We invited Madhu to join our panel of associated academic mentors and the interview series after having been impressed by her work on the positive and negative impact of phrasing feedback in supervisor-student relationships. Madhu is a lecturer at Tribhuvan University in Nepal. She received her Master of Education (TESOL) degree from the University of Sydney, Australia, and PhD from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she is currently working as a Postdoctoral Fellow researching graduate research and supervision.

In our discussions, Madhu has shared deeply compassionate and optimistic perspectives on the experience of student researchers and the leverage inherent in a supervisor’s role. In her research, she has found evidence for the detrimental and supportive power that a harsh and a kind word in feedback can have on student motivations, sense of self-worth, and advancement. One key perspective she shared that we’d wish every academic supervisor would every once in a while be reminded by is that it is a choice for supervisors to look upon their students’ work and be either interested or not. Another of her thoughts which made a lasting impression was her reminder that we as supervisors cannot give what we do not have. From her perspective, (we) supervisors need to be continuous learners. Madhu is convinced we can make a difference if we take the responsibility of supervision seriously.