‘Making Supervision Work as a Mature PhD Student’
Systems, Self, and Relationships
A webinar to support those beginning or settling into their PhD journeys later in life.
Date: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Time: 5:00–7:00 PM (UK) | 6:00–8:00 PM (WAT) | 12:00–2:00 PM (ET) | 9:00–11:00 AM (PT)
Venue: Online on Teams
About the Webinar
Supervision sits at the centre of the PhD experience, yet it is one of the least explained and most misunderstood parts of doctoral study, especially for mature learners.
Many doctoral students return to academia with established professional identities, family responsibilities, and full lives already in motion. Navigating supervision in this context can raise quiet questions: How much guidance should I expect? What is my responsibility versus my supervisor’s? How do I manage feedback, expectations, and power dynamics without losing confidence or direction?
This webinar creates space to address those questions honestly and practically.
Rather than focusing on theory, the session explores supervision as it is lived, operational, relational, and deeply personal.
Meet the Speakers
Dr Anna Molnár
Anna Molnar is a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading. Anna completed her PhD in History at King’s College London in 2024, focusing on women’s roles in urban finances in late medieval Vienna. Before joining the University of Reading, Anna was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Economic History Society and the Institute of Historical Research. She holds an MA in Medieval History and a BSc in Economics.
Dr Ifeoma Dan-Ogosi
Dr Ifeoma Dan-Ogosi is a senior lecturer in public health at the University of the West of England and a dedicated mentor, researcher, and advocate for inclusive education. She earned her MSc and PhD as a mature student while raising four children and working full-time. With a background in the corporate and public sectors, she understands the unique challenges mature learners face. She co-chairs the 100 Black Women Professors Now programme steering board and co-founded the Safe Space for Black female academics at UWE. Known for her candid, compassionate approach, she champions equity and belonging in higher education.
Francis Bob Alonge
Francis Bob Alonge is a final-year PGR who brings a unique approach to research through his multi-disciplinary academic journey in architecture, educational leadership, theology, and media & cultural studies. He sees himself as an eclectic storyteller, advocate, and leader. As a Christian Bishop, educator, media consultant, and cultural engineer, he integrates these roles into his work. His research interests include digital religion, race, ethnicity, migration, social divisions and identity, globalisation, discourse analysis and framing, and chaplaincy. His PhD thesis is titled “Mediating Chaplaincy” and examines digital media use by multi-faith university chaplaincies during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic.
What This Session Will Explore
The webinar is structured around three connected areas to be delivered by three speakers that shape the supervision experience for mature PhD students.
‘Understanding the Systems of Supervision’
Led by Dr Anna Molnár
We begin by unpacking the operational side of supervision. This includes finding the right supervisor, understanding roles and expectations, managing meetings, reports, feedback cycles, and knowing how the relationship continues beyond the viva through references, publications, and career transitions.
‘Taking Ownership of Your PhD Journey’
Led by Dr Ifeoma Dan-Ogosi
Supervision works best when doctoral candidates understand where guidance ends and responsibility begins. This section focuses on agency, self-direction, and decision-making, particularly for mature learners who are used to leadership and autonomy in other areas of life.
‘Managing the Supervision Relationship as a Mature Learner’
Led by Francis Bob Alonge
Returning to study later in life often means bringing experience, expertise, and confidence into academic spaces. We explore how to hold that identity well, how to engage supervisors constructively, and how to manage tension, feedback, and difference without damaging relationships or diminishing yourself.
Who This Webinar Is For
This session is designed for:
- Mature and non-traditional PhD students
- Those considering doctoral study and wanting clarity before starting
- Doctoral researchers navigating complex supervisory relationships
- Academics and professionals returning to study after time away
Why This Matters Now
For mature learners, supervision is rarely just academic. It intersects with identity, confidence, time, emotional labour, and responsibility. Understanding how to navigate it well can shape not only your PhD outcomes, but your experience of the journey itself.
What You Will Gain
By the end of the session, participants will:
- Understand how supervision systems work in practice
- Gain clarity on their role and responsibilities as doctoral researchers
- Develop strategies for managing supervisory relationships with confidence
- Feel better equipped to engage supervision as a collaborative process
Date:
Thursday, 29 January 2026
Time:
5:00–7:00 PM (UK / GMT)
6:00–8:00 PM (WAT)
12:00–2:00 PM (Eastern Time, USA)
9:00–11:00 AM (Pacific Time, USA)
Venue:
Online on Teams
REGISTER HERE
Host
Adeola Eze is an educationist, researcher, and literacy advocate with over 27 years of experience across teaching, educational leadership, publishing, and communication. She is currently a PhD researcher at Coventry University, where her work explores book history, publishing, and digital communication, with a focus on how ancient and modern writing practices inform contemporary publishing.
Adeola is the founder of PhD Beyond 50 and LinkedIn Group, ‘PhD for Mature Learners’, spaces created to support mature and non-traditional learners navigating doctoral study alongside full lives and responsibilities. Her work bridges academic research and lived experience, creating reflective, practical spaces for learning, mentorship, and community.
She is passionate about helping scholars reclaim confidence, clarity, and voice in their academic journeys.
