What does it take to be an outstanding PhD supervisor?

21 April 2026

Congratulations to Professor Juliet Willetts for being named Supervisor of the Year in the 2025 UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence. As part of her research, most recently in the areas of water and sanitation in Asia and the Pacific, and making significant contributions to gender equality, climate resilience, governance, accountability and urban development, Juliet offers transformative doctoral supervision.

Prof Juliet Willetts and and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Prof Kate McGrath

The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence celebrate the people shaping the UTS research community, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and building inclusive and collaborative cultures.

The Supervisor of the Year award acknowledges Juliet’s sustained efforts at the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures where she combines academic rigour with deep care for people and purpose to strengthen our research community, empower the next generation and deliver global impact. Through her leadership, UTS continues to grow a globally engaged research community, committed to advancing public purpose and social justice.

Fostering research excellence

A mentor to dozens of early‑career researchers and new supervisors, Juliet models inclusive, ethical and collaborative research practice. She contributes extensively to higher degree training, research impact initiatives and university service, while advocating for equity, wellbeing and flexible academic pathways.

Juliet enjoys supporting others in their personal journey of exploration, discovery and insight within both the Institute for Sustainable Futures and the broader research environment at UTS.

“I love working with PhD researchers that value practical, grounded research that can make a difference,” she said, adding that she has been lucky to supervise fantastic students.

A healthy, meaningful supervision relationship requires trust, taking the time to know and support the person as a whole.

Juliet’s approach to supervision has shaped UTS’s transdisciplinary research culture, actively connecting researchers to policy makers, industry and communities. As a result, many of her former students now hold influential roles across academia, government and international development, forming a legacy of research leadership that extends well beyond the university.

Juliet believes that to be an effective HDR supervisor, you must prioritise building trust.

“A healthy, meaningful supervision relationship requires trust, taking the time to know and support the person as a whole,” she said.

While she has faced few challenges as a supervisor, Juliet said it can sometimes be difficult to decide what line to take when providing feedback.

“You need to ensure that you are giving sufficient guidance, but at the same time, allowing students to make their own decisions and experience their own learning processes, which can, and inevitably does, include mistakes,” she explained.

Celebrating excellence

Juliet said that receiving this award gives her a sense of appreciation from UTS and the Institute and that having opportunities to be rewarded is important.

“It makes me want to do better and honour the award,” she said. “It is helpful to have recognised the amount of care and energy we put into our roles, our research and each other – this should be celebrated and serves to inspire ourselves and others, bringing positivity and shared energy for our collective endeavour.”