Winners Supervisor of the Year Award 2025
Winners PhD Supervisor of the Year Awards 2025 announced at festive event.
On 30 October, the PhD Council of the Graduate School of Life Sciences announced the recipients of the 2025 PhD Supervisor of the Year Awards.
The event featured a collegial atmosphere, complete with refreshments and live music by BombaNaranja, bringing together PhD candidates, supervisors, and staff to reflect on what makes great supervision. This year’s celebration began with an engaging panel discussion exploring a key aspect of PhD supervision: how to collaborate effectively in sharing responsibility throughout the PhD journey. Three scenarios were presented, highlighting the importance of clear communication and managing expectations, realistic planning while maintaining work-life balance, and open dialogue to ensure fairness and trust.
It is important that supervision tasks are clearly distributed among the members of the supervisory team, and that they coordinate effectively when responsibilities need to be transferred. These tasks should also be discussed with the PhD candidate to ensure mutual understanding and alignment of expectations. In the final phase of the PhD, aligning expectations becomes even more critical. A clear and detailed plan should be established, taking into account the responsibilities of both the candidate and the supervisors, to ensure timely completion.
After the discussion, the GSLS PhD Council revealed the shortlist of nominees and highlighted why their PhD candidates were so content with the supervision they received. A clear theme emerged: the qualities that define outstanding supervision. Supportive and approachable, committed and encouraging, honest and transparent—these supervisors empower students, prioritise well-being, and inspire through scientific excellence. Despite the outstanding quality of all nominees, two stood out as winners. Congratulations to Ghislaine van Thiel, awarded PhD Co-Supervisor of the Year, and Jaap Wagenaar, awarded PhD Supervisor of the Year!
The shortlist of nominees included great supervisors, praised by their PhD candidates.
PhD co-supervisors: Gisela Slaats (UMC Utrecht), Kathryn Barry (Utrecht University), Suzan Ruijtenberg (Utrecht University), Ghislaine van Thiel (UMC Utrecht), Puck van Kasteren (RIVM)
PhD supervisors: Roland Kuiper (Prinses Máxima Center), Celia Berkers (Utrecht University), Jaap Wagenaar (Utrecht University), Laetitia de Kort (UMC Utrecht), Remco de Bree (UMC Utrecht)
We spoke to the winners to gain further insight into their approaches to supervision.
PhD Co-Supervisor of 2025
Ghislaine van Thiel, Global Public Health & Bioethics, UMC Utrecht
What is your personal supervision style?
I strive for a personal and supportive supervision style, and add some fun to it! Our PhD students are intelligent and ambitious young people. As a supervisor I try to figure out what helps each individual to flourish and succeed. I value personal contact and I'm not afraid to show my own weaknesses and faults. These are by the way great topics to laugh about together, which I like because we as supervisors have an important role in keeping the work fun.
What do you like most about supervising PhD candidates?
Every person is different and I like to teach and help others solve problems.
What is the most important lesson you learned throughout your career as a supervisor?
To not only focus on the destination, but also enjoy the journey together with your colleagues.
What would be your advice for colleagues that recently started supervising?
Take the opportunity to develop your skills by participating in courses for supervisors.
PhD Supervisor of 2025
Jaap Wagenaar, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Utrecht University
What is your personal supervision style?
A PhD-student and supervisor will work together for at least four years. I believe that it is important for the supervisor to know about personal circumstances of the PhD student. Is there housing stress, uncertainty about health issues in the family, visa issues? Furthermore, I like to support them in their personal preferences: some like to develop just as researcher, others like to explore teaching or see their future more in policy or business. Beyond developing as researcher, I like to support them to have the best CV for their chosen path. Not everyone continues in academia. One of my former PhD students is now the happy owner of a restaurant in Giethoorn. With a PhD on Campylobacter, it is most probably one of the safest restaurant in the world!
What do you like most about supervising PhD candidates?
All PhD students are so different in background and need a unique way of supervising. Working with a new generation at the start of their career with so many options for their future inspires me.
What is the most important lesson you learned throughout your career as a supervisor?
I have to adapt to the diversity of PhD students!
What would be your advice for colleagues that recently started supervising?
Communicate and listen well!
