Becoming a DiveIn Supervisor

Becoming a supervisor with DiveIn is a 15-month journey, from joining the supervisor pool to your doctoral researcher’s 150-Day Viva. Because projects and teams are co-created rather than set in advance, each milestone builds on the one before. That is why we ask supervisors to plan around the key dates from the outset.

Timeline and Commitments

When

What happens

Your part

Early October

The supervisor pool opens.

Complete the supervisor form, including any updates to your profile. Let us know which Co³ Academy sessions you still need, and commit to joining Scope & Connect in September.

31 October

Deadline for joining the supervisor pool.

Submit your form and commitments. The Catalogue of Possibilities is built from these profiles, so submitting by this date ensures you are included.

Early November

The Catalogue of Possibilities is published, and applications from prospective doctoral researchers open.

Prospective doctoral researchers use the Catalogue to explore what is possible, and some may get in touch with you. We encourage these conversations about your research, your interests and how DiveIn works. Projects and supervisory teams are shaped together at Scope & Connect, so please keep conversations open and hold off on agreeing projects or supervision until then.

January

Applications from prospective doctoral researchers close.

No action needed.

March

Prospective doctoral researchers are interviewed by the DiveIn Directors and existing DiveIn supervisors.

Existing supervisors may be invited to join interview panels.

Early April

Offers are made to prospective doctoral researchers.

Those who have spoken with you may get in touch to check that you are completing the Co³ Academy and will be at Scope & Connect. If you foresee any difficulty, let the DiveIn team know.

Early June

Gather to Spark (Co³ Academy)

Join us if you have not yet completed it. If you have, you are welcome to come back for a refresher.

Late June

Build to Trust (Co³ Academy)

Join us if you have not yet completed it. If you have, you are welcome to come back for a refresher.

July

Places at Scope & Connect are confirmed.

Places are limited. If there is more interest than places, we will run a light-touch selection process after the Co³ Academy.

Summer

The scoping exercise for Scope & Connect is open.

We will share details with participants.

September (Wednesday to Friday of Freshers’ Week)

Scope & Connect

Take part in all three days. This is where doctoral researchers and supervisors come together, and where teams begin to form.

After Scope & Connect

Interdisciplinary teams form and are confirmed.

If you join a team, start shaping the project with your doctoral researcher and fellow supervisors.

November

DiveIn Showcase

Join your team as the project takes shape.

January

150-Day Viva

The whole supervisory team takes part alongside the doctoral researcher.

 

What we ask of you

When you join the DiveIn supervisor pool, we ask you to:

  1. Submit your supervisor form and commitments by 31 October.
  2. Complete Gather to Spark and Build to Trust before Scope & Connect, if you have not already done so.
  3. Take part in all three days of Scope & Connect.
  4. Keep conversations with prospective doctoral researchers open, and leave agreements on projects and supervision until Scope & Connect.
  5. Let the DiveIn team know early if your availability changes.
  6. If you join a team, embrace the interdisciplinarity of the project. This means working as an equal partner across disciplines and helping the project grow beyond any single field.
  7. Take part in DiveIn events with your team, including the Showcase and the 150-Day Viva.

 

What makes DiveIn supervision different

  • Projects are co-created, not predefined. Research directions emerge at and after Scope & Connect, shaped together by doctoral researchers and supervisors.
  • Teams, not hierarchies. There is no first or second supervisor. Each doctoral researcher has a host supervisor, in whose School they are enrolled, and one or two further supervisors from different disciplines.
  • Matching happens through co-creation. Teams form from the preferences and connections that emerge during Scope & Connect, alongside the CDT’s supervisory requirements. Joining the pool does not guarantee you will supervise a doctoral researcher in a given year. Taking part in Scope & Connect will bring you new interdisciplinary connections.

 

Staying in touch

We will contact you by email at each key milestone. If you think you have missed something, search your inbox for [DiveIn CDT] or get in touch at divein-cdt@glasgow.ac.uk.

Understanding the DiveIn Supervisory Model

DiveIn CDT brings together doctoral researchers, academics, industry, and external partners to tackle complex challenges through diversity-led, interdisciplinary research.

As a DiveIn supervisor, you will join a collaborative community committed to developing researchers who can work across disciplines, engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, and transform innovative research into real-world solutions with meaningful impact.

Unlike traditional doctoral recruitment models, DiveIn uses a project co-creation approach. Doctoral researchers are recruited to the CDT rather than to predefined projects. Following recruitment, doctoral researchers and academics participate in a facilitated, sandpit-style event where research ideas are explored, interdisciplinary teams emerge, and doctoral projects begin to take shape.

This site explains the DiveIn supervisory model, the required training, and how project co-creation, team formation, and project development work in practice.

  • Why Supervise with DiveIn?

    DiveIn brings together expertise from across disciplines, industries, organisations, and lived experiences to create innovative research opportunities and address complex societal challenges.

    As a supervisor, you will:

    • Collaborate with colleagues from diverse disciplines.
    • Engage with industry, public-sector, and third-sector partners.
    • Contribute to a diverse and inclusive research culture.
    • Support doctoral researchers through a structured development programme.
    • Shape impactful, mission-driven research.
    • Build new interdisciplinary collaborations and networks.
  • The DiveIn Model

    Most doctoral projects begin with a predefined research proposal and an established supervisory team.

    DiveIn takes a different approach.

    • Doctoral researchers are recruited to the CDT without a predefined project or supervisory team.
    • Doctoral researchers and prospective supervisors take part in preparatory training designed to support interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusive research practices and project co-creation.
    • Doctoral researchers and prospective supervisors attend a three-day sandpit-style event (Scope & Connect) where challenge-led research opportunities, interests, and emerging ideas are explored.
    • Through facilitated activities, project ideas emerge, collaborations develop, and prospective supervisory teams begin to take shape.
    • Interdisciplinary working is embedded from the outset.

    This approach enables projects to be shaped by diverse perspectives while ensuring doctoral researchers play an active role in defining their research direction.

    To support an open and genuinely collaborative co-creation process, project ideas and supervisory teams are developed through Scope & Connect. Prospective supervisors must not develop projects directly with prospective doctoral researchers or agree supervisory arrangements before this event.

  • Becoming a DiveIn Supervisor

    Academics interested in supervising must join the DiveIn Supervisor Pool.

    Membership of the supervisor pool enables you to:

    • Have your profile included in the DiveIn Catalogue of Possibilities, which is shared with prospective doctoral researchers.
    • Participate in the Co³ Academy supervisor development programme.
    • Attend the Scope & Connect sandpit-style event.
    • Explore opportunities to contribute to supervisory teams and wider project networks.
    • Develop interdisciplinary partnerships across the College of Science and Engineering and beyond.
    • Connect with industry and stakeholder partners involved in the CDT.

Supervisor Training

The Co³ Academy

The Co³ Academy is a supervisor development programme designed specifically for the DiveIn model. It brings prospective supervisors together as a cohort to build shared approaches to inclusive supervision, interdisciplinary research, collaborative project development, and the wider DiveIn supervisory community.

Participation in the Co³ Academy is an essential and mandatory component of becoming a DiveIn supervisor.

Prospective supervisors are required to complete Gather to Spark and Build to Trust once to be eligible to participate in future Scope & Connect events; further Co3 Academy events are planned for current supervisors.

Through a combination of workshops and facilitated activities, prospective supervisors will:

  • Develop skills for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research thinking.
  • Promote trusted, responsible, and open research practices.
  • Strengthen inclusive supervision and leadership approaches.
  • Build connections across the DiveIn supervisory community.
  • Gather to Spark

    Gather to Spark is an interactive workshop designed to prepare prospective supervisors for the distinctive DiveIn model of researcher recruitment, project co-creation, and interdisciplinary supervision.

    Unlike traditional doctoral programmes, research projects and supervisory teams are not defined before recruitment. Instead, prospective supervisors and doctoral researchers come together through a structured, sandpit-style process to explore challenges, build collaborations, and co-create doctoral research projects. Gather to Spark equips prospective supervisors with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to engage effectively in this process.

    During the workshop, prospective supervisors will:

    • Develop an understanding of the DiveIn project co-creation model and how it differs from traditional PhD supervision.
    • Explore approaches for fostering creativity, collaboration, and interdisciplinary thinking.
    • Learn practical techniques for supporting project development within diverse teams.
    • Reflect on their own working and collaboration preferences and how these can contribute to team formation.
    • Build confidence in participating in and supporting facilitated innovation and co-creation activities.
    • Connect with fellow prospective supervisors and begin developing relationships across the DiveIn community.

    By the end of the session, prospective supervisors will have a shared understanding of the principles, behaviours, and practices that underpin successful collaboration within DiveIn, enabling them to contribute effectively to Scope & Connect  and the development of innovative, interdisciplinary doctoral projects.

  • Build to Trust

    Build to Trust explores how prospective supervisors can foster a positive research culture and support researchers to navigate the evolving landscape of Trusted, Responsible and Open Research and Innovation (TRORI).

    As doctoral researchers increasingly work across disciplines, organisations, sectors, and international partnerships, supervisors play a critical role in helping them understand the opportunities, responsibilities, and expectations associated with today’s research and innovation environment.

    Through discussions and interactive activities, prospective supervisors will:

    • Explore the principles of Trusted, Responsible and Open Research and Innovation and their practical relevance to doctoral research.
    • Gain awareness of current developments, requirements, and expectations relating to research governance, compliance, and research integrity.
    • Consider the opportunities and challenges associated with interdisciplinary, collaborative, and externally engaged research.
    • Reflect on how supervision can support ethical, responsible, and impactful research practices.
    • Contribute to shaping the values and research culture that underpin the DiveIn community.

    By the end of the workshop, prospective supervisors will have a stronger understanding of the wider context in which doctoral research takes place and be better equipped to support researchers in conducting high-quality, responsible, and impactful research.

  • Scope & Connect

    Scope & Connect is the cornerstone of the DiveIn project co-creation model. This sandpit-style event brings together doctoral researchers and members of the DiveIn supervisor pool to explore research opportunities, build interdisciplinary connections, and develop the foundations of future PhD projects.

    Unlike traditional doctoral recruitment, projects are not defined in advance. Instead, participants draw on their expertise, experiences, and interests to explore challenges, identify opportunities, and develop innovative research directions collaboratively.

    Through a carefully facilitated process, participants are supported to make new connections, challenge assumptions, and bring together perspectives from different disciplines. The focus is not on arriving with a fully formed project idea, but on working together to discover promising areas of enquiry and build teams around shared ambitions.

    During the event, participants will:

    • Explore challenge-led research opportunities within the DiveIn Strategic Research Areas.
    • Develop a deeper understanding of the expertise, interests, and perspectives of fellow participants.
    • Engage in creative problem-solving and structured ideation activities.
    • Identify areas where interdisciplinary collaboration can generate new approaches and insights.
    • Identify potential project teams based on complementary expertise and shared interests.
    • Begin shaping research questions and project concepts that can be developed into PhD-ready proposals.

    By the end of the event, participants will have developed new interdisciplinary connections, explored potential project directions, and identified the people with whom they would like to continue working.

    Following the event, supervisory teams are confirmed and supported to further refine project ideas into doctoral research proposals.

Participation in the supervisor pool, Co³ Academy, or Scope & Connect does not automatically lead to membership of a supervisory team. Supervisory teams are formed through the project co-creation process, taking into account the interests, expertise, and preferences identified during Scope & Connect, alongside the CDT’s supervisory requirements. While supervisors are encouraged to support prospective applicants and share information about the CDT, this does not imply a future supervisory relationship. Supervisory arrangements are not agreed before the event and emerge through the co-creation process.

 

Why is training required?

The DiveIn model differs significantly from traditional doctoral supervision.

All DiveIn researchers have at least two, and up to three, supervisors from different disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is one of the CDT’s key strengths and relies on effective collaboration across supervisory teams.

The Co³ Academy helps create a shared understanding of:

  • Inclusive supervision practices.
  • Diversity-led research approaches.
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Project co-creation methodologies.
  • Student-centred doctoral development.
  • Collaborative supervision within multidisciplinary teams.

The programme ensures supervisors are equipped to support researchers effectively while contributing to a positive, inclusive, and connected CDT community.

What Happens at Scope & Connect?

Scope & Connect is designed to support the development of interdisciplinary doctoral projects through a structured process of challenge exploration, connection-building, and project refinement.

  • Before the Event: Sort the Challenge

    Participants are invited to submit challenge-led research opportunities, questions, and areas of interest connected to the DiveIn Strategic Research Areas. These contributions are then clustered into a smaller number of opportunity areas, creating a participant-led starting point for discussion at Scope & Connect.

    Outcome:
    • A shared set of challenge areas for exploration.
    • A greater understanding of the expertise and interests represented across the cohort.
    • A focused starting point for interdisciplinary team formation and project co-creation.

  • During Scope & Connect

    During the 3-day event, doctoral researchers and academics come together in a highly interactive, facilitated environment designed to spark new ideas, build interdisciplinary connections, and explore challenge-led research opportunities.

    Outcome:

    • New interdisciplinary connections and potential collaborations.
    • Emerging project concepts aligned with the DiveIn Strategic Research Areas.
    • A clearer understanding of research challenges and opportunities.
    • Indications of preferred collaborators and project directions to inform team formation following the event.
  • After the Event

    At the end of the event, participants identify the emerging projects they are most interested in pursuing and the individuals they would like to include within their emerging project network. Doctoral researchers indicate potential supervisors and collaborators who could contribute to the development of their project, while academics highlight the doctoral researchers and emerging projects they feel best placed to support.

    Following the event, the CDT works with doctoral researchers to develop a proposed supervisory team, drawing on the preferences and connections identified during the event. In doing so, we seek to preserve the collaborations that emerge through the co-creation process while ensuring supervisory teams meet programme requirements and supporting a balanced distribution of supervision opportunities across the DiveIn community.

    Once teams have been confirmed, doctoral researchers and supervisors begin working together to further refine the project concept, develop the research questions, and shape the project into a PhD-ready proposal.

    Outcome:

    • Interdisciplinary supervisory teams are confirmed.
    • Doctoral researchers establish an initial network of academic connections and expertise beyond their supervisory team.
    • Project teams collaborate to develop their emerging ideas into coherent research projects.
    • Project proposals are prepared for presentation and review at the 150-day Viva. 

Learn more about the DiveIn PhD Journey