David Papineau wins Supervisory Excellence Award
Posted on 13/04/2012
Professor David Papineau, who has been awarded a College Supervisory Excellence Award for 2011/2
Professor David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy of Science in the Department of Philosophy, has been awarded the College’s ‘Supervisory Excellence Award’ for 2011/2.
Professor Papineau has always been a popular supervisor among research students in the Department, not only because of his reputation as a world-leading academic in his field, but also due to his dedication to the development of his students.
He was nominated by the School of Arts & Humanities on the basis of strong and vocal support from his supervisees.
Dr Marcela Herdova, who completed her PhD studies under Professor Papineau in 2011, commented that:
"David is an excellent supervisor; I have been working with David for over five years, both during my MPhilStud and my PhD, and the support he has given me has been invaluable.
"I very much appreciate not just David’s high quality tutorials and feedback on my written work, but also his continuous encouragement and advice on different aspects of academic life. David has also very kindly taken time to support my award applications and more recently, job applications as well.
"I am especially grateful for David’s support, patience and time in the last months of my PhD, providing critical insights and continuous discussion on my final thesis draft.
"Overall, David’s contribution made a significant difference not only to the quality of my work but also to my experience as a PhD student at King’s and my ability to deal with the demanding workload."
According to Dr Stephen Tiley, who also completed his PhD studies in 2011:
"David always made time for his research students in providing invaluable academic support, and each supervision meeting was intellectually challenging."
Leandro De Brasi, who submitted his thesis last year and has recently passed his viva, added that:
"David has been a constant source of support and encouragement throughout the years. Our meetings were always hugely enjoyable and he never failed to provide very productive and empathic guidance. He is exceptionally able to temper criticism with praise so to provide the right direction and motivation, which makes his mentorship invaluable. It has been a great pleasure to work with David."
The College defines ‘supervisory excellence’ as encapsulating, among other traits:
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History of past supervisory success, e.g. ensuring submission of theses in 3 years (full time)
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Commitment to pastoral care of supervisees
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Engagement with personal and professional development of supervisees, (which could be demonstrated through the activities students participate in during their studies, their career progression, publications, quality of research project etc)
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Innovative supervisory practice.
Many of Professor Papineau’s former supervisees have gone on to pursue successful academic careers, including: Dr Nick Shea (Senior Research Fellow, Somerville College Oxford), Dr Ulrich Stegmann (Lecturer, University of Aberdeen), Dr Finn Spicer (Lecturer, University of Bristol) and Dr Laura Duhau Girola (Research Fellow, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, UNAM, Mexico City)
In recent years, supervisees of Professor Papineau who have successfully obtained academic positions after completion of their PhD studies include Dr Anneli Jefferson (2010: Postdoctoral Researcher, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany), Celia Teixeira (2009: Research Fellow, Lisbon) and Dr Victor Dura-Vila (2009: Temporary Lecturer, Durham University).
Professor Jan Palmowski, Head of the School of Arts & Humanities, commented:
“The School of Arts & Humanities has a passionate commitment to inspiration in teaching and research. We pride ourselves on the quality of our supervision and our emphasis on the professional and academic development of our graduate students. The Supervisory Excellence Awards scheme is an opportunity to reward individuals for their contribution to the School’s commitment in this area.”
Previous winners are Susan Castillo (English), Rory Miller (Middle East & Mediterranean Studies),Sarah Cooper (Film Studies), Catherine Boyle (Spanish Portuguese & Latin American Studies) and Simon Gaunt (French).
You can read more about the College’s Supervisory Excellence awards, and see complete lists of previous winners, on the Graduate School webpages.