Supervisor and Course of the Year

As a student you can nominate your supervisor for the Supervisor of the Year award by filling out the form to nominate your supervisor for 2024. The open call runs until July 3, 2024. During this period you can fill in the form in which you share the best practices, skills, and qualities of your supervisor that you think makes them eligible for deserving this award.

Furthermore, you can nominate one of your courses as course of the year 2024. You can do this by using this form to nominate your course. 

The winner of the Supervisor of the Year award 2023/2024 is ROBINE JANSSEN. Robine Janssen is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University. She supervises students from the Master's programme Regenerative Medicine. Because of excellent supervision, she has been nominated individually by three of her students for this award. 

Best practices of Robine Janssen;

• Student 1:
  Robine gives you the confidence to work alone, but is always there to help.
• Student 2:
  My supervisor, Robine, excels at achieving the ideal balance between guidance and autonomy, consistently leaving me feeling supported, valued, and empowered throughout my entire internship.​
• Student 3:
  My supervisor gracefully balances an incredibly full plate of responsibilities while being attentive and thorough throughout every pursuit.​​ 

In parallel, students had the opportunity to nominate courses for the coveted Course of the Year award. The GSLS Educational Committee meticulously considered nominations and course evaluations to identify the standout performers. Two courses emerged victorious in the 2024 edition: 'Career Orientation & Professionalisation,' despite its imminent discontinuation in its current format, received accolades for consistent outstanding feedback from students. The second award was conferred upon 'Concepts in Cancer Biology,' recognized for its role in nurturing critical thinking and sparking enthusiasm for the intricate and vital realm of cancer biology.

The winner of the Supervisor of the Year award 2022/2023 is LEANNE DE JAGER. Leanne de Jager is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University. She supervises students from the Master's programme Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences. Because of excellent supervision, she has been nominated individually by three of her students for this award. 

Best practices of Leanne de Jager;

• Student 1:
  Her kindness, patience, intelligence, and organisational talent. Also, she always trusted in her students and helped me work independently without micro-managing.
• Student 2:
  She lets her students figure out and solve experimental problems without providing the answer, but with providing enough help so that we do not feel too overwhelmed or discouraged. She keeps the learning curve in mind really well, and that is the most important thing to her for her students. She taught me that failure is just as important, if not more important, as/than success in the scientific process. Furthermore, she inspires the student to go just that bit further and be more creative in experimental design and solutions.​
• Student 3:
  She is very enthusiastic about science, which is contagious and makes it a very motivational work environment. She is also kind and patient when progress is slow, recognises that learning requires time, and invests time for that learning. I would say she is a great example of how to do science, not just in the practical sense, but also in how to position yourself in academia. Academia can be a daunting world for young women. Leanne was a great example of how to work hard, but set boundaries to maintain a strong work/life balance. She encouraged me to be more confident, for example in speaking up and asking questions in meetings and conferences. She has also been very supportive in finding a second internship position, and now in applying for a PhD candidacy.​