or raising my salary).

I understand that the grants are what we get our stipend for our PhD but it is anybody that knows if it is possible to raise the stipend or ask for a student budget? just to have that on mind for the next time because I struggle with my stipend every month.

At least I asked to my PI to go to conferences with everything paid.

Thanks!

Hi MyWorld,

Most universities have a set wage for wage for PhD students. The UK government also sets the PhD bursary for the country as a whole. I don't think it is common for PhD students to get raises unless other PhD students in your lab got a raise. It means that PhD students are equal and that supervisors don't give raises to their favourites.

At least you get conferences with everything paid for! Also, it is nice to be in a well-funded lab which can make research and publications easier. You also now have a chance of getting a funded post-doc and work with other good people. There are a lot of positives, even if you don't get a raise.

PS: I am from the UK

Hi rewt,

Thanks for your response, so I am the only graduate student at the lab :/ but it is fine, I know that the university/country sets the stipends but it will be nice to write our budget outside our stipend, but my PI did not ask.. it is ok!
Do you mean about the post-doc opportunities like if I come for a good lab with grants it will give me more opportunities to find a good place?

Thanks!

I still think it would be odd for your supervisor to give you a higher stipend/salary just because you have funding. You are PhD student not an employee.

If you are in a well funded lab, you might be able to get a post-doc with your current supervisor. Which would be a lot easier and should lead to faster results during the post-doc. Also if you do leave, you can always collaborate.

Thanks rewt for your response! I will leave after my graduation I do not discard a collaboration in the future but I would like to change, I am international student so I would like to try other labs, if they offer me to stay for a postdoc I will think about it but my idea is to leave.