Motivation and Purpose
The UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is committed to ensuring that all of our PhD students are given the opportunity to complete a high-quality graduate education under the guidance of an advisor who nurtures and supports their growth and hard work. Relationships between students and advisors, as with all relationships, have their ups and downs. In most situations, these ups and downs are a natural part of a healthy relationship. However, there are instances when a relationship may become strained and difficult to repair, especially when issues such as bias, discrimination, harassment, or aggressive behavior arise.
The goal of the Guaranteed Transitional Support program is to assist PhD students in transitioning to a new advisor when their current advisor relationship becomes untenable, ensuring they can successfully continue and complete their degree. We hope that this program will provide a safety net that will allow students to address problematic relationships earlier and, when appropriate, find a new situation where they can thrive.
Plan Specifics
- PhD students in any Jacobs School of Engineering department who find themselves in an unproductive or unhealthy relationship with their advisor should reach out to their department leadership (typically, the Department Chair) and follow the established procedures within the department to seek a resolution.
- If following department procedure is not an option or does not lead to an acceptable resolution, the student should meet with the Associate Dean for Students, Andrea Tao as soon as possible to discuss the situation. The Associate Dean will assess the situation and advise the student on options for next steps. This conversation will be kept confidential to the full extent possible, but note that any disclosures of sexual violence, sexual harassment or other prohibited behavior involving students will have to be reported to the Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD).
- In cases where the student is experiencing harassment, bias or discrimination, or is in an otherwise unhealthy relationship that cannot be repaired, the student will be provided guaranteed 1-quarter financial support in order to facilitate the transition to a new research advisor. Support may be extended to 2-quarters when needed given a good-faith effort by the student to successfully identify and establish their work with a new advisor. Support will be determined on a case-by-case basis after an individualized assessment of the student’s unique situation.
- The Associate Dean, the Dean and the student’s home department will work together to determine the form of the support. It may be provided as TA, GSR or fellowship support, or a combination of these, with the goal of giving the student the maximum potential to commit to working with their new advisor.
- The Associate Dean, the Dean and student’s home department will also assist in identifying and establishing both the initial connection and the working relationship between the student and their new advisor.
- Students may wish to transition research groups for other reasons, such as an evolution in research interest or a mismatch in early group choice. In these cases, students should not seek funding through the Guaranteed Transitional Support program but are still welcome to reach out to department advisors and the Associate Dean for guidance.