Staff profile

Stan Taylor was educated at the Universities of Oxford and Warwick. For many years he researched and taught in the social sciences at Warwick before moving into academic staff development. Subsequently he became Director of Quality Enhancement at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and then Director of the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development at Durham University, where he is currently an Honorary Professor in the School of Education.　

He formally retired in 2013, but has continued with his long-standing work in doctoral education.

He has facilitated workshops with doctoral supervisors to enhance their practice in over 50 universities in the UK and many overseas in Europe and the Far East.

In 2016, he was co-opted to the Executive Committee of the UK Council for Graduate Education to oversee the creation of the Research Supervisors’ Network, of which he is currently the chair. In 2018-2019, he authored the UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework and subsequently led on the development of an associated Supervisor Recognition programme. By 2023,  supervisors in over 50 universities in the UK and overseas had gained recognition for their good supervisory practice.

In 2022, in association with colleagues from the School of Education in Durham and the University of Sophia in Bulgaria, he was a founding member of the International Centre for the Comparative Study of Doctoral Education (https://iccsde.com/).  

He remains an active researcher in the field. In 2023, he co-edited and contributed to a special issue of Innovations in Education and Teaching International on ‘The Changing Landscape of Doctoral Education’. Recent books include (with Vijay Kumar and Sharon Sharmini (eds.)) Doctoral Examination: Exploring Practice Across the Globe (Routledge, 2023) and (with Margaret Kiley and Karri. A. Holley (eds.)) The Making of Doctoral Supervisors (Routledge 2021) and (with Margaret Kiley and Robin Humphrey) A Handbook for Doctoral Supervisors (Routledge, 2018).

 His current project (with Margaret Kiley) is a third edition of ‘A Handbook for Doctoral Supervisors’ to be published by Routledge in 2024.

• 2021: Honorary Member of the Association of Professionals in Doctoral Education, based at the University of Vienna:
• 2020: Honorary Life Member, UK Council for Graduate Education:
• 2020: Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy:
• 2019: Chair, Research Supervisors' Network, UK Council for Graduate Education:
• 2016: Co-opted to Executive: UK Council for Graduate Education:
• 2015: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts:
• 2014: Consultant: Higher Education Academy:
• 2012: Accreditor: Higher Education Academy:
• 2009: Faculty member: European Doctoral Association in Management and Business Studies Supervisor School:
• 2007: External Examiner: University of York:
• 2004: Member of the coordinating group on Quality in Doctoral Education, European Universities Association Doctoral Programmes Project:
• 2000: Auditor: Quality Assurance Agency:
• 2000: External Examiner: University of Nottingham:

Authored book

• Taylor, S., Kiley, M., & Humphrey, R. (2018). A Handbook for Doctoral Supervisors. (2nd Ed.). Routledge
• Taylor, S., & Beasley, N. (2005). A Handbook for Doctoral Supervisors. RoutledgeFalmer

Chapter in book

• Kumar, V., Taylor, S., & Sharmini, S. (2023). United Kingdom. In Doctoral Examination: Exploring Practice Across the Globe (165-176)
• Taylor, S., & Clegg, K. (2021). Towards a Framework for the Recognition of Good Supervisory Practice. In A. Lee, & R. Bongaardt (Eds.), The Future of Doctoral Research Challenges and Opportunities (224-238). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003015383
• Taylor, S. (2021). The United Kingdom. In S. Taylor, M. Kiley, & K. Holley (Eds.), The Making of Doctoral Supervisions. Routledge
• Taylor, S. (2016). Managing your doctorate. In T. Greenfield, & S. Greener (Eds.), Research Methods for Postgraduates. John Wiley and Sons
• Taylor, S., & Kiley, M. (2014). Supervising research students. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall (Eds.), A Handbook for Learning and Teaching. (4th). Routledge
• Taylor, S. (2009). The Post-Humboldtian Doctorate: Implications for Supervisory Practice. In V. King, F. Deepwell, L. Clouder, & L. A. C. Broughan (Eds.), Academic Futures: Inquiries into Higher Education and Pedagogy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing
• Taylor, S. (2002). Managing Postgraduate Research Degrees. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall (Eds.), The Effective Academic: Handbook of Enhanced. Kogan Page

Conference Paper

• Taylor, S. (2016). Benchmarking Supervisor Development.
• Taylor, S. (2007). Towards a pedagogy of research supervision.

Edited book

• Kumar, V., Taylor, S., & Sharmini, S. (Eds.). (2023). Doctoral Examination: Exploring Practice Across the Globe
• Taylor, S., Kiley, M., & Holley., K. (Eds.). (2021). The Making of Doctoral Supervisors. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429274831

Journal Article

• Holley, K. A., Taylor, S., & Kiley, M. (2023). The changing landscape of doctoral education: Conclusions and further research. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(5), 784-792. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2237934
• Taylor, S., & Wisker, G. (2023). The changing landscape of doctoral education in the UK. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(5), 759-774. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2237943
• Taylor, S. (2023). The changing landscape of doctoral education: A framework for analysis and introduction to the special issue. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(5), 606-622. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2237962
• Taylor, S., & McCulloch, A. (2017). Mapping the landscape of awards for research supervision: A comparison of Australia and the UK. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 54(6), 601-614
• Taylor, S. (2014). Towards a Framework for the Professional Development of Doctoral Supervisors. SDF digest, 2, 74-87
• Taylor, S. (2012). Changes in doctoral education: implications for supervisors in developing early career researchers
• Taylor, S. (2008). Thinking of Research Supervision as a Form of Teaching

Monograph

• Taylor, S. (2022). Developments in Doctoral Examination in the UK. UK Council for Graduate Education. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2021). Towards Describing the Doctoral Education Landscape. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S., & Humphrey, R. (2021). A Guide for Research Supervisors in Organisations Outside Higher Education. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2021). Managing Supervisory Loads by Centrally Limiting Student Numbers: an investigation into practice in institutions in the UK. UK Council for Graduate Education. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Kumar, S., Kumar, V., & Taylor, S. (2020). A Guide to Online Supervision. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2020). Supervision, wellbeing and the mental health of doctoral students. Postgraduate Research Catalyst Project, Durham University Counselling Service
• Taylor, S. (2019). Good Supervisory Practice Framework. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2018). Eligibility to Supervise: A Study of UK Institutions. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2017). The Research Supervisor’s Bibliography. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2017). Enhancing Practice in Research Supervision. UK Council for Graduate Education
• Taylor, S. (2016). UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) Dimensions of the Framework for Doctoral Supervisors. The Higher Education Academy
• Taylor, S., Loughlin, E., Martin, E., & McComb, T. (2010). Induction for Postgraduate Research Students. Society for Research into Higher Education