Misuse of power in research - a personal dilemma

Published over 3 years ago • 3 min read

Through my work in open science I often talk to PhD students and postdocs about their work on a very personal level. I hear a lot of stories that speak about misuse of power by professors.

One of the biggest topics in the news these days is the abuse of power by famous German metal band Rammstein's lead singer. He used his power to sexually abuse women (I'd say allegedly but the evidence seems to be quite clear already). This post is not about Rammstein, but it is about power abuse.

The stories I hear in my work are based on the power of professors. Let's say you are a PhD student. Your PhD supervisor is not only the person who should support you in your research endeavor, but also who decides whether you get a PhD. Additionally that person usually is your boss. Your supervisor is the person who can make or break your scientific career.

If you are lucky you have a wonderful PhD supervisor and committee like I did. Then all that is okay. If you are less lucky, your PhD can turn into a nightmare. And unfortunately I hear of many nightmares.

Examples of power abuse

Here are some example stories that I have come across. Often they don't involve obvious abuse but show the little things where power misuse comes up. Most abusers use several of the small tactics below and many more beyond. I will not name specifics, as I want to ensure that this does not backfire on anyone.

  • A supervisor makes a PhD student promise that they will continue their papers after their defense. Otherwise the PhD student would not be allowed to finish the PhD.
  • A supervisor makes a PhD student write "just one more paper" after already having asked for that before the last paper.
  • A supervisor puts pressure on their PhD students to work on the weekend. Even though they don't even have 100% positions. The supervisor makes clear that only those who really love research will succeed (equaling "love research" with "give up your free time").
  • A supervisor supports only the already strong students in their lab.
  • A supervisor gets mad at a PhD student for quitting their job and moving to another lab before having finished their PhD (yet close to the finish line).
  • A supervisor who kicks out people from the PhD committee who are of a different opinion that him.
  • A supervisor who puts the blame for something that went wrong on the PhD student. Even though the supervisor at least should get part of the blame.
  • A supervisor who makes PhD students work on things that are really not part of their job.
  • ... and many more ...

Do you suffer under power abuse? Please talk to somebody you trust. Research institutions usually also have a dedicated person for situations like these (at least in my country): An Ombudsperson.

My personal dilemma

In my workshops I listen and morally support PhD students who suffer from power abuse. I try to clearly voice that what they are going through is not okay and that they are not the problem.

Sometimes I also talk to people in private and ask if I should do more. Yet they never want me to. They are worried that doing anything will backfire on them.

There are certain cases where I continue to struggle. I hear stories about certain supervisors from more than one student. Should I talk to someone? An Ombudsperson? What if it does backfire in the end on the students? Should I do something to save the next generation of students from suffering through the same even though the current PhD students don't want me to act?

What would you do?

Thanks to Hazel and Thomas who inspired me to write this post. In their podcast Hazel Thomas Hörerlebnis they said that everybody is responsible to keep their field in check and with more visibility you get more responsibility. This post is to show that I take my responsibility seriously and that I am truly trying to figure out the best way to help. It is hard though. Really hard.

All the best,

Heidi

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