This was a joint event between the Higher Education SIG, Youth Studies and Informal Education SIG & Early Career Researcher Network.

This event shared narratives of starting points and strategies in responding to diversity through a keynote by Dr Jessica Gagnon and then conversations between doctoral supervisors and candidates. Conversation 1 included Professor Mike Seal, his supervisor and a supervisee. Conversation 2 was by Dr Jessica Gagnon and an international candidate. Conversation 3 featured Dr Chris Rolph and a doctoral candidate discussing issues around modes of study, different degrees or non-traditional candidates and supervisors. 

Policies have increased the diversity of doctoral candidates in terms of age, race, class, disability, gender and sexuality, but also modes of study, distance, types of degrees and supervisory arrangements (Taylor et al. 2018). This increase of ‘non-traditional’ candidates through widening participation is largely welcomed but there are challenges which supervisors are encouraged to address (Eley and Jennings, 2005). There is also an increase of colleagues supervising colleagues which is under researched and under theorised (Madikizela-Madiya & Atwebembeire, 2021). It can be argued that the use of ‘non-traditional’ positions these candidates in deficit (Taylor and Goodfellow, 2020) as fundamental doctoral structures have not shifted (Seal, 2021). Adapting supervisory practice is important to support institutional policies (Gagon, 2021) by recognising the different starting points of the doctoral candidates and not following a one-size-fits-all supervisory approach (Everitt and Blackburn, 2023). Whilst a doctoral degree may separate the supervisor from the candidate, research suggests that a supervisor’s identity is also developing alongside the candidates, indicated fluidity in identity development as they are both becoming at the same time (Gravett, 2021; Pratt and Shaughnessey, 2016).   

Draft Programme: