Supervisor gets PhD student to do his entire job

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My master's supervisor delegates most (if not all) of his work to his senior PhD student. Let's name this student X.



  • X creates all the assignments, midterms, and exams for the courses this professor is teaching (which is not in the TA job description)

  • He often fills in for this professor's office hours

  • In fact, this professor once got him to take his place and give a lecture on 10 minutes' notice

  • Anytime there is an administrative chore (such as ordering textbooks, arranging tests in the accessibility center, deciding whether to accept a student's excuse for missing a midterm, etc.) this professor always delegates it to X.

  • X has written a significant portion of this professor's most recent grant proposal, even though X will not be part of the project.

  • I almost never see this professor; effectively, X has become my master's supervisor (this doesn't bother me, since I like working with X, but I'm sure he would rather focus on finishing his thesis).

  • Incidentally, a few weeks ago this professor also got me to update his CV to cover the last 6 years of his work.

The list goes on, and also note that this professor also delegates the "usual things" to X, such as reviewing papers under the professor's name or making an appearance at certain events.



Is this type of thing acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable)? If not, how could I prevent it from happening to somebody else without making a scene? For bonus points, how could I improve X's situation?



Why does this matter to me? Because X will be graduating before me, and this professor is telling me that I will be taking over his duties (just as X took over the duties from the student before him). Although I obviously have the right to refuse anything unreasonable, this particular professor becomes very unhappy when anyone refuses something.










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  • 6




    Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
    – Captain Emacs
    8 hours ago














up vote
3
down vote

favorite












My master's supervisor delegates most (if not all) of his work to his senior PhD student. Let's name this student X.



  • X creates all the assignments, midterms, and exams for the courses this professor is teaching (which is not in the TA job description)

  • He often fills in for this professor's office hours

  • In fact, this professor once got him to take his place and give a lecture on 10 minutes' notice

  • Anytime there is an administrative chore (such as ordering textbooks, arranging tests in the accessibility center, deciding whether to accept a student's excuse for missing a midterm, etc.) this professor always delegates it to X.

  • X has written a significant portion of this professor's most recent grant proposal, even though X will not be part of the project.

  • I almost never see this professor; effectively, X has become my master's supervisor (this doesn't bother me, since I like working with X, but I'm sure he would rather focus on finishing his thesis).

  • Incidentally, a few weeks ago this professor also got me to update his CV to cover the last 6 years of his work.

The list goes on, and also note that this professor also delegates the "usual things" to X, such as reviewing papers under the professor's name or making an appearance at certain events.



Is this type of thing acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable)? If not, how could I prevent it from happening to somebody else without making a scene? For bonus points, how could I improve X's situation?



Why does this matter to me? Because X will be graduating before me, and this professor is telling me that I will be taking over his duties (just as X took over the duties from the student before him). Although I obviously have the right to refuse anything unreasonable, this particular professor becomes very unhappy when anyone refuses something.










share|improve this question

















  • 6




    Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
    – Captain Emacs
    8 hours ago












up vote
3
down vote

favorite









up vote
3
down vote

favorite











My master's supervisor delegates most (if not all) of his work to his senior PhD student. Let's name this student X.



  • X creates all the assignments, midterms, and exams for the courses this professor is teaching (which is not in the TA job description)

  • He often fills in for this professor's office hours

  • In fact, this professor once got him to take his place and give a lecture on 10 minutes' notice

  • Anytime there is an administrative chore (such as ordering textbooks, arranging tests in the accessibility center, deciding whether to accept a student's excuse for missing a midterm, etc.) this professor always delegates it to X.

  • X has written a significant portion of this professor's most recent grant proposal, even though X will not be part of the project.

  • I almost never see this professor; effectively, X has become my master's supervisor (this doesn't bother me, since I like working with X, but I'm sure he would rather focus on finishing his thesis).

  • Incidentally, a few weeks ago this professor also got me to update his CV to cover the last 6 years of his work.

The list goes on, and also note that this professor also delegates the "usual things" to X, such as reviewing papers under the professor's name or making an appearance at certain events.



Is this type of thing acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable)? If not, how could I prevent it from happening to somebody else without making a scene? For bonus points, how could I improve X's situation?



Why does this matter to me? Because X will be graduating before me, and this professor is telling me that I will be taking over his duties (just as X took over the duties from the student before him). Although I obviously have the right to refuse anything unreasonable, this particular professor becomes very unhappy when anyone refuses something.










share|improve this question













My master's supervisor delegates most (if not all) of his work to his senior PhD student. Let's name this student X.



  • X creates all the assignments, midterms, and exams for the courses this professor is teaching (which is not in the TA job description)

  • He often fills in for this professor's office hours

  • In fact, this professor once got him to take his place and give a lecture on 10 minutes' notice

  • Anytime there is an administrative chore (such as ordering textbooks, arranging tests in the accessibility center, deciding whether to accept a student's excuse for missing a midterm, etc.) this professor always delegates it to X.

  • X has written a significant portion of this professor's most recent grant proposal, even though X will not be part of the project.

  • I almost never see this professor; effectively, X has become my master's supervisor (this doesn't bother me, since I like working with X, but I'm sure he would rather focus on finishing his thesis).

  • Incidentally, a few weeks ago this professor also got me to update his CV to cover the last 6 years of his work.

The list goes on, and also note that this professor also delegates the "usual things" to X, such as reviewing papers under the professor's name or making an appearance at certain events.



Is this type of thing acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable)? If not, how could I prevent it from happening to somebody else without making a scene? For bonus points, how could I improve X's situation?



Why does this matter to me? Because X will be graduating before me, and this professor is telling me that I will be taking over his duties (just as X took over the duties from the student before him). Although I obviously have the right to refuse anything unreasonable, this particular professor becomes very unhappy when anyone refuses something.







ethics job interpersonal-issues






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asked 8 hours ago









Mahkoe

378147




378147







  • 6




    Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
    – Captain Emacs
    8 hours ago












  • 6




    Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
    – Captain Emacs
    8 hours ago







6




6




Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
– Captain Emacs
8 hours ago




Why don't you do your PhD somewhere else after graduation? You do not have to tell your Prof now.
– Captain Emacs
8 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
5
down vote













It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?



If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.



But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.



You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.



One of the extremes, of course is Stephen Hawking. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.






share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    2
    down vote













    I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D



    1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"

    2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams

    3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures

    In this case it seems X is a 2. Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than 15 years in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.



    To sum up, I would say that results matter and the Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.



    My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:



    Is it an abusive relationship? run.



    If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.






    share|improve this answer




















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      2 Answers
      2






      active

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      2 Answers
      2






      active

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      active

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      active

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      up vote
      5
      down vote













      It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?



      If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.



      But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.



      You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.



      One of the extremes, of course is Stephen Hawking. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.






      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        5
        down vote













        It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?



        If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.



        But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.



        You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.



        One of the extremes, of course is Stephen Hawking. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.






        share|improve this answer






















          up vote
          5
          down vote










          up vote
          5
          down vote









          It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?



          If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.



          But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.



          You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.



          One of the extremes, of course is Stephen Hawking. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.






          share|improve this answer












          It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?



          If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.



          But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.



          You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.



          One of the extremes, of course is Stephen Hawking. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 7 hours ago









          Buffy

          27.8k686147




          27.8k686147




















              up vote
              2
              down vote













              I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D



              1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"

              2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams

              3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures

              In this case it seems X is a 2. Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than 15 years in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.



              To sum up, I would say that results matter and the Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.



              My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:



              Is it an abusive relationship? run.



              If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.






              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                2
                down vote













                I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D



                1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"

                2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams

                3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures

                In this case it seems X is a 2. Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than 15 years in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.



                To sum up, I would say that results matter and the Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.



                My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:



                Is it an abusive relationship? run.



                If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.






                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote









                  I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D



                  1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"

                  2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams

                  3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures

                  In this case it seems X is a 2. Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than 15 years in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.



                  To sum up, I would say that results matter and the Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.



                  My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:



                  Is it an abusive relationship? run.



                  If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.






                  share|improve this answer












                  I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D



                  1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"

                  2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams

                  3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures

                  In this case it seems X is a 2. Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than 15 years in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.



                  To sum up, I would say that results matter and the Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.



                  My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:



                  Is it an abusive relationship? run.



                  If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered 6 hours ago









                  Amazonasmann

                  2514




                  2514



























                       

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