Student A Feedback (2015/19):
“I think your supervision was superb and it was perfect to allow me to flourish with the project. When it comes to project specific supervision, one the best things that I think you do is that you give a PhD student (at least most of them) a very free reign from the start of their project and that you do not micromanage and intervene very often. I learned from the start that I needed to take charge of the project if I want it to be as successful as possible. That was both a great motivation and also allowed me to start thinking for myself instead of only relying on what you said. I think in general the people who have had the most successful projects with you have been those that thrive when allowed free reign.
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“I think you were very good at admitting when you were wrong (those few times you were) during the project and didn’t let any pride get in the way. Most discussions we had were constructive and very few left me frustrated or confused afterwards. You were also great at coming up with ideas (such as the alkynyl-activation pathway in the Mn-chemistry) that would open up the project and take it several steps forward instantly.
“When it comes to support outside of work you were great and very helpful as well. I still think back to when we had a chat about how deflated I felt about the mechanistic Mn-paper that we still hadn’t started writing. The fact that you decided to clear a lot of time that summer to write it is something I really appreciated.
“The other support I received was tremendously helpful and I much appreciate that.
“I think your supervision was superb and it was perfect to allow me to flourish with the project. When it comes to project specific supervision, one the best things that I think you do is that you give a PhD student (at least most of them) a very free reign from the start of their project and that you do not micromanage and intervene very often. I learned from the start that I needed to take charge of the project if I want it to be as successful as possible. That was both a great motivation and also allowed me to start thinking for myself instead of only relying on what you said. I think in general the people who have had the most successful projects with you have been those that thrive when allowed free reign.
“I think you were very good at admitting when you were wrong (those few times you were) during the project and didn’t let any pride get in the way. Most discussions we had were constructive and very few left me frustrated or confused afterwards. You were also great at coming up with ideas (such as the alkynyl-activation pathway in the Mn-chemistry) that would open up the project and take it several steps forward instantly.
“When it comes to support outside of work you were great and very helpful as well. I still think back to when we had a chat about how deflated I felt about the mechanistic Mn-paper that we still hadn’t started writing. The fact that you decided to clear a lot of time that summer to write it is something I really appreciated.
“The other support I received was tremendously helpful and I much appreciate that.”
“When it comes to support outside of work you were great and very helpful as well. I still think back to when we had a chat about how deflated I felt about the mechanistic Mn-paper that we still hadn’t started writing. The fact that you decided to clear a lot of time that summer to write it is something I really appreciated.
“The other support I received was tremendously helpful and I much appreciate that.
“I think your supervision was superb and it was perfect to allow me to flourish with the project. When it comes to project specific supervision, one the best things that I think you do is that you give a PhD student (at least most of them) a very free reign from the start of their project and that you do not micromanage and intervene very often. I learned from the start that I needed to take charge of the project if I want it to be as successful as possible. That was both a great motivation and also allowed me to start thinking for myself instead of only relying on what you said. I think in general the people who have had the most successful projects with you have been those that thrive when allowed free reign.
“I think you were very good at admitting when you were wrong (those few times you were) during the project and didn’t let any pride get in the way. Most discussions we had were constructive and very few left me frustrated or confused afterwards. You were also great at coming up with ideas (such as the alkynyl-activation pathway in the Mn-chemistry) that would open up the project and take it several steps forward instantly.
“When it comes to support outside of work you were great and very helpful as well. I still think back to when we had a chat about how deflated I felt about the mechanistic Mn-paper that we still hadn’t started writing. The fact that you decided to clear a lot of time that summer to write it is something I really appreciated.
“The other support I received was tremendously helpful and I much appreciate that.”
Student B (2016-20):
“I joined the Fairlamb group in 2016 and found it very easy to assimilate in the group, which was especially important as I spent half of my time between chemistry and YSBL. We tended to have group meals to welcome newcomers which provided a more relaxed atmosphere to get to know everybody. The routine group meetings also served as an introduction to other group members expertise and provided an excellent forum for in depth discussions. These group meetings often posed more challenging questions than those asked by the audience at conferences, ensuring excellent preparation for giving a talk or presenting a poster.”
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“Throughout my project I had a lot of independence to pursue interesting results and plan my own time. This independence provided extra motivation when experiments did work, however when the project did not progress as expected, or as fast, then Ian always offered new, and insightful, ideas. This level of independent working has been invaluable to meeting the expectations of my current role as Postdoc Fellow.
“At first Ian’s high standard for compound characterization was frustrating, especially as I was normally working on very small scale and racing towards a publication. However, very rapidly I also understood the importance of high-quality experimental data, and this has greatly benefitted my research. I am now more critical of my own data and other groups published work.
“I found that Ian always provided useful, and prompt, feedback with TAP reports and publication drafts.
“Towards the end of my PhD I received some upsetting news about my health, which could have affected my thesis submission. Ian’s response to this was excellent, providing many alternatives including submitting early or obtaining an extension. Ian also provided information about people I could talk to if needed. When we were limited to working from home, due to the pandemic, Ian ensured he kept in touch with the group, and group meetings continued via Zoom. This provided a good chance to speak with other group members and maintained an important degree of routine.”
“At first Ian’s high standard for compound characterization was frustrating, especially as I was normally working on very small scale and racing towards a publication. However, very rapidly I also understood the importance of high-quality experimental data, and this has greatly benefitted my research. I am now more critical of my own data and other groups published work.
“I found that Ian always provided useful, and prompt, feedback with TAP reports and publication drafts.
“Towards the end of my PhD I received some upsetting news about my health, which could have affected my thesis submission. Ian’s response to this was excellent, providing many alternatives including submitting early or obtaining an extension. Ian also provided information about people I could talk to if needed. When we were limited to working from home, due to the pandemic, Ian ensured he kept in touch with the group, and group meetings continued via Zoom. This provided a good chance to speak with other group members and maintained an important degree of routine.”
Student C (2016/21 including COVID extension):
“Ian supervised my PhD project from approximately October 2016 to March 2021. From the get-go, I was given significant responsibility and freedom to influence the direction of the project. I believe this aspect of Ian’s supervision was invaluable to my development and independence. Despite this freedom, I always felt I had access to support of the highest quality, whenever I needed it. Ian was always approachable and keen to chat, giving critical advice, often at short notice.”
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“Key aspects of Ian’s general management of the group such as group meetings and fortnightly/monthly reports were helpful for giving perspective on my work, allowing me to regularly take a step back and evaluate how my work was coming together. These presentations and reports allowed Ian to regularly provide his sharp insight into the work. Ian’s regular attendance at our daily group morning coffees were extremely valuable for me. In addition to being useful for the social cohesion of the group, these allowed for brief informal discussion about my work thus putting any anxieties that I had about my work/plans at ease.
“I thought Ian’s adaptation to the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic was great. The continuation of frequent group meetings was important to the feeling of inclusion within the group despite the many months that were spent working remotely. I believe our efficiency working together was as good as it could be, considering the challenges at the time. During the pandemic, Ian and I still had appropriately regular direct remote meetings.”
“I thought Ian’s adaptation to the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic was great. The continuation of frequent group meetings was important to the feeling of inclusion within the group despite the many months that were spent working remotely. I believe our efficiency working together was as good as it could be, considering the challenges at the time. During the pandemic, Ian and I still had appropriately regular direct remote meetings.”
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