Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner are the team behind the Effective PhD Candidate Program. They have a long history of working with academics and other professionals to maximise their effectiveness and help them achieve their goals.
They are leading practitioners in the area of cognitive-behavioural coaching, a highly effective and well validated approach to ensuring that individuals are able to achieve their goals by changing their underlying attitudes. In addition to an extensive series of courses and publications distributed throughout Australia , in 2006 they received a prestigious national Carrick Citation for outstanding contribution to teaching and learning.

Hugh Kearns BAgSc, MEd, MMHSc

Hugh Kearns has been the Head of the Staff Development and Training Unit at Flinders University for the past eight years and is well known as a dynamic speaker, presenter and educator with international expertise in his field. He has lectured extensively on time and self-management within the higher education sector and is currently researching the impact of perfectionism and self-handicapping in the university context. He runs a comprehensive Professional Development Program for Research Higher Degree students and is a regular lecturer in Masters of Mental Health in the School of Psychiatry at Flinders University.

Maria Gardiner BA(Hons), MPsych(Clinical)

Maria Gardiner is a clinical psychologist and researcher with many years’ expertise working specifically with Research Higher Degree students to improve their performance and quality of life. She is also the coordinator of the well-known and highly successful Flinders University Mentoring Scheme for Early Career Researchers. In addition to being an experienced practitioner she is also a published and well-respected researcher, holding an adjunct research associate position in the School of Psychology at Flinders University.