Supervisors’ Secrets

Every garden has its keeper.
Every doctoral journey has its guide.
Behind every finished dissertation is a supervisor who said the right thing at the right moment. Who gave feedback that stung a little, but stuck. Who knew exactly when to water a project and when to step back and let it grow. But here is the thing: supervisors rarely talk to each other about any of this. Supervisors’ Secrets changes that.
We are a podcast by supervisors, for (future) supervisors – and for anyone who has ever wondered what goes on in those one-on-one meetings. In each episode, our hosts sit down with two doctoral supervisors from across the University of Vienna. What worked? What failed spectacularly? What did their own supervisor teach them – or not?
The conversations are candid, concise (30 minutes, we promise), and surprisingly entertaining. No jargon. No lectures. Just real stories, in German and English. Think of it as the gardening hour for doctoral education, a reminder that you are not alone in the weeds.
Pull up a chair. The garden gate is open.

Jeder Garten hat jemanden, der ihn hegt – jede Dissertation auch.
Hinter jeder abgeschlossenen Dissertation steht jemand, der im entscheidenden Moment die richtigen Worte gefunden hat. Der oder die Feedbacks gab, die kurz zwickten, aber nachwirkten. Der gespürt hat, wann ein Projekt Pflege braucht und wann man es einfach gedeihen lassen muss. Nur spricht darüber kaum jemand, schon gar nicht unter Kolleg*innen. Das wollen wir ändern.
Supervisors’ Secrets ist ein Podcast von Betreuenden für Betreuende und für alle, die schon immer wissen wollten, was in der Betreuung von Dissertationen wirklich passiert. In jeder Folge sprechen unsere Hosts mit zwei Betreuer*innen aus verschiedenen Fächern der Universität Wien: Was hat sich bewährt? Was ist gründlich schiefgegangen? Und was haben sie von ihren eigenen Betreuer*innen gelernt – im Guten wie im Schlechten?
Ehrlich, kurzweilig und in 30 Minuten erzählt. Versprochen. Ohne Fachchinesisch, ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger, dafür mit echten Geschichten aus der Betreuungspraxis.
Eine Art Gartenstunde für die Doktoratsbetreuung: zum Zuhören, Mitnehmen und Erkennen, dass es in keinem Garten immer nur blüht.
Herzlich willkommen. Das Gartentor steht offen.

Idea, concept, production (Season 1): Lynn Chiu, Martina Egger, Katja Hellekes, Angelika Hudler, Eva Kössner, Katharina Limacher, Bianca Lindorfer, Martin Pokorny, Martina Steer, David Zuser.

Supervisors’ Secrets

Latest episodes

Episode 6 – 24/7? Boundaries, Availability and Managing Expectations

Episode 6 – 24/7? Boundaries, Availability and Managing Expectations

‧ 29m 20s

Doctoral supervision is a considerable responsibility, one that begins even before a candidate’s first day. From recruitment onwards, it is a joint effort: setting clear expectations, agreeing on roles and ways of working, being available when support is needed and guiding candidates towards independence. But how can supervisors remain accessible without being on call around the clock, and when is it right to say no? Our host Lynn Chiu speaks with Alice Vadrot (Department of Political Science) and Claus Lamm (Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology). They share their experiences of managing expectations from the hiring process onwards,...

Episode 5 – Supervising Across Different (Academic) Cultures

Episode 5 – Supervising Across Different (Academic) Cultures

‧ 33m 19s

Academic cultures differ around the world, shaped by distinct education systems, disciplinary traditions and societal expectations of what it means to be a doctoral candidate. These differences run deep: how the hierarchy between supervisor and candidate is understood, how much guidance is expected and how much independence assumed, and how openly disagreement or criticism can be voiced. When supervisors and candidates bring different assumptions about authority, closeness and autonomy into their relationship, how do they find a shared way of working? Our host Katharina Limacher explores these questions with Chi Zhang (Department of Meteorology and Geophysics) and Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel (Department...

Episode 4 – Forschung, Frust und Fertigwerden. Wie Langzeitdoktorand*innen unterstützen

Episode 4 – Forschung, Frust und Fertigwerden. Wie Langzeitdoktorand*innen unterstützen

‧ 30m 34s

Fast alle in der Wissenschaft kennen sie und doch spricht kaum jemand offen darüber: Doktorand*innen, deren Dissertationen sich über Jahre hinziehen, deren Projekte ins Stocken geraten oder ganz zum Stillstand kommen. Zwischen Erwartungsdruck, Selbstzweifeln und einem Thema, das plötzlich größer wirkt als zu Beginn, entsteht oft eine stille Krise – auf beiden Seiten des Betreuungsverhältnisses. Unser Host David Zuser spricht mit Peter Becker (Institut für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung) und Ingeborg Lang (Department für Funktionelle und Evolutionäre Ökologie) darüber, warum manche Dissertationsprojekte stagnieren, welche Muster und blinden Flecken sich dabei erkennen lassen und wie Betreuer*innen solche Verläufe konstruktiv begleiten können, statt sie...

Episode 3 – Shared Responsibilities: How to Supervise in Teams

Episode 3 – Shared Responsibilities: How to Supervise in Teams

‧ 26m 51s

Team supervision is becoming increasingly common in doctoral education, and it raises very practical questions. When is the best time to form a supervisory team, and who takes the initiative? How are responsibilities divided in everyday practice, and how can supervisors ensure that candidates receive coherent guidance rather than conflicting advice? What happens when team members bring different expectations, disciplinary backgrounds or working styles? Our host Lynn Chiu speaks with Annie Waldherr (Department of Communication) and Maarten Janssen (Department of Economics) about their experiences with different forms of team supervision, from the perspective of both supervisor and doctoral candidate. They...