Supervisor support

The Doctoral Academy’s Supervisor Development Programme is here to help you build and improve your skills as a supervisor. The induction session is mandatory if you want to undertake MPhil or PhD supervision at LJMU. You can also access training and resources to help you to use eDoc, LJMU’s online system for tracking PGR progress. There is further support available for examining and for acting as an independent chair.

Follow the links below for more information on workshops and to book a place.

Please contact DoctoralAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk if you have any queries at all.

Supervisor Development Programme

PhD supervisor induction

All sessions take place on campus. Your event booking will be updated with the venue once these have been confirmed.

Wednesday 18 November 2026, 9.30am - 1pm (City campus venue tbc)
Tuesday 12 January 2027, 1pm - 4.30pm (SLB/MP campus venue tbc)
Thursday 18 March 2027, 9.30am - 1pm (City campus venue tbc)
Tuesday 8 June 2027, 1pm - 4.30pm (SLB/MP campus venue tbc)

The session gives staff an overview of the University’s Research Degrees Framework and the provision for postgraduate research across LJMU. It is mandatory for all new supervisors of PhDs, and for academic staff new to LJMU and intending to supervise. Experienced supervisors who would value a refresher are very welcome to join too. Some of the content may also be of interest to supervisors of Professional Doctorates, but the regulatory focus is on PhD programmes. 

Training for the Independent Chair

Thursday 26 November 2026, 10.30 to 11.30am
Monday 8 February 2027, 2 to 3pm
Tuesday 25 May 2027, 2 to 3pm 

All sessions take place online. 

The use of Independent Chairs to oversee the PhD Viva Voce examination is increasingly common in the sector. At LJMU, Independent Chairs can play a crucial role in ensuring and witnessing that examinations are conducted fairly and in accordance with University regulations. This session outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Independent Chair and allows participants to learn from 'this really happened' case studies.

Research Degrees examiner workshop

Thursday 29 October 2026, 2 to 3pm
Tuesday 1 December 2026,10.30 to 11.30am
Monday 11 January 2027, 2 to 3pm
Tuesday 16 March 2027, 10.30 to 11.30am
Monday 19 April 2027, 2 to 3pm
Thursday 27 May 2027, 10.30 to 11.30am

All sessions take place online. 

This workshop aims to prepare staff to act as internal examiners for a PhD candidate at LJMU. It provides information on processes, procedures and approaches, as well as acting as a forum for discussion and sharing practice.

eDoc for supervisors

Tuesday 15 December 2026, 2 to 3pm
Tuesday 20 April 2027, 10 to 11am
Thursday 24 June 2027, 2 to 3pm

All sessions take place online.

eDoc is a comprehensive online progression system for the LJMU PGR community. It keeps all your PGRs in one place and streamlines:

  • Supervision meetings
  • Training and events
  • Progression monitoring
  • Changes to registration, for example, leaves of absence
  • Examinations

The session will provide an overview of the system and highlight key functionality from a supervisor's perspective.

Outside of these times, if you require any specific support you can request a one-to-one session via DoctoralAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk.

Privacy notice for Supervisor Development Programme events

When you sign up for and attend certain supervisor development events, the Doctoral Academy will use this information to manage PGR progression on eDoc. For further information on how we handle your data, please see our information relating to employment.

Resources for supervision