Marlon was not getting along with his supervisors. This is a case study about how Marlon improved his situation with the help of an MGA advocate.
Published Date 25/08/2026
Marlon never saw his primary supervisor, who was a very senior academic and was rarely on campus. On top of that his associate supervisor never seemed happy with his progress.
To make matters worse, Marlon had a milestone coming up and was not sure that he would pass. Since he didn't feel confident turning to his supervisors, he wasn't sure where to turn.
Three weeks prior to the milestone, Marlon became more anxious. He needed support and advice. He made a smart choice and went to see an MGA advocate.
So, what did the advocate do to help?
Firstly, Marlon was assured that the consultation with the advocate was independent. The MGA is not a part of Monash University and, as such, the advocate’s role is to guide students through any applicable internal processes and provide options. It would then be entirely up to Marlon if he wanted to act on the options or not.
Secondly, Marlon was pointed to the relevant policy for his situation. His advocate guided him through the following documents:
- Graduate research student supervision procedure
- Graduate research student supervision policy
What did Marlon do?
These documents set out the obligations of supervisors and explain their role. For example, it explains the process for changing supervisors and contains a link to the relevant form.
As Marlon and the advocate spoke, it became clear that Marlon’s interest in the research area had actually moved in a slightly different direction from when he first started his degree. Under the circumstances, he felt it was appropriate to find a new supervisor who was an expert in the field.
Marlon said he would start to look for another supervisor and consult with his HDR coordinator, who would hopefully be able to point him in the right direction. Marlon was also directed to ResearchGate at Monash to source a new supervisor who was research-active in the relevant field.
This change of supervision was a turning point for Marlon, one which he may not have made had it not been for the MGA advocacy service.
If you're a research student with questions about supervision, you can visit our dedicated webpage here. Further independent, free advice is always available to you from our advocacy service! Email us at mga-advocacy@monash.edu.