Hi, Cat123,

I am not sure what you are asking but I hope I'll be able to answer your question as I do understand IP and tech transfer well.

1) Do you own the IP to your project?
Depending on your university policy, students may or may not own the IP to their PhD project. At my university in Australia, student own/co-own the IP generated in their PhD study.

2) Does this stop other people from doing the same research?
No, you cannot stop other people from working on the same research topic. You have rights to the IP generated in your own research but you cannot stop other people's work. Unless you have filed a patent over your IP and would like to sue the other party for infringement. Then again, a patent can only be filed on an IP that is both novel and inventive, so it must never have been disclosed/published/presented on before. I believe both you and this ex-postdoc have published the key concept and possibly presented the research data at conferences previously. In that case, there is a chance that both of you cannot file a patent on the IP.

3) What to do then?
You are in your final year, complete your PhD. I don't think it would be good to work in the same lab as the ex-postdoc. You will not be given a fair opportunity to shine at work and may have difficulty getting a reference when you leave.

If you really want to pursue your original stolen PhD idea, you could apply for a research grant yourself when you are a postdoc. But the ex-postdoc is already ahead of you.

Or you can get a job, either in academia or in industry with a more supportive group. If you do wish to go into industry, do so immediately after you graduate as the industry prefers fresh PhD graduates over seasoned people in academia whom they see as too ingrained in the system to adapt to non-academic life.

You are not interested in what you do and do not want to stay in academia. You are right. You should probably go get a job in industry. It is easier to get an industry job without a Phd, otherwise you may be deemed under experienced but overqualified. Get a job then inform your supervisor and quit. Tell no one beforehand. You don't want to be fired from your Phd and RA role before getting a paid position

Many universities around the world uses salary banding system. However, the same level in the different universities may not equate to the same salary. This is true for the universities I have encountered. Best to check their website for their definition of the different salary bands. These are usually public, at least where I am anyway.

I would trust your close friend's words over that senior lab person. The senior person probably depended on your supervisors to advance his career and will never admit that results were "enhanced". It would also be an admission of him being complicit in the generating fraudulent data.

If you want to change labs, never tell your supervisor. That is assuming that he was not already informed by this senior lab person. Have a look around other labs with good supervisors and no link to your supervisors. Ask confidentially as your supervisor will not take it lightly that you left him and inform him only after you have secured a supervisor

A PhD should not be full of pain and sufferring. It only is when you have bad supervisors, have no guidance and lack resources, in which case it's probably best to get out of that PhD ASAP.

Choose a PhD project and supervisor carefully. In fact, I would say that the supervisor is top priority. If the UWA project has a good superviosr, then perhaps consider it. If you have no interest however, perhaps letting go of this opportunity would be best. Life is short, so do a research on a topic that you like. You will need to love the topic to get through the good times and bad in the 3-4 year project.

I have a very different opinion. I don't think you are suffering from imposter syndrome. People with imposter syndrome usually care a lot about their research, but worry too much about their perceived weakness and may overwork to try to compensate for said weakness. You have no motivation nor interest in your study. You feel bored and put little effort in your research. Usually motivation for Phd is highest in first year and drops steadily as people get setbacks in research. You are just in your first few months and it seems that you are already lacking motivation. Perhaps you may wish to consider if this Phd is truly for you.

You are still early in your candidature, only about a year in and for half the duration you wanted to quit. No offence, I think you may find the PhD years ahead difficult to go through. You also said that you got a good job lined up for the autumn. Would you consider taking a break, going for that job, and then using that time to think if you still want that PhD?

Just finish your PhD, you are so close to the finishing line. Think it as completing a mission. It maybe a bit hard to explain your 4 year gap in your CV too, if you quit now. Use that as a motivation to finish

Erm, I would not let any of your ex-supervisors (the ones being complained) know where you are applying in case they may sabotage. It is illegal to give bad reference, but there are always ways of doing that without it being recorded. Ask a postdoc or experienced senior researcher who knows your work to be your referee. Explain to your new employer why you couldn't use your actual supervisor in your application in a general manner eg. because you didn't get along, bla bla bla. Good luck

Congratulations on a good outcome for your complain, Zena85. It must feel very satisfying getting that apology from the university.

eng77, I do agree that not every complaint will result in a positive outcome. I think rather than not expecting too much positive results, I'd advice those who complain to expect a lot of hard work in fighting for your rights and challenging the system that will do everything in its power to put you down, burn you out and force you to give up your complaint. If you have the perseverence to do that, then go ahead and see what happens. Like Zena85, I too have fought, 3 times I was asked to defend myself and my complain where they ripped me to shreds and asked for the mountains of evidence and "advise" me about how important a supervisor's referral is to my future because they "care". Anyway, I too won, but it was very draining and a very long many months. Oh, and you will feel pretty alone too because nobody wants to be associated with the "troublesome" person.

Stop collecting data, and put your PhD first. Your supervisor does not have your best interest at heart. He is being very selfish. The amount of data you collect will be used for his research projects to come. If you fail, he won’t care because he will just get another person to go over the data that you have painstakingly collected, perhaps even without acknowledging you. Take care of yourself. Doing a PhD means training to be an independent researcher and thinker, and that includes learning when to be firm and stand up for yourself. The time is now.

If the other supervisors are ok with you stopping data collection, then you have supportive ppl to back you up.Record carefully all the actions that A supervisor say and do, you may need it to prove bullying case later. I predict A supervisor will try to pressure you into continuing your data collection by dangling the classic recommendation later excuse. You can get recommendations from other ppl in the lab and other supervisors. Do what is right for you. Complete your PhD and get out

Changes now from your supervisors are better than answering comments from examiners. Don't worry. These are all worth it.

Congrats, Tudor_Queen!

Happens to a lot of people. You are not the first to panic over their research and won't be the last.

Breathe and try to relax. You'll be ok. You are training, not doing a Nobel prize experiment. People understand.

I look forward to hearing from you again, Pursue. Hope all is well with you.