questions to ask your phd supervisor

Preparation Before the Meeting Your PhD Supervisor

Before your first meeting with your PhD supervisor, it is crucial to prepare thoroughly to maximize the benefit of the meeting. Making adequate preparations can greatly impact the tone of your relationship and research journey. This includes familiarizing yourself with your supervisor’s background, developing your research ideas, and establishing clear personal and academic objectives. The subsequent discussion will provide insight into the most effective methods to prepare before meeting with your supervisor, ultimately facilitating meaningful conversations and leaving a favorable impression.

1. Research Your Supervisor’s Background and Publications

An important aspect of succeeding as a PhD student is the ability to effectively collaborate with your supervisor. Before meeting with your PhD supervisor, it is crucial to thoroughly research their academic background and published work. This will provide insight into their research interests and methods. Familiarizing with their previous work can aid in aligning your questions and discussions accordingly, as well as demonstrate your dedication to your research and genuine interest in their work.

Related: Best 6 Ways To Be A Good PhD Student

2. Prepare Your Research Proposal or Initial Ideas

It is essential to have your research proposal or initial ideas ready before meeting with your PhD supervisor. This will ensure a focused and productive conversation. Clearly outlining your research proposal or initial ideas is crucial for the first meeting, as it demonstrates your proactivity and dedication. Have a concise summary of your research interests, objectives, and methodologies prepared, and be open to adapting ideas based on discussion.

3. Formulate Your Personal and Academic Goals

The next line of preparation before the meeting with your supervisor is to write down your short-term and long-term goals and think about how your PhD project can help you achieve them. With this clarity, your supervisor can offer guidance and resources to assist you in achieving your objectives. It will also enable your supervisors to customize their support to aid in your growth. When formulating your personal and academic goals, it is essential to take into account the particular areas of research or study that interest you.

5 Key Questions to Ask Your PhD Supervisor on the First Meeting

Beginning a PhD is an exciting yet nerve-racking endeavor. Although you may feel that you are the only one who has these fears, that is far from the truth. Many before you have felt the same way. One thing is known, while facing fears can be scary, it is beneficial for personal growth. To ease the concerns of others and yourself, the following five beginner PhD questions to ask your supervisor might be useful.

1. How Do You Best Work? Understanding Supervisory Style

During the first meeting with your PhD supervisor, it is important to understand their supervisory style. Hence the first of the questions to ask your PhD supervisor at the first meeting is “How do you best work”? This is to establish a productive working relationship. Given that the majority of interactions will occur via email, telephone, and face-to-face meetings, it is beneficial to promptly determine their communication channel preferences. Do they anticipate a response to emails within a day or a week? At what time of day are they most receptive to phone calls? Familiarizing yourself with and comprehending their preferences will enhance the efficiency of communication.

It is equally necessary to learn their preferred approach to conducting meetings and delivering feedback to establish a harmonious working relationship. Engage in a discussion regarding their manner of managing revisions and feedback to ensure alignment. This discussion will aid in defining specific expectations and averting possible misinterpretations. Inquire about their expectations regarding the regularity and format of meetings.

2. What are the Research Goals and Timelines? Research Project Details

When commencing your doctoral studies, it is crucial to clarify the specifics of the research project. Doing so will provide a thorough understanding of the expectations for both you and your supervisor. Some questions to ask your PhD supervisor with regards to the research project details include: What are the overall research goals and the primary objectives to be addressed? What are the major phases, tasks, or goals of the research? Could you provide an overview of the principal components, if they exceed one or two? Can you estimate the time required for each research task or objective?

What is the duration of the project work period? Is there a possibility of an extension under certain circumstances? What is the timeframe from now until the completion of the project? When is the submission deadline? As a student, you will have your own research aims and expectations, as will your supervisor, so it is essential from the outset to understand what is anticipated of you. The supervisor will have both individual research objectives for you and goals that pertain to the entire research team. To understand the project’s scope, ask your potential supervisor, “What are the primary research objectives for this project?”

3. What Resources and Opportunities are Available?

Inquiring with your PhD advisor regarding the resources and opportunities at your disposal indicates a proactive approach to preparing for successful research and maximizing your time as a candidate. Many PhD students come to realize too late that they lack crucial resources necessary for their research. To avoid this issue, it is vital to ask about the resources your potential advisor can provide, including lab equipment, funding opportunities, and available software. Are there options available for teaching, attending conferences, or publishing academic work? What level of support is typically provided for these opportunities?

ICYMI: Top Universities Offering Part-Time PhD Programs in the USA

There may be certain expectations regarding how to allocate time towards your PhD, alongside your primary research. If you aim to contribute to the research community and pursue publishing or teaching roles, it’s important to have a clear understanding of how to do so with your supervisor. Factors such as funding, travel opportunities, and academic prospects should all be taken into account when considering a PhD offer, and it’s wise to have discussions about these with your prospective supervision team before accepting a PhD offer.

4. What Support and Development Opportunities are Available?

Another one on the list of key questions to ask your PhD supervisor at the first meeting is about available support and development opportunities in the university or within the department. It’s important to understand what resources and programs are in place to help you grow as a researcher and scholar. Inquiring about the assistance and growth opportunities offered by the university or department can provide you with a thorough understanding of how your supervisor will actively facilitate your academic and professional development, offering valuable guidance and mentorship.

It is important to take the initiative to explore the available support specifically tailored to the unique needs of PhD students, including academic support, mental health resources, and career development services. By expressing your concerns and questions, you can assess how your supervisor can effectively assist you during challenging times or unforeseen research difficulties.

Recognizing the availability of support is crucial for your peace of mind and confidence in navigating the complex PhD journey. Additionally, it is important to inquire about the various skill development opportunities such as workshops and training sessions. Acquiring this essential information will allow you to fully utilize the wide range of support available to enhance your academic experience and foster personal and professional growth at every step.

5. What is Your Preferred Method of Communication? Communication Preferences

After the initial conversations, the next but not the least question on the list for your supervisor is your supervisor’s communication preferences. This will assist you in understanding how to effectively communicate with them and ensuring mutual understanding. Asking about their preferred communication methods, such as one-on-one meetings, email, phone calls, or video chat, can be beneficial. Some supervisors have specific office hours for research students to approach them, while others may prefer communication through email.

You need to ask your supervisor how frequently you should update him/her with your progress. Asking about the frequency of progress updates and meeting protocols can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure timely feedback. It is important to discuss how to address urgent issues and the best methods of reaching them in case of emergencies. It is important to establish a regular schedule for formal meetings with your PhD supervisor to ensure consistent progress discussions. This is key in managing communication effectively and maintaining a positive working relationship.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Throughout your PhD studies, various challenges may arise, and it is crucial to communicate with your supervisor promptly. In your first meeting with your PhD supervisor, it’s beneficial to identify potential obstacles in your research and develop strategies to prevent them. Identifying these common challenges early can help save time, minimize stress, and improve your academic journey. We will now explore potential pitfalls that may arise during the research process and the most effective ways to address them when they do occur.

1. Miscommunication Issues

One of the most common challenges faced by students and supervisors is miscommunication or lack of communication. This is particularly problematic in doctoral research, where students are expected to develop their own professional identity. Research has shown that the quality of a supervisor’s communication not only affects student satisfaction but also impacts the student’s performance. Miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, which can be avoided by ensuring a clear and mutual understanding of expectations between you and your supervisor. Effective communication is essential for a successful supervisory relationship.

2. Unrealistic Expectations

One significant flaw in PhD supervision is the establishment of unattainable expectations between the supervisor and the student. It is crucial to address any unrealistic expectations at the beginning of your PhD journey. This proactive approach can contribute to a more effective and prosperous working partnership. Unreasonable expectations can result in frustration and disillusionment. Collaborating with your supervisor to evaluate and modify your objectives and deadlines is essential to ensure their achievability. Remaining adaptable and open to change will assist in effectively managing your workload.

3. Lack of Clear Objectives

Many students struggle to compose a coherent and concise thesis while lacking an understanding of their advisors’ and examiners’ expectations. A crystal-clear thesis is crucial; there should be no ambiguity regarding its topic, methodology, and rationale. It is essential to establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) research goals. There should be collaboration between students and supervisors to ensure these goals are aligned. Clear objectives help maintain motivation and accurately monitor progress, serving as a roadmap for your research journey.

The first meeting with your PhD supervisor holds great significance in your academic pursuit. It establishes the tone for your relationship and provides the groundwork for your research. Adequate preparation and asking relevant and necessary questions can maximize the potential of this occasion. It is crucial to maintain ongoing communication and meticulous documentation of your advancements. Effective communication and well-defined goals are essential for a fruitful PhD journey . With a strategic approach, you can cultivate a constructive and encouraging relationship with your PhD supervisor. By adhering to this comprehensive guide, you will be fully equipped to navigate your inaugural meeting with your PhD supervisor effectively. Best of luck!

Discover more from Doctorate Guru

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

Canice Silas

Canice U. Silas is a dedicated scholar who has channeled the last 20 years of his life to various forms of scholastic pursuits. He holds a BSC in Industrial Chemistry and a master's degree in Inorganic Chemistry from the prestigious Imo State University, Owerri. Mr Silas is set to complete his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry within the next six months. Passionate about the classroom from his elementary school days, Mr Silas grabbed the first opportunity that came his way at the Imo State University where he worked as A. A and currently K. O. Mbadiwe University, as a lecturer and as well has been into educational consulting for thousands of students across various tertiary institutions in the world.

5 Best Steps To Developing A Research Proposal

7 December 2023
7 minute read

Top 10 Tips for PhD Interview Success

4 August 2024
8 minute read
23 July 2024

Top 10 Factors Influencing Doctorate Completion

by Emmanuel Happiness
1 April 2024
16 minute read

PhD in the USA Without GRE

29 May 2024

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Kshitij Tiwari Ph.D.

10 Questions to ask your PhD advisor

When applying for a Doctoral aka PhD program, you not only need to ensure that PhD is the right choice for you , but also, that you have synergies with your potential PhD advisor. You both will be working together for the years to come should you choose to accept the PhD offer, if one were to be extended to you so it is crucial to know that you will get along. This article will guide you through 10 questions to ask your PhD advisor towards the end of your PhD interview.

Please note that these prompts do not form an exhaustive list, are in no particular order and nor do they guarantee that you would gauge synergies 100% accurately, if any. They would likely give you a good idea of what to expect from your life in the group if you were there pursuing your PhD even before you actually apply for the PhD with the group. If you still don’t find synergies, you can always gracefully decline the PhD offer .

Table of Contents

What have previous lab members done after getting their PhD?

What is the lab structure?

What does the lab culture look like?

What is the publication culture like, where does the funding primarily come from, does the advisor consider themselves a ‘hands-on’ or ‘hands-off’ advisor, how does the advisor give feedback on manuscripts in preparation, how often does the advisor meet with their students, will there be opportunities to write external research grant proposals, how would the scope of work change if you were to transition to industry, key takeaways.

If you know about the harsh realities of PhD , you would know that not every PhD graduate manages to find a position in academia and some venture out to industry in search of better and more stable job prospects. As a PhD candidate, one day you would graduate too and will be in the market for a job- academic or industrial so it helps to understand what have the previous lab members done after successfully defending their PhDs. This would give you a lay of the land and what kind of job prospects you are most likely to find upon graduation with a PhD in hand. Also, take this opportunity to learn more about some of the most successful (and unsuccessful) PhD candidates from the group.

What is the PhD advisor's lab structure?

A lab or a research group typically would comprise of your potential PhD supervisor among other members. These members could include fellow PhD candidates, Bachelors and Masters students and some temporary students such as interns. Additionally, there might be other senior members in the groups such as Postdoctoral Associates and some junior faculty members who work in tandem with your potential advisor. It helps to know what the lab structure is like and how many members are in each category. Eventually, you might end up working with some of these members in varying capacities and some of the seniors might even serve as your co-advisors. Additionally, you might also want to understand the demographics for the lab members to see where do these members come from and you might find some comfort knowing people from your own country of origin. On a similar note, you could ask for permission to connect with some of the existing members to learn more about the lab structure and a typical day in their life.

Some professors have multiple labs (including satellite labs), and this opens up good travel opportunities when they fly you around.

Knowing that there might be other seniors present even when your primary PhD advisor is away might give you some solace in their absence. Also, be sure to check your PhD advisors plans in the near future-

are they coming up for tenure / promotion / retirement as this might affect their availability and/or lab resources?

As a PhD candidate, one of the many ways for you to gain visibility in your field and grow your network will be to attend conferences. You should try and understand what are some top tier conferences in your domain and how often do the lab members get to attend such conferences. For the case of robotics, these would be IEEE IROS, ICRA, RSS, CASE among a few others. Also on a related note, you could inquire about any preset requirements for number of conference and journal submissions that are mandatory for graduation so you can understand how many conferences would you have to target per year to maximize your chances of meeting the threshold of publications.

Inquire about the external responsibilities of your PhD advisor to understand their prior commitments. Are they doing a partial secondment at an industry? Would you be able to do an industrial internship? How about research visits overseas? Typically, PhD students try to maximize their exposure with a mix of industrial work and some overseas research visits thereby growing their network and also credentials.

On a more academic side of the lab culture you should inquire about the paper publication frequency. Generally speaking, in the early days of your PhD journey you would have slightly more free time as opposed to the end when you are working hard to write your dissertation, getting feedback and iteratively revising it. Try and inquire what the publication culture is like- do papers get published during the PhD thesis, or towards the end or after defending? This will help you get some sense of the expected work load and how it would grow as time passes assuming no dynamic requirements are suddenly imposed by your funding source . Be vary of the publish or perish culture in academia because if you cannot maintain a healthy work-like balance , you will likely burnout.

One of the external aspects that might affect the topic you will work on, the scope of work and planned deliverables is the funding source. As mentioned earlier, if your PhD advisor has already secured some funding to sponsor your PhD, there might be implications stemming from the funding source. Some funding sources might require additional responsibilities like prepare progress reports, traveling for administrative meetings, preparing presentations or have citizenship restrictions in case of defense funding. So, be sure to clearly understand where the funding is coming from and what is covered in the funding- tuition, living allowances, stiped, travel allowance, publication allowance, etc.

It is also at this time you should prepare for the tougher days- not necessarily worst case scenario but in case you need to extend your PhD timeline but your funding will run out after a fixed term, are there possibilities for additional funding? Will your PhD advisor support you in this process? If not, what options would you have if the situation arises?

Some PhD candidates are also interested in serving as Teaching or Research Assistants also known as TA or RA, respectively. Sometimes there might be a possibility of earning some extra financial support for such services or at other times there might be some intangible gains such as the chance to work with other faculty members, learning to interact with students, problem solving etc. So, try and understand if you are required to be a TA/RA by the funding source, is it optional, and how does it work if you were to opt for it.

As every human is different and have their own working styles, so would your potential PhD advisor. So, you should try to understand if the advisor considers themselves as a more “hands-on” or “hands-off” advisor. This working style should ideally be complementing your own approach. For instance, if you are someone who would be looking for some hand holding and you end up with an advisor who is completely “hands-on” you are likely going to struggle a lot especially in the early days. So, try and understand if the advisor tends to assign projects and tentative topics to the PhD candidates or do they instead have the students select their own. On a similar note, you could also ask them if they already have a particular topic in mind for you or are you going to start with a blank canvas and write your own PhD research proposal . In case of the former, you could also ask about the level of flexibility with respect to the direction/scope of the project. Sometimes, the project scope and deliverables are already set carefully while at other times, there might be ample room for adjustment and refinement within a vague scope.

Another crucial aspect to keep in mind is that, for a PhD, there is no preset syllabus or a list of milestones. So, measuring the performance could be tricky and either you or your PhD advisor would need to set some sort of milestones. So, you could try ask them about some key milestones that they expect the PhD candidates to achieve.

Feedback is the breakfast of the champions

As an early stage researcher with little to no experience with writing scientific and technical manuscripts in your niche, you will likely need help. This could come not only in the form of support while conducting the research but also in the form of feedback when a manuscript is being prepared for potential submission. The more reputable the submission venue, the higher would be their quality standards so you would benefit if the manuscript undergoes revisions to match their expectations. Again depending on whether the PhD advisor is hands-on or hands-off the level of detail of their feedback will vary.

On the topic of feedback and progress review , different research groups have different internal policies and agenda for group meetings. For instance, some PhD advisors do a round robin presentation with each candidate getting a slot to present their current findings, challenges and results. This helps everyone to stay abreast with what the others in the group are working on, explore synergies and get comfortable with presenting their ideas to a crowd. Additionally, some groups may even have a policy for dedicated 1-on-1 check-ins with advisor for personalized feedback while others might keep this flexible in the sense that the PhD candidate needs to take the initiative to book such 1-on-1 meetings as and when needed. During the pandemic most of such meetings went online via tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc. so if you wish, you could inquire how are such meetings being conducted at the time of your application- face-to-face, remote or hybrid.

While not every PhD student may be required to write external grant proposals, but for your future career, such experience can come in really handy. Winning a grant, that too a prestigious grant will help you get a taste of what life is like being a Principal Investigator (PI), leading your own research work and supporting yourself. This experience will go a long way for your career ahead as eventually you would need to win grants to support yourself and your group in the years to come. During your PhD, you may not be able to independently write such research grant proposals but you might be given opportunities to help out other senior members writing grants or contribute to some sections of a grant that your PhD advisor is working on. So, it pays to know about such opportunities ahead of time.

Never shut a door of opportunity on yourself for you never know when the next door will open

There is a difference between stepping on two boats (industry and academia) simultaneously versus not covering all your basis for securing your future. By this I mean looking at all possible options and keeping the doors open. Say somewhere along your PhD, either owing to life’s circumstances or your interaction with peers you decide to move to industry upon completion of your PhD. In such a case, how would the scope of your PhD and the work you do change, if at all? It helps to know the cost of such a transition to evaluate if it is even a feasible option or should you prepare an alternative Plan B instead.

So, when it comes to applying for PhD positions, remember that as much as the PhD advisor is screening you for a potential fit, you also need to screen them to explore synergies. There is no harm in asking polite questions that might help you understand them better as a person, as an advisor and as a potential mentor to help you learn and grow in your career ahead. After all, you are going to dedicate the coming years towards your PhD should you choose to go forward with it so it is imperative that your environment, the people, the topic and everything else that comes with up are synergistically working with you and not against you.

Related resources

I consent to the having this website store my submitted information as per the privacy policy so they can respond to my inquiry.

Questions to Ask a Potential PhD Advisor: Step 1 in Applying to Fully Funded PhD Programs

By ProFellow Founder, Dr. Vicki Johnson

One of the big “unspoken” steps in applying successfully to PhD programs is conducting faculty outreach before applying. This step is necessary to find research alignment with a faculty member or members who might serve as your PhD advisor if you are accepted to the program, and necessary to ensure you’ll receive adequate support! PhD advisors are faculty members who will serve on your dissertation committee and will be officially responsible for advising you throughout your graduate school career. You want to identify potential faculty mentors before applying because your relationship with them will be pivotal to your success as a graduate student. They will meet with you regularly to give you feedback, guidance, and support on your research dissertation, and so it’s important that your PhD advisor has similar academic research interests.

I advise PhD applicants in my Fully Funded Course and Mentorship Program to speak with potential advisors as soon as possible in the graduate school application process. Outreach is step 1. But once you have a meeting set with a potential PhD advisor, you might be thinking – what now?!

Knowing where you start with contacting potential advisors can be daunting and intimidating–especially if you don’t know the questions to ask! Here is a step-by-step guide to get started.

How to Find Potential PhD Advisors

It’s not always obvious which faculty members will be available to serve as your PhD advisor. I provide some tips in this article on how to find your ideal PhD advisor using Google Scholar . But before sending off cold emails to faculty it can be prudent to first ask the Admissions contact (typically the Department Chair) for some guidance. Here are two questions to ask:

Which faculty members will be advising incoming PhD students?
Would it be ok if I reached out to faculty in the Department directly to discuss my proposed dissertation topic?

Next you might be wondering, if I set up these meetings, what questions should I ask potential PhD advisors? Let’s discuss the goals of these meetings and specific questions you can ask.

Goals of Your Meeting with a Potential PhD Advisor

Here are the goals you should have set for your meetings with potential PhD advisors.

#1 Identify dissertation topics of interest to the faculty

You may have many ideas, or one specific idea, for the subject of your future PhD dissertation research. But it’s important that you identify faculty members at PhD programs who would be enthusiastic about supporting your proposed research. You can share your broad ideas for research topics that interest you, but it is in your best interest to ask these scholarly experts what innovative topics interest them. They will know the current research landscape and what topics will be of interest to the discipline and to funding bodies. So first, you’ll want to use this opportunity to learn more about their research interests and recent publications.

#2 Identify sources of funding

Often, faculty are pursuing research in response to funding opportunities from external sources like government, corporate and non-profit grants. Often, faculty will use large grant funding sources to provide full funding packages to their selected PhD students. Therefore, it’s important for you to know what research topics are of interest to funding bodies, so that you can achieve funding from the university as a graduate student! Many PhD programs offer full funding , which provides a stipend and a tuition waiver in exchange for taking on some teaching or research duties. Full funding offered by the university is THE way to fully fund your PhD, as there are very limited sources of external funding that you can apply for to cover your tuition and living expenses.

# 3 Build rapport

These meetings will also help you determine if the faculty member is a good fit for you and will be supportive and inspiring to work with. In addition, they may advocate for your acceptance if you build goodwill and rapport with them.

How to Prepare for a Meeting with a Potential PhD Advisor

Before your meeting, be sure to review their university profile and recent research publications. You can check out the faculty’s university profile as well as their profile on Google Scholar, if they have one. Also r eview which students they currently supervise and their dissertation topics, if possible. Often current PhD students are featured on the university’s website with name of their faculty supevisor. You might also want to investigate the university’s website for any news about major research grants awarded in the last 3 years, which might give you some clues about funding sources for the PhD students there.

Questions to Ask a Potential PhD Advisor

What areas of research can I get involved in as a graduate student within this program? OR Does my proposed research subject align with the interest areas of you and other faculty in the program?
Are there any research topics that I should consider for my dissertation proposal? What research topics would meet an urgent need or would address a timely issue in the discipline?
What type of methods are your PhD students using in their research? Do any of the current students have a particularly interesting approach to the research that they’re doing?
Is there anything you recommend I do to ensure I would be eligible to receive funding if am I accepted to the program?
Are there any students that you recommend that I speak to for insights on the PhD program?

What if Faculty Don’t Respond to Meeting Requests?

Sometimes faculty to do not respond to initial outreach emails. There are numerous potential reasons for this – including that they are extremely busy with current students, or you did not provide enough information about yourself or did not ask a specific question, or the Department has a blanket policy on communicating with aspiring applicants, or they simply didn’t see your email or forgot to respond. A non-response from any graduate school contact does not equate to rejection. Let me repeat. Non-response does NOT mean rejection!

For those not hearing back , I can tell you with certainty that the lack of a response is NOT the result of someone who doesn’t appreciate your email. Consider with empathy that your email message may be a low priority among a huge list of demands. Politely follow-up in one week’s time, but don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back! Instead, contact the Admissions or Department Chair to find out the best way to connect with faculty in the Department for the next steps, and also be sure to attend program information sessions that may be offer.

Best of luck! The ProFellow community is rooting for you!

Applying to graduate school and seeking full funding opportunities? Get our FREE 73-page Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards listing 1,000+ programs here!

Dr. Vicki Johnson is Founder and CEO of ProFellow, the world’s leading online resource for professional and academic fellowships. She is a four-time fellow, top Ph.D. scholar, Fulbright recipient and an award-winning social entrepreneur. She is the Creator and Director of Fully Funded , an award-winning online course and mentorship program for graduate school applicants seeking to find and win full funding.

How To Contact a Potential PhD Advisor
Questions to Ask Admissions When Applying to Master's and PhD Programs
How to Find Your Ideal PhD Supervisor Using Google Scholar
Will I Face Age Discrimination When I Apply to Graduate School?
5 Ways Undergrads Can Prepare for Competitive Fellowships

Dr. Vicki Johnson , Fully Funded , Graduate School Application Tips , PhD Application Tips

Fully Funded Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice

Fully funded master’s programs in economics, find and win paid, competitive fellowships.

Be alerted about new fellowship calls for applications, get insider application tips, and learn about fully funded PhD and graduate programs

Fellowship Resources

Calls for Applications
Upcoming Fellowship Deadlines
Fellowships Database
Interviews with Fellows
International Fellows Network
Graduate Funding Directory

Fellowship Tips

What is a Fellowship?
Fully Funded Course
Graduate School Funding
Fellowship Application Tips
Fulbright Application Tips
Fellowship Application Guide
Our Mission, History & Values
ProFellow Winner Testimonials
Fully Funded Course Testimonials
Fellowship Industry Report
Advertise With Us
Terms & Privacy

ProFellow is the go-to source for information on professional and academic fellowships, created by fellows for aspiring fellows.

Machine Learning Blog | ML@CMU | Carnegie Mellon University

Statistics:.

[ Submissions ]
Submissions

Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor

Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Catherine Bannon

J. scott p. mccain, introduction.

The PhD beckons. You thought long and hard about why you want to do it, you understand the sacrifices and commitments it entails, and you have decided that it is the right thing for you. Congratulations! Undertaking a doctoral degree can be an extremely rewarding experience, greatly enhancing your personal, intellectual, and professional development. If you are still on the fence about whether or not you want to pursue a PhD, see [ 1 , 2 ] and others to help you decide.

As a PhD student in the making, you will have many important decisions to consider. Several of them will depend on your chosen discipline and research topic, the institution you want to attend, and even the country where you will undertake your degree. However, one of the earliest and most critical decisions you will need to make transcends most other decisions: choosing your PhD thesis supervisor. Your PhD supervisor will strongly influence the success and quality of your degree as well as your general well-being throughout the program. It is therefore vital to choose the right supervisor for you. A wrong choice or poor fit can be disastrous on both a personal and professional levels—something you obviously want to avoid. Unfortunately, however, most PhD students go through the process of choosing a supervisor only once and thus do not get the opportunity to learn from previous experiences. Additionally, many prospective PhD students do not have access to resources and proper guidance to rely on when making important academic decisions such as those involved in choosing a PhD supervisor.

In this short guide, we—a group of PhD students with varied backgrounds, research disciplines, and academic journeys—share our collective experiences with choosing our own PhD supervisors. We provide tips and advice to help prospective students in various disciplines, including computational biology, in their quest to find a suitable PhD supervisor. Despite procedural differences across countries, institutions, and programs, the following rules and discussions should remain helpful for guiding one’s approach to selecting their future PhD supervisor. These guidelines mostly address how to evaluate a potential PhD supervisor and do not include details on how you might find a supervisor. In brief, you can find a supervisor anywhere: seminars, a class you were taught, internet search of interesting research topics, departmental pages, etc. After reading about a group’s research and convincing yourself it seems interesting, get in touch! Make sure to craft an e-mail carefully, demonstrating you have thought about their research and what you might do in their group. After finding one or several supervisors of interest, we hope that the rules bellow will help you choose the right supervisor for you.

Rule 1: Align research interests

You need to make sure that a prospective supervisor studies, or at the very least, has an interest in what you want to study. A good starting point would be to browse their personal and research group websites (though those are often outdated), their publication profile, and their students’ theses, if possible. Keep in mind that the publication process can be slow, so recent publications may not necessarily reflect current research in that group. Pay special attention to publications where the supervisor is senior author—in life sciences, their name would typically be last. This would help you construct a mental map of where the group interests are going, in addition to where they have been.

Be proactive about pursuing your research interests, but also flexible: Your dream research topic might not currently be conducted in a particular group, but perhaps the supervisor is open to exploring new ideas and research avenues with you. Check that the group or institution of interest has the facilities and resources appropriate for your research, and/or be prepared to establish collaborations to access those resources elsewhere. Make sure you like not only the research topic, but also the “grunt work” it requires, as a topic you find interesting may not be suitable for you in terms of day-to-day work. You can look at the “Methods” sections of published papers to get a sense for what this is like—for example, if you do not like resolving cryptic error messages, programming is probably not for you, and you might want to consider a wet lab–based project. Lastly, any research can be made interesting, and interests change. Perhaps your favorite topic today is difficult to work with now, and you might cut your teeth on a different project.

Rule 2: Seek trusted sources

Discussing your plans with experienced and trustworthy people is a great way to learn more about the reputation of potential supervisors, their research group dynamics, and exciting projects in your field of interest. Your current supervisor, if you have one, could be aware of position openings that are compatible with your interests and time frame and is likely to know talented supervisors with good reputations in their fields. Professors you admire, reliable student advisors, and colleagues might also know your prospective supervisor on various professional or personal levels and could have additional insight about working with them. Listen carefully to what these trusted sources have to say, as they can provide a wealth of insider information (e.g., personality, reputation, interpersonal relationships, and supervisory styles) that might not be readily accessible to you.

Rule 3: Expectations, expectations, expectations

A considerable portion of PhD students feel that their program does not meet original expectations [ 3 ]. To avoid being part of this group, we stress the importance of aligning your expectations with the supervisor’s expectations before joining a research group or PhD program. Also, remember that one person’s dream supervisor can be another’s worst nightmare and vice versa—it is about a good fit for you. Identifying what a “good fit” looks like requires a serious self-appraisal of your goals (see Rule 1 ), working style (see Rule 5 ), and what you expect in a mentor (see Rule 4 ). One way to conduct this self-appraisal is to work in a research lab to get experiences similar to a PhD student (if this is possible).

Money!—Many people have been conditioned to avoid the subject of finances at all costs, but setting financial expectations early is crucial for maintaining your well-being inside and outside the lab. Inside the lab, funding will provide chemicals and equipment required for you to do cool research. It is also important to know if there will be sufficient funding for your potential projects to be completed. Outside the lab, you deserve to get paid a reasonable, livable stipend. What is the minimum required take-home stipend, or does that even exist at the institution you are interested in? Are there hard cutoffs for funding once your time runs out, or does the institution have support for students who take longer than anticipated? If the supervisor supplies the funding, do they end up cutting off students when funds run low, or do they have contingency plans? ( Fig 1 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pcbi.1009330.g001.jpg

Professional development opportunities—A key aspect of graduate school training is professional development. In some research groups, it is normal for PhD students to mentor undergraduate students or take a semester to work in industry to get more diverse experiences. Other research groups have clear links with government entities, which is helpful for going into policy or government-based research. These opportunities (and others) are critical for your career and next steps. What are the career development opportunities and expectations of a potential supervisor? Is a potential supervisor happy to send students to workshops to learn new skills? Are they supportive of public outreach activities? If you are looking at joining a newer group, these sorts of questions will have to be part of the larger set of conversations about expectations. Ask: “What sort of professional development opportunities are there at the institution?”

Publications—Some PhD programs have minimum requirements for finishing a thesis (i.e., you must publish a certain number of papers prior to defending), while other programs leave it up to the student and supervisor to decide on this. A simple and important topic to discuss is: How many publications are expected from your PhD and when will you publish them? If you are keen to publish in high-impact journals, does your prospective supervisor share that aim? (Although question why you are so keen to do so, see the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment ( www.sfdora.org ) to learn about the pitfalls of journal impact factor.)

Rule 4: It takes two to tango

Sooner or later, you will get to meet and interview with a prospective PhD supervisor. This should go both ways: Interview them just as much as they are interviewing you. Prepare questions and pay close attention to how they respond. For example, ask them about their “lab culture,” research interests (especially for the future/long term), and what they are looking for in a graduate student. Do you feel like you need to “put on an act” to go along with the supervisor (beyond just the standard interview mode)? Represent yourself, and not the person you think they are looking for. All of us will have some interviews go badly. Remember that discovering a poor fit during the interview has way fewer consequences than the incompatibility that could arise once you have committed to a position.

To come up with good questions for the prospective supervisor, first ask yourself questions. What are you looking for in a mentor? People differ in their optimal levels of supervision, and there is nothing wrong with wanting more or less than your peers. How much career guidance do you expect and does the potential supervisor respect your interests, particularly if your long-term goals do not include academia? What kind of student might not thrive in this research group?

Treat the PhD position like a partnership: What do you seek to get out of it? Keep in mind that a large portion of research is conducted by PhD students [ 4 ], so you are also an asset. Your supervisor will provide guidance, but the PhD is your work. Make sure you and your mentor are on the same page before committing to what is fundamentally a professional contract akin to an apprenticeship (see “ Rule 3 ”).

Rule 5: Workstyle compatibility

Sharing interests with a supervisor does not necessarily guarantee you would work well together, and just because you enjoyed a course by a certain professor does not mean they are the right PhD supervisor for you. Make sure your expectations for work and work–life approaches are compatible. Do you thrive on structure, or do you need freedom to proceed at your own pace? Do they expect you to be in the lab from 6:00 AM to midnight on a regular basis (red flag!)? Are they comfortable with you working from home when you can? Are they around the lab enough for it to work for you? Are they supportive of alternative work hours if you have other obligations (e.g., childcare, other employment, extracurriculars)? How is the group itself organized? Is there a lab manager or are the logistics shared (fairly?) between the group members? Discuss this before you commit!

Two key attributes of a research group are the supervisor’s career stage and number of people in the group. A supervisor in a later career stage may have more established research connections and protocols. An earlier career stage supervisor comes with more opportunities to shape the research direction of the lab, but less access to academic political power and less certainty in what their supervision style will be (even to themselves). Joining new research groups provides a great opportunity to learn how to build a lab if you are considering that career path but may take away time and energy from your thesis project. Similarly, be aware of pros and cons of different lab sizes. While big labs provide more opportunity for collaborations and learning from fellow lab members, their supervisors generally have less time available for each trainee. Smaller labs tend to have better access to the supervisor but may be more isolating [ 5 , 6 ]. Also note that large research groups tend to be better for developing extant research topics further, while small groups can conduct more disruptive research [ 7 ].

Rule 6: Be sure to meet current students

Meeting with current students is one of the most important steps prior to joining a lab. Current students will give you the most direct and complete sense of what working with a certain supervisor is actually like. They can also give you a valuable sense of departmental culture and nonacademic life. You could also ask to meet with other students in the department to get a broader sense of the latter. However, if current students are not happy with their current supervisor, they are unlikely to tell you directly. Try to ask specific questions: “How often do you meet with your supervisor?”, “What are the typical turnaround times for a paper draft?”, “How would you describe the lab culture?”, “How does your supervisor react to mistakes or unexpected results?”, “How does your supervisor react to interruptions to research from, e.g., personal life?”, and yes, even “What would you say is the biggest weakness of your supervisor?”

Rule 7: But also try to meet past students

While not always possible, meeting with past students can be very informative. Past students give you information on career outcomes (i.e., what are they doing now?) and can provide insight into what the lab was like when they were in it. Previous students will provide a unique perspective because they have gone through the entire process, from start to finish—and, in some cases, no longer feel obligated to speak well of their now former supervisor. It can also be helpful to look at previous students’ experiences by reading the acknowledgement section in their theses.

Rule 8: Consider the entire experience

Your PhD supervisor is only one—albeit large—piece of your PhD puzzle. It is therefore essential to consider your PhD experience as whole when deciding on a supervisor. One important aspect to contemplate is your mental health. Graduate students have disproportionately higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to the general population [ 8 ], so your mental health will be tested greatly throughout your PhD experience. We suggest taking the time to reflect on what factors would enable you to do your best work while maintaining a healthy work–life balance. Does your happiness depend on surfing regularly? Check out coastal areas. Do you despise being cold? Consider being closer to the equator. Do you have a deep-rooted phobia of koalas? Maybe avoid Australia. Consider these potentially even more important questions like: Do you want to be close to your friends and family? Will there be adequate childcare support? Are you comfortable with studying abroad? How does the potential university treat international or underrepresented students? When thinking about your next steps, keep in mind that although obtaining your PhD will come with many challenges, you will be at your most productive when you are well rested, financially stable, nourished, and enjoying your experience.

Rule 9: Trust your gut

You have made it to our most “hand-wavy” rule! As academics, we understand the desire for quantifiable data and some sort of statistic to make logical decisions. If this is more your style, consider every interaction with a prospective supervisor, from the first e-mail onwards, as a piece of data.

However, there is considerable value in trusting gut instincts. One way to trust your gut is to listen to your internal dialogue while making your decision on a PhD supervisor. For example, if your internal dialogue includes such phrases as “it will be different for me,” “I’ll just put my head down and work hard,” or “maybe their students were exaggerating,” you might want to proceed with caution. If you are saying “Wow! How are they so kind and intelligent?” or “I cannot wait to start!”, then you might have found a winner ( Fig 2 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pcbi.1009330.g002.jpg

Rule 10: Wash, rinse, repeat

The last piece of advice we give you is to do this lengthy process all over again. Comparing your options is a key step during the search for a PhD supervisor. By screening multiple different groups, you ultimately learn more about what red flags to look for, compatible work styles, your personal expectations, and group atmospheres. Repeat this entire process with another supervisor, another university, or even another country. We suggest you reject the notion that you would be “wasting someone’s time.” You deserve to take your time and inform yourself to choose a PhD supervisor wisely. The time and energy invested in a “failed” supervisor search would still be far less than what is consumed by a bad PhD experience ( Fig 3 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pcbi.1009330.g003.jpg

The more supervisors your interview and the more advice you get from peers, the more apparent these red flags will become.

Conclusions

Pursuing a PhD can be an extremely rewarding endeavor and a time of immense personal growth. The relationship you have with your PhD supervisor can make or break an entire experience, so make this choice carefully. Above, we have outlined some key points to think about while making this decision. Clarifying your own expectations is a particularly important step, as conflicts can arise when there are expectation mismatches. In outlining these topics, we hope to share pieces of advice that sometimes require “insider” knowledge and experience.

After thoroughly evaluating your options, go ahead and tackle the PhD! In our own experiences, carefully choosing a supervisor has led to relationships that morph from mentor to mentee into a collaborative partnership where we can pose new questions and construct novel approaches to answer them. Science is hard enough by itself. If you choose your supervisor well and end up developing a positive relationship with them and their group, you will be better suited for sound and enjoyable science.

Funding Statement

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

The PhD Interview – What to Expect and How to Prepare

Written by Mark Bennett

Most PhD applications include an interview of some sort. This allows your university (and perhaps even your prospective supervisor) to discuss the PhD with you in more detail.

They’ll ask questions about your background, goals and project. You may also be required to give a presentation.

On this page you can find out what happens at an interview, including advice on how to prepare for a PhD interview.

You can also read our separate guide for a detailed overview of PhD interview questions (and answers!).

Create a my FindAPhD account

Set-up an account to make your search easier. You can save programmes, send enquiries to institutions, view upcoming events, and see the latest news and updates, all in one place.

What happens at a PhD interview?

The format for a PhD interview can vary, depending on your subject area and the circumstances of your application.

You might be in front of a recruitment panel. Or you might just meet your supervisor in the campus coffee shop and chat about your research interests.

This makes it quite difficult to describe a ‘standard PhD interview’.

There’s a bit of a difference between going over the finer points of your MSc thesis before a panel and discussing your favourite historians in a canteen.

But two things unite both formats. Each hinges on a discussion of your academic interests, achievements and goals. And that discussion is important, however it takes place.

Even the most ‘informal’ interview aims to establish this.

Depending on the format for your PhD interview it could involve:

A formal question and answer session in front of a postgraduate recruitment panel.
A presentation , based on your research proposal or area of expertise.
A one-to-one discussion with your prospective supervisor.
An informal lunch with your prospective supervisor, other members of your interview panel and / or current PhD students.
Various ‘orientation’ activities . These might include visits to research spaces and opportunities to chat with staff and students.

PhD interview presentation

Depending on the format of your interview, you may be asked to prepare a presentation on the advertised PhD project or your research proposal.

When you’re invited to an interview, your prospective department will let you know what their expectations are for the presentation. They’ll usually specify:

How long the presentation should be – usually this won’t be any more than 15 minutes
What they want your presentation to cover – for example, your academic background, your research methods, the ‘impact’ of your research
How the presentation should be delivered – this will usually be PowerPoint but you might need to provide supplementary materials for your audience or deliver the presentation remotely over a video call

You’ll normally be speaking before a small committee of staff members, who will ask you questions about your research after the presentation.

PhD interview length

As you can imagine, the length of a PhD interview varies according to its format.

Some interviews involve several components activities, over an entire day. You could greet your panel in the morning, have lunch, visit your department and then sit down for a formal interview.

Or you might just meet your supervisor for coffee and discuss your ideas with them for an hour or so.

You can read more about what to expect in different circumstances and subject areas below.

Interviews for advertised PhD positions

Most PhDs in Science , Medicine and Engineering are specific pre-designed projects , with pre-defined aims and objectives.

They normally take place in a group that’s pursuing broader research objectives, to which your PhD will make a small (but important) contribution.

Such projects may have funding secured in advance (as part of the budget for their laboratory or workshop). Or they may have funding available in principle, confirmed if the project meets certain conditions. (These could include attracting a suitable PhD student!).

Interview goals

An interview for one of these projects needs to ensure that the applicant can complete a specific project. And that they deserve the funding available for it.

Imagine a PhD that involves analysing a specific kind of protein folding. Just being a talented life scientist may not be enough to complete this project. You’d also need to have some knowledge of the proteins in question, as well as the kinds of equipment and techniques required to analyse them.

Or, what about a digital humanities project involving the latent semantic indexing of a periodicals database? A general Masters in literature may not be enough here. You’ll also need to be able to use this kind of database. (And ideally know what latent semantic indexing is).

This isn’t to say that you have to be an expert in your research topic before you begin it. That would defeat the function of the PhD as an academic training exercise.

But you will need to be the kind of student who can develop the necessary skills and expertise in the time available. Your interview is when the university will do its best to make sure of this.

Interview format

An interview for a funded PhD project will be a formal process. The main component will be a question and answer session in front of a designated postgraduate recruitment panel.

This panel will usually involve three or more people. They could include:

Your project supervisor (or supervisors). They will assess your academic and personal suitability for the role.
A member of the university or department’s postgraduate admissions staff . They will normally chair the panel and ensure the interview is properly conducted. This person could also represent any structured PhD programme your project might form part of.
The lead investigator for your prospective research group. This is the academic with overall responsibility for the research your PhD will be part of. Normally they will be your supervisor, but this may not be the case for larger laboratories or departments. If so, they might attend your interview.
A funding representative . If an external body funds your PhD they may have a presence at your interview. This won’t normally be the case for Research Council studentships (which are managed by universities) but it could occur for other organisations.

The bulk of your interview will involve the panel asking you questions and listening to your answers. These will focus on your academic background, research interests and goals. You may also be invited to expand upon parts of your PhD application.

Some interviews may ask you to give a more specific presentation as well as answering questions. This won’t normally be long or complicated. You may be asked to talk through your research proposal in more detail, or provide a summary of a previous research project (such as a Masters dissertation).

Once your panel has finished asking its questions, you will be invited to ask questions of your own . This is an opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the subject whilst also finding out more about it.

Interviews for self-proposed PhD projects

In some subjects, such as the Arts, Humanities and some Social Sciences, pre-defined (and pre-funded) PhD projects are less common.

This isn’t always the case, of course. Arts and Humanities research can involve huge ongoing projects, focussing on the collaborative analysis of vast archives. Many branches of the Social Sciences also undertake long-term data gathering and analysis.

Yet, the majority of PhDs in these areas tend to be original projects, proposed by the student seeking to undertake them.

If this is the case for your project, you will normally apply to a university’s PhD programme , rather than a specific PhD ‘position’.

If accepted, you will have the freedom to do your own independent research. But you’ll benefit from the resources, training and support available within your programme.

Because these projects and their funding aren’t pre-defined, their interviews can be more flexible.

It won’t be necessary to confirm that you have the specific skills needed for a specific project. Or that you are the student most deserving of a designated studentship.

But this doesn’t mean that the interview for a self-proposed PhD is easier than one for an advertised position. If anything, greater scrutiny may be paid to your project proposal and to your suitability for independent research.

The university itself hasn’t identified this research topic. It needs to ensure that the project is viable, that you understand what’s involved in completing it and that you care enough about it to do so.

Interviews for self-proposed PhD projects may be more informal, but this isn’t always the case.

You could still find yourself discussing your application in front of a panel. If so your experience will be like to that outlined for advertised projects, above.

Or, you may simply be invited to chat with your prospective supervisor. This could take place in their office or in an informal setting on campus.

Don’t underestimate the importance of such a meeting. A relaxed interview can seem less serious. Yet the discussion it enables will still play a crucial role in assessing your potential for PhD study.

Your supervisor may not need to assess your suitability for a specific project, but they still need to be sure that you have the knowledge and skills to carry out research in their field.

Equally, there may not be funding available, but your prospective supervisor is still considering investing three years (or more) of their time and effort guiding your project and assisting your development.

Whether you chat with a supervisor or sit before a panel, you can expect to spend some time discussing your research proposal . This may involve formal questions and answers, or it might simply involve ‘talking through’ what you’ve written. Make sure you’re familiar with the contents of that proposal – and ready to expand upon any areas where more detail might be requested.

Other questions may focus on your previous work, on your career goals and your reasons for undertaking a PhD.

Informal interviews are unlikely to include a presentation . However, you may still be invited to talk freely about your academic interests or offer an overview of previous research work.

If there is an opportunity to allocate funding to your project (through a Research Council studentship, or similar) this may be discussed at your interview. In most cases funding is merit-based, so make sure you are prepared to talk up the specific value of your project.

Research proposals

Our guide to writing a research proposal has more detail on how you can make a success of this important part of a PhD application.

Preparing for a PhD interview

Whatever form your PhD interview takes, you should prepare for it carefully. Even a more informal discussion will touch on aspects of your previous work and explore your current research proposal.

Reviewing these materials in advance will allow you to discuss them with confidence.

The following are some good tips on how to prepare for a PhD interview:

Review your research proposal – If you submitted a research proposal as part of your PhD application, make sure you re-familiarise yourself with it. It’s highly likely that you’ll be invited to discuss this document at your interview. Be prepared to talk in more detail about your plans and ideas. You should also be able to back up any claims you have made.
Re-read previous academic work – There’s a good chance your interview will touch on your Bachelors and / or Masters experience. If you are applying for a specified project, this allows the panel to check the relevance of your previous studies. If you are proposing your own project a discussion of your academic background can help reveal the development of your interests and your enthusiasm for the PhD. You won’t be ‘examined’ on any of this prior work, but it can be helpful to refresh yourself.
Read some of your supervisors’ current research – Whatever form your PhD will take, it makes sense to be familiar with what your supervisor is currently working on. This will show that you take the prospect of working with them seriously. Needless to say, it also proves that you understand the nature of the work they do! If you don’t know who your supervisor will be, take a look at some of the research currently being done within your prospective laboratory or department.
Look at other current research in your field – By the same token, it makes sense to have some idea of the current state of academic scholarship in your area. Remember: a PhD needs to be an original piece of research. Make sure you know what’s going to be unique and original about yours. This step is especially important if you’ve taken a break from academia and aren’t up to date on current work in your area.
Check the details of your project or programme – This may seem obvious, but it can be easy to overlook. If you’re applying for an advertised position, make sure you know it inside out. Know what its objectives are. Know who else (other than your supervisor) is involved in the research. Know about any external funders. The same applies to the PhD programme that will ‘host’ a self-proposed PhD. Find out what other research is currently being carried out there. Look up past and present students. Check what training and development is available.
Practice any presentation material – If you’ve been asked to prepare a presentation for your PhD interview, make sure you practice it. This is particularly helpful if you aren’t familiar with public speaking. The interview panel will be supportive and encouraging, but you want to look as confident and capable as possible.

What to wear

Regardless of your interview format, you should pay some attention to your appearance.

Academic workplaces are fairly relaxed on a day-to-day basis, but your PhD interview isn’t too dissimilar from a job application. Show that you’re serious about the opportunity and dress accordingly.

A chat in your supervisor’s office can probably be treated more casually than a formal panel interview, but there’s no harm in erring on the safe side.

What to bring

You won’t necessarily need to bring anything specific to a PhD interview, unless you’ve been asked to.

You may wish to bring copies of previous academic work. It may be appropriate to mark-up key passages for reference during the interview. Or you could simply have the material available to re-read whilst you wait.

If you submitted a research proposal, you should have a copy handy. Your interviewer/s will probably refer to it.

You’ll also need to bring any presentation materials you’ve been asked to prepare. Make sure you have these in a suitable format. The last thing you need at a PhD interview is malfunctioning presentation software.

Finally, a pen and paper won’t go amiss (handy if you want to make notes as a question is asked).

Getting the most out of your PhD interview

This may seem like a slightly odd topic. Sure there’s only one thing you want to get out of a PhD interview: a place on a PhD?

Well, yes and no.

You’ll want to make sure you come across as well as possible during your interview and give a fair impression of your academic potential. Hopefully the advice on this page will help with that.

But the PhD interview isn’t just an opportunity for your university to learn about you. It’s also a unique chance for you to learn about your university.

After all, you’re considering committing a significant amount of time and energy to a PhD with them. And this may be one of the few occasions when you visit the campus and meet staff and students before actually starting your project.

With that in mind, here are a few ways to take advantage of the opportunities a PhD interview offers:

Visit your prospective laboratory or department – You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your university’s academic workspaces, using its facilities. Take the opportunity to look at these whilst you’re on campus. You may find that a brief tour is part of your interview format. If it isn’t, ask if you can have a quick look around – if nothing else, this demonstrates your interest.
Chat to current PhD students – If you do visit your prospective department, take the opportunity to speak to any current PhD students you meet. They’ll be happy to answer questions about what it’s actually like to study at this university (or with this supervisor…).
Explore the campus – This may seem a little trivial, but arriving early and having the time to explore your university can be a nice way to relax before your interview. It could also give you something to chat about later.
Ask good questions – Whatever format your interview takes, you’ll have a chance to ask questions as well as answer them. This is important, because it allows you to show your motivation and engagement with the project or programme. But it’s also a way for you to find out useful things about the university, your supervisor and expectations of you as a student. Make sure you know the right questions to ask .

Still searching for a PhD?

Head over to our PhD course search to find the latest opportunities .

Our postgrad newsletter shares courses, funding news, stories and advice

Mark bennett.

Mark joined FindAPhD to develop our first ever advice articles in 2013 and now serves as our Director of Audience & Editorial, making sure our websites and information are as useful as possible for people thinking about Masters and PhD study. He has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Sheffield, as well as Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Kent and the University of South Wales.

Select your nearest city

You haven’t completed your profile yet. To get the most out of FindAPhD, finish your profile and receive these benefits:

Monthly chance to win one of ten £10 Amazon vouchers ; winners will be notified every month.*
The latest PhD projects delivered straight to your inbox
Access to our £6,000 scholarship competition
Weekly newsletter with funding opportunities, research proposal tips and much more
Early access to our physical and virtual postgraduate study fairs

Or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

or begin browsing FindAPhD.com

*Offer only available for the duration of your active subscription, and subject to change. You MUST claim your prize within 72 hours, if not we will redraw.

Create your account

Looking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here .

What You Should Expect from Your PhD Supervisor
Doing a PhD

A good supervisor will act as your mentor. They will not only help you progress through each stage of a PhD program but can also act as a source of information or someone to bounce ideas off. To get the most from your supervisor, it’s essential to first understand what their role and responsibilities are in relation to you and your PhD. This won’t only help you understand the different ways they can support you, but also enables you to define clear boundaries which will go a long way to ensuring an enjoyable and respected relationship between the two of you.

1. Expertise in Your Subject Area

You should expect your supervisor to be an expert in the subject you are focusing your PhD on. This is crucial as your supervisor will act as your primary means of support during your PhD. Therefore, the effectiveness of his or her support directly corresponds to their knowledge of your chosen subject, which could be the difference to your PhD succeeding or not.

In addition to this, a supervisor who is an expert in your chosen field could save you from unnecessarily adding a year or more to the duration of your PhD. This is because, as an expert, they will already possess an in-depth understanding of what can and cannot be achieved in the field and have an appreciation as to what would and what wouldn’t help your research stand out. This trait will help them keep you on track, which helps ensure your time is being used most effectively.

Ideally, your supervisor should have experience in supervising PhD students. Although you could theoretically tackle your PhD alone, there are many areas applicable to all PhDs, such as literature reviews, methodologies, experiments, thesis, and dissertations, that an experienced supervisor can guide you on.

2. Regular Supervisory Meetings

As good as your supervisor may be, their ability to support you only comes into fruition if you interact with them. You will be expected to arrange regular meetings with your supervisor, and if necessary, other members of your PhD panel. This will allow you to report back on your latest progress, discuss any issue you’re facing, and review any plans to identify potential improvements, etc. Some supervisors will suggest meeting at regular intervals, i.e. every other week, some will suggest meeting on completing a milestone, i.e. completion of your first draft of the literature review, and others will suggest meeting specifically as and when you need their support. While none are notably better than the other, the key is to pick what works best for you and to ensure you’re meeting them frequently, even if that means having to combine two or all of the approaches.

It’s important to appreciate your supervisor is going to be busy. They are not only going to be supervising you, but they’ll likely be providing supervision to several other students, teach undergraduate classes and have their own research projects going on. However, if you can’t meet your supervisor as often as you would like because of this, your communication doesn’t need to suffer. Instead, make use of email . Not only will your supervisor appreciate this as it gives him time to respond on his own schedule, but you’ll likely get a more detailed response.

3. Feedback on Work in Progress

Another vital aspect to expect from your supervisor is to receive continuous feedback on your work. With your supervisor being an expert in their field, he should be able to review your work and identify any issues or areas for improvement. Gaining feedback on your work is critical through all stages of your PhD. Initially, feedback will be imperative to ensure you’re staying on track. Besides this, it gives your supervisor the opportunity to help set up aspects of your PhD in ways they’ve witnessed first-hand to be most effective, for example, by suggesting an alternative way to structure your literature review or record your research findings. During the ending stages of your PhD, your supervisor will play an essential role in supporting you in the production of your thesis or dissertation. The more you liaise with them during this process, the smoother the process will be.

4. Advice and Support

The advice and support that your supervisor can offer you throughout your degree will be invaluable. As an old saying goes, you can never be distracted if you get the right advice from the right person, which in this case will be your supervisor. As well as providing technical support, many supervisors will also look to provide emotional support through words of encouragement when the moment warrants it. Having once undertaken the journey themselves, they fully appreciate how challenging and stressful the journey can be.

It’s important to note that although your supervisor is there to provide support, they are not there to help with the minor details or every problem you may encounter. The role of the supervisor is to mentor, not to teach, or do it for you. It will be your responsibility to plan, execute and monitor your own work and to identify gaps in your own knowledge and address them. Your supervisor may help by recommending literature to read or suggesting external training courses, however, you should expect nothing more intrusive than this.

5. Mediation and Representation

All universities and departments will have their own rules and regulations. As a professional academic student, you will have to adhere to these rules. These rules are unlikely to be limited to behaviour only with several rules influencing your work as a PhD student. These rules may relate to how you are expected to submit documentation or to the experiments that require special permission before being conducted within their labs. If you have any queries about any rule or regulation, your first point of contact should be your supervisor.

Before starting a PhD, it’s reasonable to have many expectations in mind. However, of all expectations, the one of your supervisors is likely to be the most important. Your supervisor will act as the backbone of your research project and should provide you with continuous support throughout each stage of your degree. A great supervisor may not only be the difference between a smooth and turbulent process, but sometimes may also be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful PhD.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

What is the proper way to ask a professor to be your PhD supervisor?

I sent an e-mail to a professor that I did undergraduate research about 9-10 years ago wondering if he could write a letter of recommendation. He replied saying that he didn't think he would have anything meaningful to say, which is completely understandable. I didn't really do any publication with the undergraduate research, but I did something that he called a sanity-check, which was work on a coding assignment on developing a Distributed File System using FUSE. The idea was that if an undergrad can do it, then the grad students should be able to do it.

He also asked if I submitted anything to him. I sent a reply on two e-books I published. One of the e-books was referenced in a Russian Defcon (I didn't write it in Russian). I also sent him a link to my blog. After that, I asked if he could be a Ph.D supervisor.

I should have asked here before sending him the e-mail though. I'm not really sure if this is the appropriate way to go about finding a Ph.D supervisor.

1 I would ask the opposite question ; how should a professor propose a potential PhD student to be her/his advisor – Open the way Commented Jul 27, 2019 at 8:34

3 Answers 3

I don't think that your approach is not good. It is always preferred to be straight to the point with direct focus on your aims and how would they fit into your potential hosting lab vision and goals.

Always, Keep It Short and Simple (this is called KISS principle).

However, Some suggestions to enhance your odds:

0- Set your objectives and your target areas.

1- Get prepared by identifying your potential advisor' research interests by visiting his web site and his lab activities to see if it's fit to your needs.

2- Make a balance sheet between your strengths and weaknesses. Don't be shy to identify your weaknesses, because you shall be providing an improvement plan on how to address them.

3- Try to come up and suggest some research topic that sticks with your potential advisors research interests.

Like this, your advisor will be more than glad to offer his/her expertise and embrace your proposal.

I believe by doing the aforementioned steps, you show that you are already on your way to a PhD. Such thing would be visible to your potential advisor and would be certainly appreciated.

Proper way is the simplest, no bs way. The main objective is to work in an area of research which is also of interest to the professor.

1- Indicate your somewhat broad research area of interest. (e.g quantitative finance/option pricing)

2- Point out similar research that the professor had published.

3- Sketch 2-3 ideas with specific purposes (e.g. hedging derivative portfolios with etfs), write something brief about what was done before but how your ideas can be novel.

4- Ask for a face to face meeting to discuss further details and prospective phd studies. Indicate even if it is not possible to do a phd together some discussion would be helpful. Perhaps he/she can refer to a more proper advisor.

Of course this only works if you already have a starting idea to dabble on in the following 4-6 years.

Don't overcomplicate the issue, just say what you are looking for. A potential supervisor will want to establish a number of things: that you possess the basic qualifications to do the research that you want to do, that you are sufficiently motivated to take on what is a very big personal project (and that you can finance it), that the subject of your research fits in with the professor's own interests, and that the professor can be bothered to take on another research student (grad student in American English).

Consider my own case. When I decided I wanted to do a PhD in statistics, I had not done any formal academic work for many years. Although I had graduated in mathematics, and taken masters degrees in pure mathematics and in operational research, I had no academic referees (the people who had taught me were all long since retired, if not dead).

I sent very short emails to four (full) professors whom I selected by looking at university websites to check whether they were researching in the field that I was interested in. I had four responses:

You must take an MSc in statistics before we could consider you;
I have given up taking research students
I cannot take on any more research students: I have too many already
Please arrange a time when we can talk over the telephone.

In the telephone conversation with number 4, I explained why I wanted to do research in my subject, why I had selected that professor, and what work in that field I had already done (no publications, however I had given a talk at an academic conference). He then invited me to visit him. We then discussed in more detail all the matters described above, and he took me on.

My guess is that if I had sent long emails to any of the professors I would have got nowhere: those people are very busy, they do not read long emails from people they do not know.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged phd ..

Featured on Meta
User activation: Learnings and opportunities
Preventing unauthorized automated access to the network

Hot Network Questions

How to adjust the water amount when soaking rice before cooking?
How to Create a Gradient Selection Along a Curved Mesh Object in Geometry Nodes?
Does a ball fit in a pipe if they are exactly the same diameter?
Sitecore - Browser-Based Personalization
Identifying logical fallacy: X are Y but if you are X that doesnt do Y then this statement does not apply to you
What is the point of "what is the point?" argument in re determinism?
Adjective separated from it's noun
Red dwarfs and red giants
Is there enough food in the Ocean to support large populations of Octopus?
I need a temporary hoist and track system to lift a dead chest freezer up through a tight stairwell
What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Universal unitary matrix (logic gate) that amplify imaginary part and nullify real part, and vice versa
How close are aircraft allowed to get to each other mid-flight?
Name of a Teen Sci Fi about convicts from different planets being dumped on a planet together
Letter of recommendation conflict of interest
Booking special meal in plane and ticket verification
How to return multiple columns from one function inside `mutate` and allow me to name the output columns?
The King takes a stroll
Load center and main breaker sharing same lugs at service entrance
What is the smallest interval between two palindromic times on a 24-hour digital clock?
What determines the resistance with which MOSFETs fail short?
Similar meanings for verbs
How can I have my paper reviewed?
Is it even possible to build a beacon to announce we exist?

IMAGES

5 Questions You Must Ask Your Potential PhD Supervisor
10 questions to ask potential PhD supervisors
Top 25 Best PhD Interview Questions To Ask 2022
10 Questions to ask your PhD advisor
Questions to ask after a PhD interview
Best Questions To Ask During A PhD Interview

VIDEO

Tips on how to prepare for interview with prospective graduate supervisor
Supervise PhD students to get Tenure Fast!
The two types of PhD supervisor #phd
Discuss this with your PhD supervisor #supervisor #phd #research #discussion
Why PhD Students Should Attend Academic Conferences #researchguide #phdtips
How the relationship between advisor and PhD student develops over time #phd #phdlife

COMMENTS

Questions to Ask PhD Supervisors and How to Contact Them
Your first email to a potential PhD supervisor should be a formal email, in many ways like an application cover letter. 1. Include a clear subject line. Make sure your initial email doesn't have a vague subject line that could lead to it being ignored (or heading straight for the spam folder). Some examples could be:
Top 5 Questions To Ask Your PhD Supervisor
Many before you have felt the same way. One thing is known, while facing fears can be scary, it is beneficial for personal growth. To ease the concerns of others and yourself, the following five beginner PhD questions to ask your supervisor might be useful. 1.
PDF The Definitive 'what do I ask/look for' in a PhD Advisor Guide
in mind as you start this journey and an exhaustive reference of questions to ask, color coded by who you should probably talk to first. You'll have 30 min - full day with each lab, so focus on the questions relevant to your situation. Some have complex, nuanced implications that you should ask a trusted neutral party about or @ me on twitter ...
Questions to Ask During Your PhD Interview
The reason to ask the second question of how many students gained PhDs is to get an idea of the supervisor's track record of successful supervision. The lower the percentage of students that went onto complete their PhD under his or her supervision (and not leave the program early), the more alarm bells that should be ringing for you.
10 Questions to ask your PhD advisor
This article will guide you through 10 questions to ask your PhD advisor towards the end of your PhD interview. Please note that these prompts do not form an exhaustive list, are in no particular order and nor do they guarantee that you would gauge synergies 100% accurately, if any. They would likely give you a good idea of what to expect from ...
Questions to Ask a Potential PhD Advisor: Step 1 in ...
By ProFellow Founder, Dr. Vicki Johnson. One of the big "unspoken" steps in applying successfully to PhD programs is conducting faculty outreach before applying. This step is necessary to find research alignment with a faculty member or members who might serve as your PhD advisor if you are accepted to the program, and necessary to ensure you'll receive adequate support!
phd
What are some questions that you can ask your prospective Ph.D. supervisor during interview? 64 What questions should one ask to the former/current students of a professor before deciding whether to do PhD under him/her?
Questions to Ask a Prospective Ph.D. Advisor on Visit Day, With
These are my (@andrewkuznet) opinions, formed by being a SCS PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University in the US.This post is meant as a followup to a poster I made in 2019 with the help of many people. Following the trend, this guide was also created collaboratively. Every PhD, advisor, and situation is different, but I've written this question guide to help a diverse set of readers during ...
What should I ask a potential PhD advisor in an informal interview?
Actually, your questions sounds like you are trying to hire him for a position, whereas he would be the one taking on an obligation to you and your future. I would probably have a chuckle if a student asked me those in a first interview. ... I'd probably ask how he sees himself as a PhD-supervisor, what his philosophy of supervising is, and ...
PDF Questions to Ask Your Potential Supervisor
Do they offer you useful feedback/advice? Does your supervisor hold you to reasonable expectations? How is the group managed? Are you assigned tasks/responsibilities in terms of equipment maintenance, training, and ordering? How does your supervisor handle conflict? What kind of culture exists in your lab?
Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor
After finding one or several supervisors of interest, we hope that the rules bellow will help you choose the right supervisor for you. Go to: Rule 1: Align research interests. You need to make sure that a prospective supervisor studies, or at the very least, has an interest in what you want to study.
Choosing a PhD Supervisor
Choosing a PhD Supervisor. Your PhD supervisor will play a vital part in your PhD, providing you with the mentorship, feedback and support you need to succeed. That's why it's so important to spend time finding a supervisor for your PhD who will be a great fit for you and your project. The role of a PhD supervisor is to use their own ...
The PhD Interview
Depending on the format for your PhD interview it could involve: A formal question and answer session in front of a postgraduate recruitment panel. A presentation, based on your research proposal or area of expertise. A one-to-one discussion with your prospective supervisor.
phd
Some advisors like to ask detailed questions about past courses, grades, etc., and others will just assume that if you got into the PhD program then you have the desired background. ... At the level of a PhD candidature your supervisor will also generally want you to have a broad interest in the field, rather than a narrow interest only in a ...
10 Ways to Impress a PhD Supervisor
1. Communicate Clearly. PhD supervisors are busy people, they receive countless emails every day from panicked students, colleagues chasing up peer-reviews, and potential PhD candidates like yourself. When you first contact a potential supervisor, stick to sending them a brief email. Note the brief there.
What You Should Expect from Your PhD Supervisor
3. Feedback on Work in Progress. Another vital aspect to expect from your supervisor is to receive continuous feedback on your work. With your supervisor being an expert in their field, he should be able to review your work and identify any issues or areas for improvement. Gaining feedback on your work is critical through all stages of your PhD.
Mastering Your Ph.D.: Better Communication With Your Supervisor
Patricia Gosling and Bart Noordam are the authors of Mastering Your Ph.D.: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond (Springer, 2006). Gosling is a senior medical writer at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics in Germany and a freelance science writer. Noordam is a professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands ...
phd
26. Speaking from experience, both as a student and as a Phd supervisor in theoretical computer science. The meetings with your supervisor serve many purposes. To narrow the scope a little bit, let me only discuss the type of meetings you mention - where you read a research paper and discuss it to a high level of detail with your advisor.
phd
1. You don't need any special wording or "politeness" beyond what is normally expected of adults. Tell him that you would like him to supervise you and that you are interested in the research area you discussed. Ask, explicitly, if he is willing and able to take you on.
What is the proper way to ask a professor to be your PhD supervisor?
2. Proper way is the simplest, no bs way. The main objective is to work in an area of research which is also of interest to the professor. 1- Indicate your somewhat broad research area of interest. (e.g quantitative finance/option pricing) 2- Point out similar research that the professor had published.

Top 5 Questions to Ask Your PhD Supervisor on the First Meeting