A PhD student's worst nightmare (1 Viewer)

[gygyggy]

I am having one of the worst nightmares with my PhD studies. The problem is not that my experiments are not working, but rather my lab has ran out of research funding and my head of school want me to switch supervisors, which means starting all over again....orz


I started PhD beginning of 2006 at the University of New South wales in Sydney, Australia. Recently my supervisor told me that research funding for my project has "disappeared", and asked me to change supervisors. I went to my postgraduate coordinator and head of school and told them that I want to continue on with the same project so that the time I spent this year doesn't go down the toilet, but they said that the school doesn't have the necessary expertise and resources for me to continue on with the same project, and said that all they can do is find me a new project and I would have to start all over...with a year of my time wasted for nothing....essentially restarting my PhD. This is really disturbing, as I have made significant progress in my project (about a third is finished) and I worked consistently hard, but now they want me to shove all that down the toilet and waste a year of my life without giving me a proper reason?!!



Are Universities allowed to do this and then getting away with it?! Is this even legal?!

 

[poloktim]

orz orz orz OTL OTL OTL OTZ OTZ OTZ

オマエモナ

They probably can do that, if they run out of money you can't get given any more. You can't use what isn't there.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Sounds shitty. I blame John Howard. What was the research you were doing?

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

yes they did this with a friend of my brother's... it was monash tho..

 

[thejosiekiller]

bad luck

 

[takkss10]

How awful! I really don't think it's fair that they don't fund your project. I realise that they don't have the funds available, but they shoud make every effort to get them from somewhere else. Universities have lots of pots of money for various things and there are means and ways. Perhaps you need to go above your department and contact someone to complain??

Failing that, what about contacting other universities to explain your situation? Tell them that you are 1/3 of the way through a very good worthwhile PhD but funding has run out. Institutions might go for this as they get a good bargain i.e., a PhD that only needs to be funded for a short while, a tick on their list of PhD completions and some worthwhile research!

Finally, the only other option is to try and incorporate your research into a different inexpensive idea. Nothing is ever wasted! Think of how much you've learnt this past year!!!!

Good luck!
Kathryn