phd supervision request email

How to Email a Professor for the Supervision in MS/PhD

by Scholarships Corner | Jun 9, 2020

Are you planning to study abroad and looking forward to writing an email to the professor but uncertain about the criteria? In this article, you will learn “How to Email a Professor for MS or PhD supervision” and you must know proper email is the basis for research supervision, scholarships/ research scholarships , and fundings. 

Proper email is the key here. You must know that through the proper email you can fully fund scholarships ( Masters Scholarships or PhD Scholarships ) for your studies. Many people ignore all these points that’s why they don’t get any response from the professors. Carefully read the whole article and learn more about how to write an email to a professor, or how to write an email to a professor for a research assistantship, how to write an email to a professor for graduate school admission, how to write an email to a professor for research, how to write an email to professor for masters or how to write an email to professor for PhD. 

Your email should be outstanding, gives a nice impression, and assists you to be a well-qualified applicant. The applicant should be acknowledged regarding email patterns, keywords, and structure.

Your email should be out loud that shows why you are interested in the selected field, how you can be a perfect person for this position. Repetition of the words should be avoided, the matter should be clear, correct, and concise.

Whenever you are approaching a professor, try to give a read to his research material and mention it in your email. Keep a check on the correct use of punctuation and grammar in the email.

How to Email a Professor for the Supervision in MS/PhD?

How to address the professor.

Ignoring an email by a professor is quite normal as they have busy schedules, so be attentive while writing the subject line. In order to make sure that your email will not be ignored, try to include an information-based, strong, and attractive subject line. By the correct use of words in the subject line professor will be able to catch an idea of what your email is about. You can write like that, “Request for MS Supervision Spring 2020 or Spring 2021” or “Request for PhD Supervision” 

Always begin or address the person by using professional greetings for instance with Dear Prof._____, Dear Dr.____, and avoid addressing with Mr.____, Ms.____ or Mrs.____

Introduction:

The 1st paragraph should give a concise summary of your self including your native country and your name. It must tell you about your achievements, experience, and qualifications relevant to the open position. By addressing the professor’s research area, you can also show that you also want to work on one of his research projects in his lab. Moreover, you can give a clue that you are eager to get any possible PhD/MS opportunities or scholarships in his custom research or lab group.

Body Paragraph:

In this paragraph, with the consideration of the professor’s research area, mention your work experience, skills, and previous research work. The applicant can get a brief overview of the professor’s research publications, previous, and current projects by visiting the lab’s official website. In order to be a good competitor, you must list all of your achievements and expertise to provide a clear vision about your passion in the professor’s research area. Avoid any jargon or slang words, and any kind of complexity.

Last Paragraph:

The last paragraph is supposed to be the last one. In this paragraph, you have to show your enthusiasm, passion, and motivation to work in the professor’s research group. Furthermore, you can state what inspires you to be a part of this research group or a specific domain.

Closing Statement:

With a polite, requesting, and respectful manner close this paragraph and write a short statement regarding the CV or any other document attached and ask if any document is required. For example, Kindly find the attached document, and would love to provide you with further documents if needed.  If the process will be manageable, I would look forward to being a part of your research ( project name) in the coming fall.

Proof Reading:

Make sure that you review your email before forwarding it to the professor, it will help you to convey your message in the nicest way.

Sample Email for requesting to the Professor for Supervision in MS/PhD

Subject: Request for MS or PhD Supervision or Request for MS or PhD Research Assistantship 

Dear Professor______,

My name is (write your name) and I have completed (your degree title) from (Full university name) with (your CGPA, don’t mention CGPA if it’s low). Mention I got medals, certificates, and achievements if any.

(Write about Projects, internships, research, or thesis) During my undergraduate or Masters’s studies, I have been engaged in a research project or have written any thesis ( relevant to my expertise), include that. Moreover, I have done internships, research publications, current or previous work experience, or online courses.

I have visited your research articles and found my field of interest in your research area. I am very enthusiastic to conduct and pursue your research along with him. (Do mention the name of the Research Lab Name or website, Also mention the research topic or fields in which you are interested) 

I have attached my CV /other required documents and I would be glad to hearing from you soon.

I am very thankful and looking forward to your positive response.

Best Regards,

Note: For Fully-Funded national and international opportunities, visit our Facebook Page , Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn , Pinterest , YouTube Channel , and Telegram .

Scholarships Corner is a diverse forum where people aspiring to pursue higher studies or polishing their educational and professional skills.

Join our WhatsApp Channel

Latest Opportunities

Leadership & Conflict Resolution Certification in Cambridge, UK by GPC

Google Creative Fellowship 2024 in the USA | Paid Fellowship

Inje University GKS Scholarship 2024 in South Korea | Fully Funded

Bucharest Summer University 2024 in Romania | BSU 2024

AACR Research Fellowships in USA 2024 | Fully Funded

Generation Google Scholarship 2024-2025 | Google Scholarships

Join our telegram channel.

Stay Connected With Us

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest scholarships news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

How to Write an Email to a Potential Supervisor (With examples)

• December 15, 2021
• GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Writing to a potential supervisor can exponentially increase your chances of securing a position as a graduate student. However, you will be walking in a thin line between setting up a great first impression or a pretty bad one.

The good news is that leaving a great impression is much simpler than you would think; it simply comes down to how you structure your first email.

When I was applying for my graduate program, I sent 130 emails to different professors in different universities in both USA and Canada. For those 130 emails I sent, I got 53 replies, with nearly 40% conversion rate. From those 53 replies, 22 professors were interested in offering me a position in their lab and encouraged me to apply formally through the university’s graduate office.

In this blog post, you will find some helpful information that I figured out during my application process about writing an email to a potential supervisor. 

How appropriate would it be to write an email to a potential supervisor?

Reach out and write an email to a potential supervisor before applying is definitely one of those topics where you want to find out about the norms in your discipline. 

Reaching out to potential advisors ahead of time is fine, helpful but not necessarily required for most people. 

In some fields, it might be strange or unexpected or something that people don’t usually do, and in some other fields, it might almost feel like a requirement.

This might be different in different fields because, in some disciplines, advisor fit is much more important than others.  

Suppose you are in a discipline like humanities where you’re not working very closely with an advisor. In that case, it might be that students are accepted into the department generally, and that advisor fit doesn’t really matter.

In that case, you should still talk about specific faculty in your statement of purpose because that is a good reason why you’re applying to that program. 

It shows that you’ve done your research.

But you probably don’t need to do fact-finding on the capacity of individual faculty members before you submit your application.

But if you are in one of those disciplines where advisor fit can be essential for admission, writing an email to a potential supervisor is very important.

Overall, reaching out to potential advisors isn’t something you have to do, but it’s really more of a fact-finding mission.

It can be beneficial for you to get some helpful information.

Find out if they have the resources to recruit you.

Sometimes there’s one perfect potential advisor for you in a department, and that person cannot take on new advisees for some reason.

Maybe the funding capacity limit is already reached when you email the professor.

If that’s the case, they often are upfront about that and might even suggest other people that you should consider talking to or writing about in your application materials.

If you get one of these responses from a professor who says,” I’m unlikely to take on new PhD advisees”, that does not mean that you should not apply for that program.

Also, do not forget to follow up because sometimes the funding capacity can change at the last moment.

This is one of the advantages of writing an email to a potential supervisor because they might let you know if something like that happens.

But it’s good for you to know that you should look into other options as well. Even if you are highly interested in that particular program, putting all your eggs in one basket is not a good idea.

The other important thing that you could find out from reaching out to a prospective advisor is their current research direction.

For example, if you look at someone’s recent publications, think about when the professor did that research.

If a paper is published recently, this paper went through peer review. 

Roughly add the revision time and paper writing time.

They might have done that research two years ago.

Are they still doing that kind of research?

You can, of course, find out a fair amount of research work and their timelines by going to a faculty member’s website or by looking at current grant funding.

Especially, grand funding tells you what that person will be doing for the next few years.

People’s trajectories can change a lot. 

Have I ever made a mistake like this? I have. Big time! See the below email I received when I was writing to a professor!

So, you want to make sure you have an idea of what they’re doing now because you could mention them in your statement of purpose letter .

When should you reach out to a potential supervisor?

Typically graduate applications are due late fall / early winter.

You should check and make sure that you have a sense of this timeline.

It wouldn’t necessarily hurt to reach out earlier. 

But, I would recommend reaching out one to two months before the deadline because that’s when supervisors know if they can offer new graduate student positions.

Sometimes funding decisions come in over the summer, so they might undoubtedly know whether they’re taking on new graduate students when the deadlines are closer.

Another reason not to email professors early is, some professors aren’t working as much over the summer.

Also, they might be heads down and writing a book or doing research and not responding to emails quite as readily as they might during the academic year.

A template for writing an email to a potential supervisor

Here’s an example email that I used when applying for graduate programs. This is the email I wrote to the professor I’m currently working with.

Make sure to adjust this email to be compatible with your field of study.

This will give you a sense of the information you might want to mention in your email.

Title: Inquiry from a prospective graduate student Dear Professor [name], I am a (Your major) graduand from the (Your university). I’m interested in a graduate study opportunity under your supervision in your research group. I am considering applying to your department’s graduate program, one reason being that I am very interested in the work you are doing on Hydrophobic surfaces. Given that your research takes both experimental and theoretical approaches for surface analysis and development, it further encourages me to apply since it is a perfect confluence of my research interests. I particularly enjoyed your paper “(Paper that you’re interested in)” and possibly see myself doing that kind of work. My own research interests relate to surface and interface science, computational materials science, thin films and coatings, and electrochemistry. I graduated with a (Your overall GPA) and a (CGPA) in the last two years of undergraduate study and am currently working as a researcher for eight months at [institute], a world-leading manufacturer of weight measurement technologies. At [institute]’s research lab, I am implementing studies on the micro throwing power of watt’s type baths by electrochemical simulations (COMSOL Multiphysics), ideally targeting to enhance Ni20Cr thin films’ surface wettability. I have just submitted an article on my current research findings, which was accepted by Materials Today: Proceedings. I have attached our recent publication and other relevant documents with more details. I am wondering if you will be considering taking on new PhD advisees for September intake or if you have suggestions for other faculty I should reach out to. I would be happy to answer any questions or have an online interview if more information would be helpful. ( Your signature )

You will find more tips of writing the perfect email to a potential supervisor here .

First and foremost, do not forget to do your homework before writing an email to a potential supervisor.

Do not send the same email to every professor that you choose.

Although it seems like a lot of work, do your research first and write a specific email for each supervisor. You can always use similar phrases here and there but never use the same template because a professor who receives many such emails can easily understand what you are doing.

And, that is not a good first impression.

If you want to have a robust application, you need to research what faculty are doing.

Also, note that my email word count is nearly 250. Not including many things in your email is also essential when writing an email to a potential supervisor.

Professors are always busy. They do not have to spend more than 1 or 2 minutes on an email. So you must know to impress the professor within that time frame, or your email will go straight to the junk folder.

Note that I also mentioned a paper that I was interested in. This is optional. But if you decide to mention a paper, make sure that you understand the basic concepts of that paper. Because, if this email leads to a quick interview, they might ask some questions from the paper. If that happens, you don’t want to embarrass yourself.

But just mentioning the general research area is more than enough for the first email because it shows that you’ve done your homework.

Also, it’s very important to mention that your research interests and the supervisor’s current area of research are similar.

It doesn’t have to be exactly the same.

But it should be in the same domain. In this example, my prospective supervisor (When I was writing this email) was working on a combination of physical chemistry and computational modelling. The interests I mentioned align with what he was interested in. But they are not precisely the same.

Maintain an effective email management system

At the time I was writing to potential supervisors, I was working full-time in a research lab. My work schedule was 10 hours a day. So, it took me a while to begin writing to potential supervisors.

In fact, it was too late to start writing, and I was told by friends to wait until next year to apply. They have already contacted supervisors and secured graduate positions at this point.

This is when I snapped out of my procrastination bubble and began thinking about how to secure a graduate position. Moreover, I had very specific research interests, so getting into a graduate program has already been challenging in the first place.

Before contacting professors, I also reviewed their profiles at hundreds of universities to find relevant labs.

Therefore, I needed a robust and efficient system for emailing potential supervisors. After a few tweaks, I created an effective yet simple system for managing graduate applications.

I use the notion app to build my graduate application management system.

It only took me two weeks to find professors whose research interests were similar to mine. And I have secured a graduate position in a lab conducting the exact research I was interested in.

You can grab the template by clicking the link below.

Do not directly ask for a meeting

Something else that you might have noticed that the email was ended with :

” I would be happy to answer any questions or have an online interview if more information would be helpful.”

There are lots of different ways that you could do mention this.

However, you may want to leave the option open without directly demanding a meeting.

Because if that prospective professor is not taking new advisees for the term, it would not be a great use of either of your time to have a meeting.

If the professor wants to talk more to you, they might be the one to suggest a meeting.

Or wait until you get a reply from them to decide to ask for a meeting, depending on their response.

They also might offer in their reply to answer questions, in which case you can ask questions in an email, or you can say,

“I do have some questions. Would you prefer email, or would it be easier for you to talk on the phone or video conference call?”

Why would you not get a reply?

But, sometimes, you might not get a reply at all.

It’s very important not to take it personally if they do not respond to your email.

My email conversion rate was 40%, which means that I haven’t heard anything 60% of the time.

Believe it or not, professors receive more than 100 emails per day when the deadlines are closer. So, there is a bigger chance that the professor hasn’t even seen your email.

Maybe your research background does not properly align with what they are looking for from a graduate student to join their lab. Here’s a reply I received from a professor mentioning this issue.

There are other reasons to why you haven’t heard when you write an email to a potential supervisor.

• The applicant has no clear idea about their research interests.
• There are no vacancies in their labs to accommodate new students.
• Your email is poorly drafted, and you have not specifically addressed that particular professor.
• You copy many professors in a single email.
• There’s no subject on the email.

Types of responses you might get

If you don’t hear back from a professor, do not assume that that means you shouldn’t apply to that program, or you shouldn’t mention them in your statement of purpose.

You can’t assume that a non-response means that they have no interest in your application.

It’s possible that when you reach out to someone, they might be excited to talk to you.

Many of the kinds of conversations you might have in a pre-application discussion with a faculty member might be pretty similar to the type of conversation you would have after you’ve applied.

So, it’s helpful to have a meeting/interview with a professor this way.

Also, if a professor suggested looking for other faculty members, you should email them. 

Because those suggested professors might work in a research area that you might be interested in. It might also be a signal for people who have funding or actively recruiting new students.

So, research them and consider reaching out to them if they mention someone specific.

You might also get a very vague reply such as :

“Thank you for reaching out. I look forward to seeing your application.”

You do not have to take that as a bad sign; it just means that they’re looking forward to seeing your application.

They chose to reply to you even though they have the freedom to ignore your email. That means something. Do not lose hope.

Make sure to mention the faculty members who replied to you so that they will recognize your application in the application evaluation process.

Final words

Writing an email to a potential supervisor is an essential step in your graduate application process.

Having a clear idea about who you are writing to and why you are writing to that person is important to get a reply.

If you have gone through the same process and found some important aspects about writing an email to a potential supervisor, let us know in the comment section.

As always, be proactive, be kind and try to help one another!

Images courtesy : Mail vector created by stories – www.freepik.com , Business photo created by creativeart – www.freepik.com , phdcomics , Image by Freepik

Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

Did You Enjoy This?

Then consider getting the ProactiveGrad newsletter. It's a collection of useful ideas, fresh links, and high-spirited shenanigans delivered to your inbox every two weeks.

I accept the Privacy Policy

Hand-picked related articles

How to ace the GRE and get into your dream school in five steps

• February 19, 2024

The Art of Writing a Winning Statement of Purpose for graduate school (With examples)

• January 28, 2024

A Step-by-Step Guide to Researching Potential Graduate Programs

• January 13, 2024

Very useful article. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I want to know about followup emails. How long we have to wait ?

I’m glad this article was helpful to you, Poornima!

Professors sometimes do not respond to emails for the following reasons: (1) They are genuinely busy. (2) They do not have funding to support your education and (3) Their inboxes are flooded with emails every day, and responding to them all can be a challenge.

Although the time to write a follow-up email depends on your own circumstances, give them a reasonable amount of time to respond. It is a good idea to wait at least one week before sending a follow-up email.

You can read our other blog posts to learn more about writing follow-up emails .

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name  *

Email  *

Add Comment  *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Post Comment

10 Effective Ways to Contact Potential PhD Supervisors in the US

Apart from acquiring in-depth knowledge, a PhD doctoral degree is a prestigious recognition. It can boost your career opportunities in academia, research, and innovation and broaden your networking horizons. However, considering a doctoral program requires significant time and effort; the application process is tailored to help institutes select the most promising candidates. While the PhD application process involves various kinds of nitty-gritty, communicating with potential PhD supervisors is a common step all candidates need to ace.

Why Should You Reach out to Potential PhD Supervisors?

Before or while submitting your admission to universities for a PhD, you are asked to reach out to potential PhD supervisors who are faculty members at these universities. By contacting potential PhD supervisors, you check that your university of choice has a faculty member with a similar research interest and can supervise the research you intend to carry out. If this person is willing to supervise you, they will not only mentor and guide you throughout your PhD program but will also advocate for your admission to the university.

After approving the former’s admission, most universities in foreign countries, including the US, do not believe in ‘manufacturing’ a working relationship between a PhD student and their supervisor. Instead, they strongly recommend fostering this connection through prior outreach to understand synergies between both parties.

Ways to Contact Potential PhD Supervisors

To address all your queries on how to contact potential PhD supervisors, we have outlined some basic steps.

1. Plan Your Timelines

Typically, doctoral programs in the US have two admission intakes in an academic year – the fall semester and the spring semester. Depending upon the semester you want to target, you will have to commence your preparation at least a year in advance. For example, if you seek admission to the Fall 2023 program, you must prepare your application by or before Fall 2022. The deadlines for submitting applications for the Fall 2023 program would be December 2022/January 2023. Planning will allow you time to take any tests required, prepare your application, and contact potential PhD supervisors.

2. Identify Your Area of Research 

It is critical to identify your research area and interests before starting any PhD application. Prepare a brief research proposal of around 500 words that outlines your area of research, the broader aim, the objective of your research question, why you want to carry out this research, the methodology, etc. You can share this with potential PhD supervisors. Prospective supervisors will welcome such clarity of thought as it outlines your PhD agenda and highlights your commitment.

3. Do Your Research 

Carrying out thorough research on a university and faculty members or the best destination for a PhD will lay the groundwork for your applications. Once you have identified your research interest, identify universities offering doctoral programs in your area of interest or undertaking research in similar fields. Further, learn about the faculty members teaching in relevant departments at the universities you shortlist. Go through their websites, recent publications, and current research projects to understand if they align with your interests. You can also reach out to members currently enrolled in these doctoral programs to get their feedback on potential PhD supervisors.

4. Identifying Relevant Supervisors 

One way of creating a list of the most relevant supervisors is to go through recent publications in your research area and note the commonly cited researchers or supervisors mentioned. You can also reach out to the university department concerned, and they can put you in touch with the most appropriate faculty, depending on your research interests. It is essential to find a supervisor aligned with your interest so that they can lend the necessary expertise to support your dissertation.

5. Make Formal Contact

Emailing potential PhD supervisors is the preferred mode of communication for establishing contact. Before making any contact, research the supervisor thoroughly and be well-prepared. Any potential PhD supervisor email sample you refer to online will include:

• A clear subject line
• Formal language, correct salutation, and grammar
• A brief academic background
• Outline of intent and area of interest
• Personalization to show familiarity with the supervisor’s research work
• A CV and academic transcripts
• Previous academic papers and publications

6. Put Your Best Foot Forward

A well-drafted email leaves a good impression on the supervisor. The email should make a case for why your background makes you a suitable PhD candidate and justify the need for the supervisors’ guidance. Any missing detail could result in the potential PhD supervisor not responding to your email.

7. Give them Material to Respond to You 

Make a list of questions to ask potential PhD supervisors. Include them in your email to prompt a quicker reply from the researcher. Add a CTA. The questions could be about their research, a potential meeting, or their interest in supervising new students.

8. Allow them Sufficient Time to Respond 

Supervisors are known to be busy individuals with ongoing projects, research students, and academia taking up their time. There will be other candidates emailing them too. If you don’t hear back from them in two weeks, you can send a polite follow-up email. If you still don’t get a response, it is most likely that the supervisor is not onboarding new candidates, and you can streamline your outreach to other supervisors.

9. Request a Meeting 

If you get a positive response, request a meeting with your potential supervisor and suggest some time slots to schedule the same. A face-to-face meeting may not be feasible, but a video call is a good alternative. The meeting will help you understand the supervisor’s personality, working style and will also be an opportunity to ask any questions.

10. Share Additional Info

Share any additional information that might help your admission when you communicate with the supervisor. If you have access to external funding or scholarships, be sure to highlight it as it will make you an attractive Ph.D. candidate. Any certifications or test scores (GRE/GMAT) and English language proficiency tests TOEFL Vs. IELTS Vs. Duolingo should also be documented.

Preparing your PhD application is only one part of the admission process. The most important part is identifying and developing a rapport with potential PhD supervisors. To effectively communicate with your prospects, you need to be well-prepared and well-researched and have command of your chosen field.

Interested in pursuing a PhD in the future but unsure of your field of interest? Book a career counseling online with Mindler and gain first-hand career insights.

Raghav Mutneja

Raghav looks into the Partnerships & Alliances team at Mindler and help individuals achieve their goals to become better career counselors and upscale their ventures. Raghav is a management graduate from the University of Manchester, with an undergrad from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (USA), and successful summer school credentials from LSE.

12 Evergreen Career Options For Commerce Students After 12th

Subjects offered in the humanities domain for class 11 & 12.

Discover Your Perfect Career

Take the world’s most-advanced career assessment!

Thank you for your interest in Mindler.

One of our Career Experts will get in touch with you shortly. We usually respond within 2 working days.

Why Choose Mindler vs. Other Platforms?

Mindler 2023 Recap

How to become a pilot in india – a complete guide, how to join indian air force, skills required to become a successful career coach.

How to Email a Potential Supervisor

If you’re interested in graduate school, chances are you’re also thinking about contacting professors you’re interested in working with. This type of introductory, “cold” email is an important part of the graduate school application process, but it can be tricky to get right. You want to create a good impression so you stand out as a serious applicant. Here are some things to keep in mind when emailing potential PhD supervisors to increase your odds of getting a response.

Keep it short

Professors are short of time and receive a ton of emails each day. As a result, they often skim emails. A short email is both faster for them to read and reply to. If you write a long email there’s a higher chance a professor will wait to read it “later” (read never.)

Make a Connection

If you have a connection to the professor, make sure to mention it. Were you referred to them by one of their former or current students? Did you hear the professor speak at a conference or invited talk?

Have a Clear CTA

Have you ever reached the end of an email and still had no clue what the sender wanted from you? Don’t send that type of email to a professor. Be very clear about what you want from them. Ask direct questions like, “Will you be taking on new PhD students in the fall?” Questions like this are easier to answer which increases the likelihood that the professor will answer your email. 

Introduce yourself 

Once you’ve asked if you can work with them, briefly introduce yourself in a sentence or two. In addition to where you study, include your research interests, why you’re interested in this professor’s work, and what you can bring to the table. You should also attach your CV to the email.  

Have a Clear Subject Line

The purpose of a subject line is to tell the reader what the email is about. Use a subject line such as “Inquiry from a prospective grad student” or “Potential applicant interested in your lab” to reinforce your CTA. 

Thank them for their time 

Ending your email by thanking the professor for their time is a polite way to show respect. Follow this up with a professional sign off. 

If you don’t receive a reply from the professor within a week, it’s okay to send a gentle follow up email asking for a response. If you still don’t get a response, it might be best to move on. 

Discover related jobs

Discover similar employers

Accelerate your academic career

On-Campus Interview Tips

On-campus interviews are an essential step in the faculty member, PhD st...

So You’re Defending Your Dissertation Tomorrow

One of the best things you can do today to prepare for your defence is t...

French Academic Job Titles Explained

What's the difference between a professeur des universités and a maître ...

More International Researchers Means Better Science

A study in Nature shows the benefit of attracting global research talent...

The DOs and DON’Ts of Letters of Recommendation

To ensure you get strong letters of recommendation, follow these simple ...

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome is a nagging feeling of self-doubt and unworthiness th...

Jobs by field

• Machine Learning 169
• Artificial Intelligence 161
• Electrical Engineering 160
• Programming Languages 134
• Molecular Biology 105
• Materials Chemistry 98
• Electronics 95
• Computational Sciences 93
• Mechanical Engineering 89
• Cell Biology 89

Jobs by type

• Postdoc 312
• Assistant / Associate Professor 180
• Professor 135
• Researcher 105
• Research assistant 98
• Lecturer / Senior Lecturer 72
• Engineer 55
• Management / Leadership 54
• Tenure Track 52

Jobs by country

• Belgium 264
• Netherlands 177
• Switzerland 122
• Luxembourg 49

Jobs by employer

• Mohammed VI Polytechnic Unive... 94
• KU Leuven 92
• ETH Zürich 70
• Ghent University 69
• Eindhoven University of Techn... 54
• KTH Royal Institute of Techno... 48
• University of Luxembourg 47
• University of Twente 40
• Karolinska Institutet 30

This website uses cookies

Username or Email Address

Remember Me Forgot Password?

Prove your humanity

A link to set a new password will be sent to your email address.

Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy .

Get New Password -->

How to Contact Potential Supervisor for PhD (STEM)

• May 25, 2021
• Career Guidance , Post graduate , Study Abroad

Finding and securing a fully-funded PhD abroad is a long process. One of the key steps, where the majority of prospective PhD students struggle is contacting potential supervisors. In this post, I will discuss a few strategies and tips on how to find and contact potential supervisor for PhD.

Before getting into our main agenda, let’s understand when it is required. Yes, you don’t always need to contact a potential supervisor for PhD.

Types of PhD Positions

1. structured phd programs:.

Structured PhD programs are the ones in which a team of supervisors look after a group of PhD students. Such programs often have a strong international orientation with English as the team language.

Unlike the individual doctorate model that can be freely structured to suit the individual research project, here doctoral students and their research proposals have to fit in with an existing PhD program. Usually, students go through lab rotation (work with 3 or 4 research groups/labs) in the first year and then decide the main thesis topic.

Structured PhD programs are extremely competitive. Typically, 500 – 1,500 candidates compete for 20 – 50 PhD positions each year. These programs come with a central application system and have a fixed deadline (only once in a year).

More often than not, candidates are not encouraged to contact the Professors or Principal Investigators (PI) in such cases.

This is very common in Germany, Switzerland, UK, and USA.

During the application process, you need to submit various documents including CV (resume), Academic Transcripts & Certificates, Statement of Purpose (SoP), Letters or Recommendation, Test Scores, etc.

2. Advertised PhD Positions:

Unlike structutred PhD programs, the scope of the research is already outlined by the university (particularly in the STEM field).

Popular countries in this category are Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, etc.

In the case of advertised PhD positions, you could approach the PI before submitting the application. Usually, CV and cover letter are required in the first stage of the application.

The advertised positions are available all year round. This is more like a job vacancy. Just like any job, 30 – 200 candidates might apply for one single position.

3. Open / Forced PhD Positions:

This is when there is no position at all. Candidates usually contact PIs and express an interest to do a PhD under the guidance of the particular PI.

We will now get to our main agenda – how to find and contact a potential PhD supervisor; especially, in the STEM fields like Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, and Biosciences & Biotechnology.

How to Find Potential Supervisors for PhD

Using university ranking tables.

Quite often candidates start by looking at the top universities (in various rankings) and look for PIs with similar research profiles. This is no doubt a good starting point.

You can start by browsing through the research profiles of professors and shortlist the ones you find interesting to work with.

In this case, it will be critical to shortlist only those scientists who are working in the area where you already have some idea and you are really passionate about.

Using Niche Platforms

Another option could be to start looking for Professors/PIs who are working in the area in which you have got interested. Sites like ResearchGate, Nature, FindAPhD, PubMed, or Google Scholar are good options where you can find potential supervisors according to your area of research interest. In case you are not too sure about your interest area, it’s better to stick to the above method. But, the second method would have a better success rate.

Get Familiar with the Work of Potential Supervisors

Once you have created the list, you need to get familiar with their work.

You will need to read some of his recent research papers and get an idea of the lab profile as well. Yes, “recent” is critical. Research interests or research objectives might change after 5 years.

After reading recent papers, try to think about how you would go about extending them. Is there a particular skill set that you have or would like to gain that would be a complement to her work?

Supervisors will have their own academic profile page, either on their university website or social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. These pages are good resources to find out about their work and research interests in their own words. You will also be able to find their  email address  there.

How to Contact Potential Supervisor for PhD

Email is the best mode of communication rather than contacting PIs on Twitter.

In the email, state that you’re looking for a Ph.D. advisor, which papers you’ve read, a sentence or two that has demonstrated you’ve thought beyond the content of the papers, and a request for permission to ask her a few questions about where her future research is going.

It may also be useful to briefly explain why you are interested, or how you discovered the supervisor.

The idea is that you should try to stimulate the PI by pitching your research ideas. Mere expression of interest of doing a PhD is not going to work in such cases. After all, PhD is all about working on your own (and new) ideas under the supervision of an expert in the field.

How to Write an Email While Contacting a Potential Supervisor for a PhD?

The very first thing PIs are looking for in new Ph.D. students is  clue or some direction . They expect the students have got some idea about what they want to do and have got some objectives. Prospective students who spam an entire department looking for funded PhD positions do not have clue.

Professors get lots of emails from students making exactly that proposition. In fact, Professors receive e-mails requesting PhD positions almost every day, from all over the world. Most of these letters are very poorly prepared. Many of them are terrible.

PhD is not an internship. It’s not a work-study program. It’s you learning how to be a professional researcher. If you don’t know what it is you want to work on, great, that’s your first research problem:  now go solve it .

More importantly, when you send the same email to 10 or 20 professors at one particular university (more likely it would be the same department), chances are very low to hear back from anyone.

Read how Sanya Jain bagged the prestigious Swiss Government Fellowship by contacting potential supervisors .

Strategies & Examples on how to contact potential supervisor for PhD (e.g. Biosciences):

Suppose you have got experience and interest in protein biology. You could approach PIs who are working in the field of biomarkers and/or drug target discovery. Rather than just sending a vague or generic interest, it would be great if you write that you would like to work on post-translational modifications (PTM) of proteins since the modified proteins could be novel biomarkers and drug targets.

If you are from Chemistry background, you could approach PIs who are working in the field of peptide therapeutics or drug designing. Alternatively, as a Molecular Biologist you could also approach a lab that is working on drug screening and you could propose to work on drug target validation and setting up assays.

Other examples include – with a background and interest in Immunology, you could target a group working on Cancer Drug Discovery and propose to work on Immuno-modulatory Therapies. Likewise, if you know about Molecular Modeling and Docking Studies, you can join a Biology or Pharmacology lab that is working on drug discovery.

Related Article: Fully-Funded PhD in Cancer Biology in Australia for Indian Applicant with Pharma Background

Example email to approach potential supervisor for PhD

Dear Dr. Rajesh Goyal, I’ve read your journal about Bio-Chemistry with a focus on the molecular function of the latest medication for hypertension and it fits well with my research interest. I’m sure you can give me the best input regarding the subject matter and I want you to become my thesis supervisor. Source: Biotecnika

Dear Dr. ABC, My name is XYZ and I am an undergraduate student at the University of XXX. I am nearing the end of my honors biology degree in the Department of Biology, and I have begun to consider possible research labs for continuing my studies as a graduate student. The attached CV shows how my co-op program has provided me with hands-on microbiology work experience in government and academic research groups. Coupled with these work placements, several lab courses have equipped me with expertise in cultivation-based and molecular techniques. I have developed an interest in microbial ecology through these experiences and my Biol 426 professor, Dr. AAA, suggested that I approach you about the possibility of a graduate position in your group. Please let me know if there is a possible opening for a graduate student in the upcoming fall or winter terms. As shown in the attached transcript, my grades are strong, especially in the last 2 years. I will be looking into the possibility of applying for external scholarship support from one of the major funding agencies. You are welcome to contact my undergraduate research adviser and my work placement references, listed in the attached CV; they are aware that I am applying for graduate positions as a step toward a career in microbiology. I am available to discuss this possibility further, and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Source: Science

Dear Professor XXX, I am a student at XXX College with a major in xxx.  I am a [junior] and will be graduating next May.  I have a [4.0 GPA] and experience in our college’s [summer program in xxx/internship program in xxx/Honors College/etc.]. I am planning to attend graduate school in xxx, with a focus on xxx.  In one of my classes, “xxx,” which was taught by Professor XXX, I had the chance to read your article, “xxxx.”  I really enjoyed it, and it gave me many ideas for my future research.  I have been exploring graduate programs where I can work on this topic.  My specific project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly interested in exploring the question of xxxxx. I hope you don’t mind my getting in touch, but I’d like to inquire whether you are currently accepting graduate students.  If you are, would you willing to talk to me a bit more, by email or on the phone, or in-person if I can arrange a campus visit, about my graduate school plans?  I have explored your department’s graduate school website in detail, and it seems like an excellent fit for me because of its emphasis on xx and xx,  but I still have a few specific questions about xx and xxx that I’d like to talk to you about. I know you’re very busy so I appreciate any time you can give me.  Thanks very much. Sincerely, Source: The Professor Is In

Dos and Don’ts while Contacting a Potential Supervisor

Keep it short.

PIs receive the expression of interest emails (from MS, PhD, and Postdoc candidates) throughout the year along with other important emails related to academics, collaborations, research grants, etc.

If you write a long email there’s a higher chance a professor will wait to read it “later” (read never.)

So, keep it short.

Give Them a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Emails are more likely to be answered if they include something  to  answer. This could be as simple as asking if the academic is currently accepting expressions of interest from PhD students.

Don’t send that type of email to a professor. Be very clear about what you want from them. Ask direct questions like, “Will you be taking on new PhD students in the fall?” Questions like this are easier to answer which increases the likelihood that the professor will answer your email. 

Clear Subject Line

The purpose of a subject line is to tell the reader what the email is about. Use a subject line to reinforce your CTA. 

Good examples:

• Inquiry from a prospective grad student
• Inquiry for NERC-funded Ph.D. in Climate Change
• Prospective Applicant – EPSRC – Material Science PhD
• Potential applicant interested in your lab for Fall XXXX

Be Specific

Once you’ve asked if you can work with them, briefly introduce yourself in a sentence or two. In addition to where you study, include your research interests, why you’re interested in this professor’s work, and what you can bring to the table. You should also attach your CV to the email.  

If you don’t receive a reply from the professor within a week, it’s okay to send a gentle follow-up email asking for a response (or maybe two follow-up emails within a span of 3 weeks). If you still don’t get a response, it might be best to move on. 

How to Increase the Chances of Getting Positive Replies from Potential Supervisors?

But by the end of the first paragraph, the reader should know who you are ( what school, what year, where you live ), what you want, and what preparation you have — both academic work and research exposure. And why you are interested in my research area. Be specific — don’t waste space telling the professor how passionate you are.

There are no statistics. But, professors delete about 90% of the emails they receive from potential PhD students. They don’t even bother to look at the content of the email. So, here is an indirect trick to get their attention.

Try to find people close to them (read: their past/present PhD students) and kindly ask them to forward your email to the professor. Students understand what you are going through and they will be more open to the idea of helping you.

Thus you will not only make sure the prof reads your email but also since he received the email from someone he knows, he will have a greater chance of liking you. 

What do Professors / Supervisors look for in Prospective PhD Students

What professors are looking for is a student who can contribute to their research. And there are several ways in which one can show ability to contribute e.g conference papers, research articles, projects, relevant coursework. It is always a plus point if one mention exactly how he/she wishes to contribute to the research program.

If you demonstrate earnest curiosity and willingness to work and if the professor is looking for students, you will certainly get a positive reply. The key is shifting the focus from ‘ Will you fund me ?’ to ‘ I wish to do this under your guidance ‘.

Apart from academic brilliance , any PI will look for two important skill-set – technical skills (domain-specific) and transferrable skills (e.g., Statistics & Data Analysis, Blogging, Social Media, Foreign Language, etc.).

Read 4 best transferable skills to develop while applying for PhD in Biosciences-Biotech abroad .

Additionally, supervisors expect the following soft skills :

• Intellectual Curiosity
• Ability to Work Independently
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
• Adaptability
• Self-Motivation
• Communication Skills
• Public Speaking
• Time/Project Management Skills
• Business sense and Entrepreneurship (it’s a plus)

Featured Image Source: Elsevier

References: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 .

Share this:

Discover more from stoodnt.

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

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

The Professor Is In

Guidance for all things PhD: Graduate School, Job Market and Careers

How to Write an Email to a Potential Ph.D. Advisor/Professor

By Karen Kelsky | July 25, 2011

Please note that I no longer respond to comments/questions to this post! 

Grad school application guidance package and other help listed below the post..

One of the most common points of confusion among undergraduates and new graduate students is how to write an email to contact a professor to serve as a potential Ph.D. or graduate school advisor.  This can be a minefield.  Yet the email inquiry to a potential advisor is one of the most important steps in your entire graduate school process, in that it is your chance to make a first impression on the person who will dictate many elements of your life for the next five to ten years.

I have been on the receiving end of many emails from hapless students who clearly had no guidance, and whose communication with me ended up appearing flippant and rude.

Here is that sort of email:

“Dear Professor Kelsky, I am a student at XXX College and I’m thinking about graduate school on xxx and I’m getting in touch to ask if you can give me any advice or direction about that. Sincerely, student X”

This is an instant-delete email.

Here is what an email to a professor should look like:

“Dear Professor XXX,

I am a student at XXX College with a major in xxx.  I am a [junior] and will be graduating next May.  I have a [4.0 GPA] and experience in our college’s [summer program in xxx/internship program in xxx/Honors College/etc.].

I am planning to attend graduate school in xxx, with a focus on xxx.  In one of my classes, “xxx,” which was taught by Professor XXX, I had the chance to read your article, “xxxx.”  I really enjoyed it, and it gave me many ideas for my future research.  I have been exploring graduate programs where I can work on this topic.  My specific project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly interested in exploring the question of xxxxx.

I hope you don’t mind my getting in touch, but I’d like to inquire whether you are currently accepting graduate students.  If you are, would you willing to talk to me a bit more, by email or on the phone, or in person if I can arrange a campus visit, about my graduate school plans?  I have explored your department’s graduate school website in detail, and it seems like an excellent fit for me because of its emphasis on xx and xx,  but I still have a few specific questions about xx and xxx that I’d like to talk to you about.

I know you’re very busy so I appreciate any time you can give me.  Thanks very much,

Why is this email good?  Because it shows that you are serious and well qualified.  It shows that you have done thorough research and utilized all the freely available information on the website.  It shows that you have specific plans which have yielded specific questions.  It shows that you are familiar with the professor’s work.  It shows that you respect the professor’s time.

All of these attributes will make your email and your name stand out, and exponentially increase your chances of getting a timely, thorough, and friendly response, and potentially building the kind of relationship that leads to a strong mentoring relationship.

If the professor doesn’t respond in a week or so, send a follow up email gently reminding them of your initial email, and asking again for their response.  If they ignore you again, best to probably give up.  But professors are busy and distracted, and it may take a little extra effort to get through.

HOW TO CONTACT A PROSPECTIVE PHD ADVISOR

Guidance package.

Encapsulates all of the advice that we provide in our graduate school advising services, including:

1. General instructions and overview of the function and “best practices” of an initial query email to someone you hope to work with

2. A template for what an email like that should look like

3. A sample email to a business school prospective advisor

4. A sample email to a comparative literature prospective advisor

5. A sample email to a computer science prospective advisor.

AND FOR HANDS-ON INDIVIDUAL HELP WITH ALL ASPECTS OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION, WE OFFER THESE SERVICES:

• EMAIL CONSULTATIONS
• SKYPE CONSULTATIONS
• EDITING YOUR STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
• INTERVIEW PREPARATION

SEE MORE HERE  AND EMAIL AT [email protected] TO LEARN MORE AND GET ON THE SCHEDULE, OR CLICK BELOW:

Similar Posts:

• How Do You Write an Email or Letter to a Professor?
• How Not To Invite The Professor To Your Campus
• Working the Conference: A Letter from a Client
• Don’t Go To Graduate School (An Inadvertent Guest Post)
• Advisors, #dobetter

Reader Interactions

July 25, 2011 at 2:18 pm

Thanks for posting these bits of advice. There are so many little things about grad school that we don’t know but we are expected to know! Even though I always try to be respectful and professional in my emails to professors, having a template like this is helpful.

July 25, 2011 at 4:06 pm

You’re very welcome, Liana! I agree, it’s these little unacknowledged and untaught things that can make or break a graduate school career…. I am genuinely mystified as to why graduate colleges don’t keep a full time advisor on the staff to help undergrad and grad students with these small but critical processes. But since they don’t, I’m going to try and be that here at The Professor Is In!

January 21, 2014 at 2:28 am

I wanted to ask about: what if i sent a professor an email, which has no subject line? how will he see me, and how can i fix this problem?

2nd: i didn’t write my email as much detailed as shown above, and i sent my CV as a detailed introduction about me. so how will he see me and how can i fix this?

Please Help!

October 26, 2020 at 7:30 am

Hello there! I know this reply is late, but I just want to put it out here so that other students who had the same problem as you can know what to do. I have a question, how long ago did you send the email? If it is just a short while ago, like five minutes, you can send the professor another email saying that you clicked the send button by mistake, and this time round make sure you include a subject. If it is more than five or ten minutes, then it is best to wait for his reply. By waiting I mean one week. If he does not reply in one week, send him another email. This time you can be more detailed. And also do not forget to include the subject.

November 5, 2014 at 10:17 pm

I have sent phD project proposal to the potential advisor 12 days back, but I have not received any reply from her till today. What Shall I ask her, whether she has gone through the proposal or not or else she is not interested in that topic. Kindly advice

October 26, 2020 at 7:32 am

12 days are quite long, I will say send her a reminder email. Just one line will do, asking if she had the chance to read your previous email. If she does not reply in one week, then just move on.

August 2, 2011 at 11:26 am

This is really helpful. Actually, I had sent my first email to the potential supervisor which I had written myself without consulting to anyone or any websites and I am happy that I covered all the things that Karen has explained here. After I sent my first email he responded very well and we exchanged three emails as well. Finally he asked me to send my Masters dissertation, CV, and the proposal as well which I did after 20 days and I also got an email from him saying he received it and will get in touch with me soon. But now it has been nearly a month since I haven’t heard anything from him so I thought to write a follow up email to him and once I started writing I myself was not satisfied with the email that I wrote because I thought it was bit arrogant to directly ask what is happening with my application. So I would really be grateful if anyone could help me with that and I also don’t know how long should I wait before sending him follow up email. Any help highly appreciated. Thanks

December 5, 2017 at 4:06 pm

hi Niraj, What is happened after? I did and sent couple of professor and i did not get back yet. please advise me furhter. Thanks mohammed

November 30, 2021 at 7:10 am

Can you share with me your format of email?

August 5, 2011 at 9:00 am

What about writing an e-mail to request the addition of someone new to your committee? I have had one professor leave the University and another…well…let’s just say he is no longer a welcome member of my committee and I need to fill two spaces.

August 5, 2011 at 1:55 pm

I will do that, jenn. Look for it next week, on Monday.

September 20, 2013 at 8:44 am

Thank you! I could also use this advice, as I need to approach professors for my exams and it just feels … awkward.

October 22, 2011 at 8:37 pm

Dear Mrs. Karen, I am a Chinese stduent at Beihang University, and I want to get the first contact with my potential PhD. supervisor via E-mail, thank you very much for this constructive suggestion. Thank you very much! Best Wishes! Xu Chen

November 14, 2011 at 10:44 am

Good job demonstrating to students how to suck up to their “superiors” (and I use the word very, very lightly) by providing an example of how to properly be a subservient schmuck and schmooze a highly over-inflated, narcissistic ego. But then again, as many will end up wage slaves to people like you, it is a good skill to have. Then again, to others it reads like a massive endorsement for self-reliance.

What I find simply amazing is the endless self-congratulation that many professors give themselves for jumping through hoops in what amounts to an essentially, a pointless bureaucratic game. Hopefully your research contributes to the whole of humanity. Otherwise it is simply a waste of time in the larger scheme of things. There are people starving and dying out there, and we are worried how to properly impress the likes of you? You need to seriously examine the implications of this. In other words — get over yourself.

June 14, 2012 at 8:23 pm

You are not being fair at all. I thought you would suggest something more helpful after all the ranting. If you can’t help others don’t criticize those who are

March 14, 2013 at 10:12 am

I found this comment to be stimulating and engaging! Well done! Next time, you could also try to look at things from the other side of the argument. Many of us feel that in order to achieve success it’s important to perform in a way that academics recognise and sadly hoop jumping is a necessary facet of life whether you are a street performer looking for a permit from your local authority or an artist applying for grants from a Charitable Trust. The point of this post and the point it makes quite clearly is that many students such as myself are not trained or advised on the correct protocol concerning contacting people who are probably already quite busy and who have to read literally hundreds of emails a day. If you think you could do a better job or don’t like academia no one is forcing you to do it and there is certainly even less of an obligation to do a PhD. You site doing good for humanity as the goal we should live by. I think you also need to assess the assumptions that this makes and the moral and ethical values you espouse but don’t seem to understand.

May 12, 2013 at 10:06 am

July 15, 2013 at 6:02 pm

McDonald’s employee detected

October 13, 2013 at 2:46 am

Anunomus just about sums it up. All of this advice perpetuates academic arrogance because many of the students reading this will eventually become professors themselves and will in turn want to be treated the same way by future students.

October 11, 2015 at 8:09 am

With respect?

December 31, 2020 at 12:50 am

What’s wrong with telling a professor you like their research? Isn’t that the whole point you want to study under them? Because you respect their intellect, the unique way they approach a subject and because your interests align?

September 11, 2018 at 3:08 pm

I was hoping to find a comment like this. The author of this article “instantly deletes” an email asking for help on a matter? And for what reason, other than a disdainful hubris? Disgraceful, in my opinion.

December 29, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Dear Mrs. Karen i am really thank full to you providing such a nice post. this is very very helpful to student like me. i really appreciate your work. best wishes! and happy new year vishal mehra

January 31, 2012 at 5:00 pm

Dear Mrs. Karen

Thank you very much for your clear and concise post regarding this small but nevertheless quite important and hard to find advice.

I’m from Portugal. I’m starting my PhD in Clinical Research and i will focus my attention in resistant schizophrenia. Would it make sense to have a supervisor from a foreign country and which i don’t know personally? Don’t you think that he would accept?

Thank you very much for your help, Nuno

January 31, 2012 at 9:28 pm

Your advisor has to be in the Ph.D. program you enroll in. If you are interested in enrolling in a foreign program (and are still exploring options), then yes, you can get in touch with a potential advisor there, and if accepted, you can then attend that program. They won’t discriminate based on the fact that you are from another country, if your application is strong.

October 14, 2014 at 11:52 am

I know I’m replying to an old thread, but it occurred to me that nuno might mean getting an external advisor from a different institution than the one nuno is doing his/her PhD in. Is this done in the States at all? In a lot of European universities it seems to be possible to have an advisor from another programme or even another university.

February 20, 2015 at 12:24 am

Hey Christina,

In the US usually you are at the institution where you adviser is. However you usually have outside committee members that supervise your thesis and the can be from outside universities.

February 13, 2012 at 2:14 pm

I have a question about how to title the subject line of the email. What is a respectful and concise subject heading for an email to a potential advisor?

February 13, 2012 at 4:52 pm

Inquiry from a Prospective Graduate Student

October 10, 2013 at 2:15 pm

Thank you, this was the exact question I was trying to find an answer to. I wrote a professor earlier in the week just to introduce myself, and now I have an appointment set up with the department grad advisor and I want to meet with the professor while I am up there. I wrote a second email and asked if they had time to meet with me while I was in town. Is this rude?

February 16, 2012 at 11:19 pm

Karen, Great job ignoring anunomus, in fact I’d hugely disappointed if you do him the honor of trading words with him. This is a very helpful template. Thanks.

April 5, 2012 at 1:47 am

Dear Mrs. Karen It’s give me pleasure to visit your webpage, relay your post is very helpful, useful, and rich. I’m from Palestine, I awarded DAAD scholarship in 2008 to get M. Sc. in computer information systems, now I am looking to begin my PhD. in Germany, I must find a supervisor then we arrange to write the PhD. proposal. Finally, I found my supervisor , he send me acceptance letter after finishing PhD. proposal but my application was rejected for scholarship for some special reasons, now I am working to find another supervisor , what is your advice to me , it will better to inform the new supervisor about my previous one .. Or not? and could you provide me with a template for comprehensive motivation letters and statement of propose .

Thank you very much for your help, Rasha

April 5, 2012 at 12:16 pm

Thank you so much! I have been sitting here stumped as to how best to contact potential supervisors, as you only get one chance at a first impression. This was so helpful, and I just wanted to let you know my appreciation for sharing your advice.

Thank you, Amna

April 5, 2012 at 12:37 pm

you’re very welcome, Amna!

May 1, 2012 at 6:38 am

Professor Karen, thanks for this post. It is actually very helpful.

May 4, 2012 at 4:11 am

This is an excellent forum you have created. Thank you very much. Please i Just want to ask whether it is wise to call a Professor who has an open PhD position in his Lab and you are strongly interest, but you sent him and email and recieved no response. And is it generally a good idea to call a Professor on phone when you find interest in his research and hope that he takes you in into his Lab.

May 20, 2012 at 9:13 pm

This is what look for last long month ago. I have to say thank you very much for thing you have done, in my country we not familiar with this. Your advise help me to appropriate starting and encourage to step forward on my ph.d pathway. Thank you kullat,

May 28, 2012 at 1:21 pm

Dear Karen,

Thank you for the very insightful postings and advice.

Do you have any suggestions for a mature applicant for PhD program, who is older than most of targeted potential supervisors? I am currently working as an assistant professor as PQ faulty in a foreign institution and trying to pursue a doctoral degree starting from forthcoming fall semester.

Many thanks,

May 28, 2012 at 5:32 pm

My advice is don’t do it. I don’t say that to all potential PhD applicants, but I do say it to older ones. It’s generally a disastrous choice both financially and psychically.

July 2, 2013 at 9:47 am

I just wanted to say that I was quite pleased by this advice until I read this response. I entered higher education as a “non-traditional” student and it has turned my life around. I’m now a masters student looking at PhD programs. It pains me to see an someone in your position advising someone against further education because of their age.

July 9, 2013 at 4:17 pm

Unfortunately with the abysmal job market and the likelihood of massive debt, age becomes a major risk factor in any phd decision. I have seen the tragic outcomes among my clientele. Some do still prevail, but many more do not.

July 1, 2014 at 10:02 am

What do you consider as a “mature” applicant? Past age 25, or past age 30?

September 20, 2016 at 3:35 am

I suppose it depends what field you are in and if you are paid to be at the institution or not. In my field PhD students are typically given full funding packages and stipends, eliminating the need to take out loans. Of course, these stipends aren’t exactly generous and the job market is still dismal, but at least you don’t necessarily have to go into debt to receive a PhD. That being said, are you suggesting that there is another factor, perhaps some sort of “ageism” that also works against older students?

June 13, 2012 at 11:04 pm

Dear Karen, thanks for you rsuggestion! Do you think that including the CV as attachment might be a good move?

June 14, 2012 at 9:40 am

yes, you could. I have the slightest hesitation though. At your stage your cv won’t be very impressive, and may well be completely improperly formatted, so it could do a lot more harm than good. I suppose my instinct would be to not send it, until asked.

June 14, 2012 at 3:45 am

Dear Professor Karen Kelsky, I do appreciate creating such a great website for us as students. Actually your advice, comments and tips are very very helpful to me and I’m sure to others too. I check this website everyday indeed! Thanks Sepideh

June 14, 2012 at 8:27 pm

Thank you professor. this came at a good time.

June 14, 2012 at 8:28 pm

please continue to ignore the likes of anunomus .

June 15, 2012 at 10:41 am

June 20, 2012 at 4:12 pm

Thanks for this outline! I am currently looking into potential advisors for Fall of 2013 and would like to contact them. When would be the ideal time to do so?

July 2, 2012 at 8:58 pm

Hi Thank you for your great advices. It was all about phd application, but what about masters? What graduate school are looking for in master applicants to accept them? Thanks

July 15, 2012 at 12:04 pm

i am 3rd year medical student and want to go abroad for research elective.i have no past research experience but now i am interested in doing research in immunology.how should i write letter to any doctor.kindly paste a format here so that i can send it to docs. thanks

July 17, 2012 at 8:08 am

Thank you for your advice. Your example is the best I read so far! 🙂

April 25, 2013 at 9:14 am

http://pixie658.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/contacting-potential-advisors/

July 25, 2012 at 12:26 am

Dear Professor Karen, Thank you very much for guiding prospective Ph.D students towards the realization of their dreams. These essential things add up in a big way to help secure an admit. It becomes a bit confusing as to how to convey all your thoughts to the professors and yet be concise in your approach. After all you just get once chance to hit the bull’s eye.

Thank you for your timely help.

Regards, Ashwini

July 25, 2012 at 9:41 am

Hello Professor Karen,

Thank for sharing this king of information.. Could tell what is subject line for seeking Phd Supervisor. And could you send the separate email for asking about that..

Thank You..

July 31, 2012 at 5:27 pm

Dear Professor Karen, Thanks so much for your help , it is highly helpful as I am in the process of communicating a potential Advisor . Hope I find an Advisor like you . By the way , Who Would Care Communucating With an anonm…… ?!

August 7, 2012 at 9:46 pm

It’s great to see you posting something like this, it has really helped me out. I was wondering though, I’m in a situation where there are two professors at the same University that I am interested in speaking with. Should I contact them both or just pick one and stick with it? They are in the same department, but are focused on different aspects of the same field (one is shellfish restoration and the other is shellfish aquaculture).

August 8, 2012 at 9:10 pm

It’s ok to contact both, but just disclose to each that you’re also contacting the other.

August 13, 2012 at 10:48 am

Thank you very much for you great input. Can you please post a followup email sample. I am working on one for about a week. But I think I came across rude.

Warm regards, Ashran

August 14, 2012 at 9:39 am

Thank you for your great post, that’s very helpful.

I have used your post as an email template and send it to several professors. About half of them respond positively. I think your template is a very good format for PhD application.

Could you also give me more suggestion on how to continue the communication with professors? shall I first talk about my own experience? Or I should do research about the professors’ current projects and talk about that. Thanks very much

Best regards,

Ruoyu(Ryan)

August 25, 2012 at 10:55 am

Dear Prof. Karen,

I would like to thank you for your post, it is very helpful. I am in the process of communicating with two potential Advisors and this will be my last effort to attend a PhD.

Best Regards,

August 29, 2012 at 5:14 am

Thank you very much for this post. I am about writing my very first letter to a potential supervisor. I hope with these few tips you shared, that I get a good response.

Best regards.

September 2, 2012 at 3:28 am

thank you very much for your effort, i just want to ask if i can use this form to contact a professor in my faculty and i took some clases with him before

September 3, 2012 at 1:50 am

September 3, 2012 at 1:15 pm

Is it ever ok to send more than one inquiry to professors in the same department? Especially if it’s a large department?

September 3, 2012 at 2:28 pm

Yes, it’s ok, as long as you disclose in the email that you are doing so.

September 4, 2012 at 10:59 pm

Dear Karen, I’ve finished my master about 5 years ago. since then, I am working in research institutes. I want to apply for a one-year research fellowship abroad which needs to prepare research proposal. I do not know how to choose my subject. If I ask about it from a potential supervisor, would it be harmful?? It is very kind of you replying. Bests, Mary

September 5, 2012 at 10:23 am

Yes that would be harmful. the expectation is that you have a full-fledged research program of your own.

September 11, 2012 at 3:36 am

Thank you for your reply but do you agree with me that it is really a difficult decision what to choose for your PhD topic which is innovative and also appealing to yourself and others??

September 11, 2012 at 6:09 am

No, not necessarily. I think most phd students have a deep impulse or drive to do a topic and it just flows out of them. that was the case for me, certainly, and most others I know. If you don’t have that, I think doing the Ph.D. might be difficult.

September 17, 2012 at 8:40 pm

Thank you! I’m terribly nervous about communicating with professors–I was always the kid that sat by the door and snuck away at the end of class because I was too nervous to talk to adults–and the sample letter was hugely helpful in formatting the inquiry I just sent. Thank you, thank you for helping us would-be grad students not look dumb!

September 19, 2012 at 5:26 am

Dear Professor Karen, Thank you for posting such important information. I actually got your information after i sent my first email to my potential supervisor. I understand i made many mistakes. Now it has been days since i sent it. So will wait the response. God help me! My question for you, is it appropriate to contact another professor from the same university & the same department in case i get no response from the first professor?

Thank you very much,

Mesfin G. (Ethiopia)

September 19, 2012 at 10:34 am

Yes, you can do that. Just disclose that you have.

September 19, 2012 at 11:48 am

I wrote to one of the potential advisor and he has replied back the same day with a request for cv.

Can you please advise me for the tips for CV? I am in the University town. Do you think it is a good idea if I request him for a meeting?

thanks guneet

September 19, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Read the post, Dr. Karen’s Rules fo the Academci CV.

I would not meet him yet.

September 25, 2012 at 9:59 am

Thanks for this awesome post. I followed your advices and wrote an e-mail to potential faculty for Ph.D program that I want to join. And it worked very well. I received an e-mail back from him the following morning! I did not ask whether he had time to talk to me though, and I only asked whether he is accepting students this year. His e-mail was very brief (2 sentences), saying # of students he is accepting, and he encourages me to apply. Should I send another brief ‘thank-you’ e-mail? If so, should I try to talk to him more about his group/program? or would it be better to just keep it as ‘thank-you’ e-mail? I would very much appreciate your time and help!

October 7, 2015 at 5:26 am

what did you reply to the professor? I got same response.

Professor encouraged me to apply in the admissions. and he wrote nothing else.

December 12, 2016 at 1:36 pm

can you show your email to apply for phd i’d like to apply for phd program and want to contact w?th faculty member about the application and asking for schollarship.

September 26, 2012 at 1:55 am

Dear Karen Have you any suggestion for applying together with our spouse!! My husband and I are planning to attend in a same school. how should we contact with the potential supervisor?? Do we have to mention this in our first email? Do we have to send emails separately?? How can we improve our chance to get admitted in same place???

September 26, 2012 at 5:45 am

Thank you for your info. I found your advice reassuring. I have one question though. I have had some good responses and offers in Europe. Now I am planning to apply to some high-ranked US universities for a research position in electronics. My master’s institution in Sweden is not that famous which I perceived as a disadvantage. How much weight does professors in the US give to GRE and grade when selecting students for a PhD? My GRE (Q:800, V~510) and B+ GPA.

Thank you again. Daniel

September 27, 2012 at 6:16 am

i faced the same problem. i’ve sent email to one prof at uni. X, but after 3 weeks, he didint reply me. so i’ve sent another email tp another prof at uni. Y… after few hours he reply saying, im ready to supervise you, welcome to uni Y.

Then, a week after that, the Prof from Uni X replied me saying. plese send your 2 pages proposal for my consideration.

What should i replied him? Seeking for your kind opinion…..

September 29, 2012 at 11:53 am

Dear Dr. Karen Hello, Thank you very much for your helping. I’ve finished my master (marine biology) about 1 years ago and i would like to continue my study in PhD, but i don’t know, how i can to apply how i can obtain Scholarship and etc. Is it possible that i send email to head department and ask him/her about that? Would you please give me any advice or direction about that. Thanks in advance Regards Parisa A.Salimi

September 29, 2012 at 1:11 pm

Thank you very much. I am a senior, finishing up my B.S., and in the process of applying to Ph.D. programs. Writing to professors can be extremely intimidating. I found that your example was a wonderful tool for organizing the information and thoughts that have lead me to apply the my individual programs.

October 8, 2012 at 12:33 am

To what detail would I need to present my hypothesis?

October 12, 2012 at 11:20 am

Dear Karen there were great tips i have never known. i just want to know if it works if i mention that i completed a first year of PhD in my home country and i dont want to pursue it any more or not? What if i guess my publication is not enough strong to compete with other candidates in the university i want to apply for? Does it mean i will not be able to attract a supervisor? It is a big problem in my mind and i dont know how to deal with.???

October 15, 2012 at 7:31 am

Dear professor Karen, Thank you for this advice. could you please advice me about few matters. i have completed my M.Sc in Biomedical Genetics last year and now i am planning to do my PhD in genetics in Canada, for that i would like to contact a supervisor and in my letter what all the information should i have to include and another problem is, i am planning to publish an article in the last of this month i have already send to the journal, so whether i should try to contact the adviser after the article is published or i should contact the adviser now itself as there are only limited seats for PhD . please help me Thank you

October 16, 2012 at 9:00 am

DEAR COMMENTERS TO THIS “HOW TO WRITE AN EMAIL TO A POTENTIAL PH.D. ADVISOR” BLOG POST: I AM UNABLE TO RESPOND INDIVIDUALLY TO ALL OF THE REQUESTS FOR ADVICE IN THIS COMMENT THREAD. I KNOW THAT PEOPLE DESPERATELY NEED GUIDANCE ABOUT THIS CRITICAL TRANSITION INTO PHD PROGRAMS, BUT THE LARGE VOLUME OF REQUESTS FOR ADVICE THAT I RECEIVE HERE ON THE BLOG AND IN MY EMAIL INBOX PREVENTS ME FROM RESPONDING TO INDIVIDUAL QUERIES. I APOLOGIZE AND WISH YOU THE BEST. IF OTHERS WISH TO PROVIDE RESPONSES I WELCOME THEM. SINCERELY, KAREN KELSKY

October 20, 2012 at 12:09 am

thank you so much.

October 22, 2012 at 4:40 am

hello Thank you so much for this site, but what should be the subject of our emails?

October 23, 2012 at 6:29 pm

“My specific project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly interested in exploring the question of xxxxx.”

While the second part of this sentence is fine, I’d be rather cautious about the first half. I am in the process of writing a letter to a potential supervisor myself and have gone to talk to different professors in my current university to ask for advice. I do have a topic in mind, but almost everyone told me NOT to mention a specific topic in the e-mail but rather general idea. One of the professors even told me that more often than not the person who says they have something specific in mind will be stubborn about changing their topic (because let’s be honest, PhD topics change) and consequently not asked for an interview.

Then again, I’m speaking from an European’s point of view. Maybe the grad school application approach is different in the States.

October 24, 2012 at 9:12 am

My advice reflects US expectations.

January 11, 2016 at 4:25 pm

I think you are right in that the approach is different in different countries. I am in Australia and I have met up with a university professor. He told me that most people would not be able to choose their own PHD topic and that it is important to be flexible while still making sure you will enjoy the topic you end up doing. This is because the professors apply for grants on specific topics and then need students to do that topic in their PHD. The only way you could do your own topic is if you do a self-funded PHD, i.e. apply for grants yourself. For this reason I will be including broad areas of interest in my emails rather than specific topics.

January 15, 2017 at 3:49 am

Hi Laura, I saw your reply and I though of send you this message as I am in Australia too and planning to work on my PhD. If usually we have to work on professors projects, I couldn’t find much published topics /projects online. The only thing I found was interests of supervisors and in few universities some research projects but not relevant to my field. I hope you can give me some guidance.

August 5, 2022 at 1:39 pm

Thank you, so helpful that it confirms the similar advice I got from a reliable source.

October 26, 2012 at 12:17 pm

that was a good manuscript sample for the astudents who intend to applying and they first language is’nt english.thank u

November 6, 2012 at 8:20 am

Thank you for your advice! Could you also suggest what I should include/how I should organize an email to a professor I met at a conference but don’t know well? Thanks again in advance!

November 23, 2012 at 2:32 pm

Thank you so much for your blog!

I am currently applying to graduate school programs and was wondering if you had any advice on interviews. Some programs do on-campus interviews, and others do phone/Skype interviews. I was wondering what I should expect.

November 27, 2012 at 9:51 am

Hi Karen, Thanks for the advice. I am an undergraduate student and will be applying for graduate school in the Fall of 2013, but I need to ask graduate schools if they will accept my pre-requisites for Speech Pathology because it varies at different schools… What would your advice be to go about emailing them?

November 28, 2012 at 1:22 am

Dear Prof. Karen Kelsky,

Thank you very much on posting such a wonderful e-mail template. It helped me a lot. I was wondering if you could kindly help me about writing ‘ Statement of purpose’ (SOP). I tried on my own and took the help of many seniors but all was in vain. I will be aplying for a masters degree in US for fall 2013 and I am very desperate to write a good enough SOP.

I would be obliged if you could reply as soon as possible. Thanks very much

December 28, 2012 at 4:26 am

thank you very much for your valuable hints

January 15, 2013 at 3:53 am

Thanks for providing such a nice insight and useful suggestions for admissions. I am 44 and wish to do an engineering MASc in Canada. Will my age(44) go against me ?? I am working in government of India R&D sector and can get a leave (without pay) for two years only (otherwise I would have opted for a PhD). I Will require funding. I hold a patent in Canada (should I mention that in my email ? This patent however is for a practical device and not related to professor’s field so much…)

January 16, 2013 at 12:58 am

Dear Professor Karen, Thanks for your suggestion . However, I am having a problem. I could not find any publication or research work available on the internet of the supervisor I want to work with. So what sort of comment(regarding his work) may I make which can help me grabbing his attention? I am a prospective MSc student.

Best regards Sanjoy

February 19, 2013 at 3:14 pm

Dear Karen, Your description was very helpful on how to write the e-mail, but what continues to stump me is what to put into the subject line. During my time as an undergraduate, I have had many professors tell my classes to chose our subject lines wisely because they delete mail not directly related to their classes or from faculty memebers. What would be short, to the point, and attention getting as a subject so the professor doesn’t just immediately delete the e-mail without reading it?

Best Regards, Danielle

August 15, 2013 at 3:46 am

I concur. I just finished composing my email to a potential Professor in an Ivy league school, and I am now confronted with the question of what subject would be appropriate for my mail. Please Karen, your help is really needed. Thanks

October 14, 2014 at 2:55 pm

This is probably of no use to you now, but she answered it in the above comments already. “Inquiry from a Prospective Graduate Student”

February 20, 2013 at 11:55 am

Very thanks Karen about this informations, it was so helpful to me. Regards >>

February 25, 2013 at 8:58 pm

Thank you so much for such a nice and informative article.I was about to send an email to professor with many mistakes. I have just visited your site and found your page likes on facebook are 3999 and i would be the lucky one to make it 4000. So congratulations from my side on reaching 4000 likes in FB.

Thank you again. Regards, Engr Nouman Khattak Junior Design Engineer BAK Consulting Engineers.

February 26, 2013 at 11:33 am

thank you, Nouman! good luck.

February 25, 2013 at 10:30 pm

Dear Professor Karen, Thanks for your valuable post . You have provide a good idea to write in a correct and polite way. This post is very helpful and guiding me to write an email for a professor.

Best regards Lia P.

March 2, 2013 at 4:30 pm

Dear Karen, I must confess that I have been terrified just thinking about contacting the professor in a program that I am interesting in. After reading your posting and your template, I feel so much better. I plan to pursue a master degree in biomedical engineering with a focus in medical instrumentation at the university of Saskatchewan. I have been on the program website but not quite sure how to address the section in your template: my specific project will focus on xxx and I will be interested in addressing the question of xxx Furthermore, how does one credit you for the information? Sincerely, Linus Luki

March 5, 2013 at 10:15 pm

Dear Professor Karen, Thank you for posting this guide! It’s taken the fear out of initially contacting a potential advisor. I was wondering if you have any suggestions or additions to this for students looking to apply to M.Sc. coursework programs? Tailoring the program to my interests is heavily dependent on my potential advisor, however I also feel that any competent faculty member would be able to assist me with this. I’m now questioning the value I’m placing on selecting the right advisor to contact. Thank you kindly in advance for any advice. Ana M.

March 8, 2013 at 7:10 am

Thanks for this very useful post Karen. I do have a question – it has been 9 years since I graduated from University (BSc. Hons) and have been working in a separate field since graduation (except 1 year spent teaching the Sciences to high school students). I am now looking to return to complete an MSc in Environmental Management. Should I mention/explain my break from the field in my email? What would be your suggestion on the best way to approach this?

March 26, 2013 at 9:21 pm

I just wanted to say I agree wholeheartedly about following up if you don’t get a response (and you’re serious about the professor and/or line of work). I wrote to a professor enquiring about full time openings in her lab but she didn’t reply. I followed up after 2 weeks, and she replied almost 2 seconds later apologizing for not getting in touch sooner because she was out sick and the email then got forgotten. In this case, there was a happy ending. The prof flew me out for an interview, and I’m still at the same lab working full time. I was never more glad of my persistent stick-to-it-ness.

p.s., I should probably add I didn’t send a form email and that my email was tailored specifically for that lab and the research the PI does.

May 29, 2013 at 6:00 am

Dear Professor Karen, Thank you so much for this valuable post. It was so informative. I am aspiring to do Phd in fall 2014. I would like to the right time for contacting professors regarding Phd and what are the things I should mention other than the info provided in your article

June 5, 2013 at 2:34 am

Dear Prof. Karen, Thank you so much for this very useful and valuable post. I would like to ask question about , how to reply a mail after a supervisor giving negative feedback for an application.

June 11, 2013 at 8:50 am

Hi Karen. Your advice was very useful in helping me figure out and frame my email to a potential supervisor. There is one concern however, and I have been frantically searching online for a tip on the same. I am a student doing my Masters (Thesis-based) and after three years I have decided to switch to a different university for a Course-based degree in the same program. I have completed 6 courses and a part of my research but it took me a while to figure out that research (long term research) does not suit me very well. My confusion is if I should mention that in my email and if I do then how to put it across in a polished manner, so that it does not have any adverse effects on my application. I would appreciate if you could kindly advise me on this. Thank you.

June 27, 2013 at 2:22 am

Thank you for your advice. I’m graduated 3 years ago (MSc.). I have 2 papers published and attended some workshop and 2 national congresses. I had been working as a teacher assistant. Meanwhile I had to work that is not related to my education for 2 years. Now I’m worried and I don’t know how to explain about the gap since the graduation up to now. Could you please advise me about that? thank you very much.

June 30, 2013 at 8:04 am

Hi Ms Karen,

Thanks very much for such an incredible post. It will really guide us through the application process and applying for funding opportunities. I can not imagine what would have happened if we did not have such a nice person like you around us! Really appreciate your work. Thanks Shabnam

July 12, 2013 at 10:47 am

This is a great resource for learning how to properly contact advisers, thank you for making this!

I think it would also benefit for us to know about social/Facebook etiquette when involving potential graduate advisers. Should we befriend them on Facebook? I could see reasons for and against do that. Seeing the posts, pics, and etc., could be helpful in getting to know the adviser better. On the other hand, if the adviser seems something on your page he/she doesn’t like, you run the risk of losing them. What do you? Maybe right another blog on social/ Facebook etiquette with advisers? Thanks!

July 29, 2013 at 7:09 pm

Dear Pro Karen,

Thank you for your advice. It’s help me a lot. I have already emailed my prospective supervisor, however i found out we have different personalities, and i’m afraid that i can’t work well with him. I’m decided to find another supervisor but I not know how to tell him. Besides, he work on human isolates ( microbe and molecular field) while im interested to deal with animal isolates as i’m animal science student.

I hope you can give any suggestion on this matter. Thank you..

August 2, 2013 at 6:21 am

Thank you for this guide, I was lost what to write for a potential thesis adviser.

August 4, 2013 at 1:08 pm

Thanks for this informative post! Mentioning the potential research focus in the email is still a sticking point for me (“My specific project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly interested in exploring the question of xxxxx”). In my case, there are many research questions I am interested in exploring within a broader topic. I don’t want to be generic, noncommittal, or scattered, but I also don’t want to be dishonest by picking a research question and declaring it my particular interest. How can I reflect this openness while still showing I am focused?

August 14, 2013 at 4:14 pm

Dear prof. Karen,

Thank you for this great blog and willingness to share your professional knowledge. Could you please, very briefly, address two issues: 1. If a topic can be supervised by several members of faculty and is rather specific (it`s in social sciences), would it be appropriate to address one (presumably “highest ranking”) professor at the department, but at the end to kindly ask that if she/he is not interested or not able to be advisor to recommend to me someone in the department who could be more appropriate/willing/able/suitable to contact? I don’t think anyone has raised this, but coming from Eastern Europe, I don’t know if this would be considered “weak”, or “improper”, or “insulting”?

2. This is not so important, but I read few people asked similar question and it remained unanswered, but is also in way related to the previous one. I am intending to apply with my partner/fiancee who is in the same discipline, we met on first year, and since have studied, worked and lived together (I am 26, she is 39), and are very successful in it and highly compatible and productive when together – studying the same issue, but from quite different perspectives and different aspects of it (we might need to have different supervisors). Would you consider it to be a drawback that we are applying together for PhD in the US? And do you think that in similar cases it is better to send one e-mail to a Prof., or two separate, or two separate to two Prof.s?

Once more, thank you very much, I assume it`s a hassle. Best regards, Milos

PS – Your text on passives was very useful not just for British, but I would say for most of Europe. PPS – Please answer my post (at least No. 1), it was my birthday yesterday and I am so depressed! 🙂

August 14, 2013 at 9:17 pm

Yes you can do as you say re question 1. Well actually, don’t do it in the initial email. Wait until you’ve had a negative reply and then ask. To ask up front would be a little awkward. Re question 2: it’s fine for you two to both apply but you must both apply independently and contact the profs independently.You can let drop informally that you are a couple, but formally in the apps, it’s got to be entirely individual.

August 14, 2013 at 10:44 pm

Thank you very much! When we are accepted (implementing positive (American) attitude), we will write you an e-mail on issues we had as Eastern European candidates and how we successfully resolved them! 🙂 Thank you, once again, very much, your whole blog gave us a lot of positive energy and motivation to apply for PhD! 🙂 Best regards, Milos

August 20, 2013 at 3:59 am

Dear Professor Karen,

Thank you for giving such a nice template. I must say this would definitely help me in writing it to the professor for my phd program. This is awesome. I was always confused how to approach to the professor, i did get the reply for the emails i have sent to different school but this will make it more precise and would be easy for a professor to explain. Really appreciate it.

Best regards, Komal Sharma

September 1, 2013 at 12:05 pm

I think you just saved me from being just-another-email-to-delete in my potential supervisor’s inbox. I was going to send a poorly written email but decided to get some tips on what exactly to include in my first letter and I stumbled upon your excellently written article. I really appreciate you taking time out to write these articles.

I am going to apply for a masters degree and I am currently writing a letter to some of the professors in whose research I am interested in.

Thank you, Abdullah Siddiqui

September 20, 2013 at 8:06 am

Prof. Karen, Thanks for this insightful post. I’ve already contacted some Professors for possible Ph.D. supervision and the content of my e-mail was close to (but not as detailed) as the template here because I was trying to avoid sending a lengthy mail. However, I’ve not gotten any reply for days now. Please, I need your advice; should I resend my mails following this template or … ? Here’s a sample of the mail I sent on Tue, 17th, Sept., 2013:

Hello Prof. XXX,

I am XXX, a graduate of XXX and a current research student at the XXX University. I am writing you this email to inform you of my interest in your field of research (XXX). My current Masters research is in XXX and I have also been researching into more problems in this area. I have been able to come up with a research proposal for proposed Ph.D. and want to solicit your support in seeing my dream come true by accepting to supervise my work. Sequel to my preliminary findings, I make bold to reiterate that I have come to respect your insight and experience in this field and I am open to suggestions and/or corrections to my drafted proposal.

I have attached to this mail, a copy of my CV, a brief proposal and an abstract of the same proposal so you can quickly go through it.

I am currently applying for XXX Scholarship and I need an approval letter from my supervisor to complete my application. In case you will not be able to supervise me, I will appreciate it if you can suggest some other people whom you know can supervise my work. I look forward to reading from you soonest to allow me complete the application on time.

Thank you, Sir. Sincere regards

September 21, 2013 at 7:23 am

Hello Prof Karen, Thank you for generous tips and advice. I got tired to get such kind of information to relief my stresses. On the other hand, I would expect that I will need a far more deeper guidance about my PhD application road map. I have selected USCD (Materials Science + Chemical Eng.), Carnegie Mellon U. (Materials Science), U of South Florida (Chemical Engineering). My challenge that I will be facing both the TOEFL on Oct 25th and GRE on Dec 19th. Additionally, I have my courses in the master that I study here in Brazil, UFRGS. While the sites of the aforementioned schools state that it is not advised to contact faculties as they can not give any prior admission unless to submit all the application materials; test scores, transcripts, etc, it is welcome to contact them if you want to talk about the research they do or you want to do. The problem is that I am missing mind duel to all this timed tasks that I have to carry out simultaneously. During that I feel that an optional transaction like initiating a contact with a professor who shares my research interests – specially they won’t respond mostly – is not so advisable. Do you agree with me? Second point I study here in Brazil in Portuguese. As an Egyptian, I used to study engineering in a mixture of English and Arabic. Thus, it was difficult to understand and communicate with the teacher and classmates during discussion. After all, it is a MSc and understanding to solve questions in exams is important than understanding the language itself. So that I used to study in English and then make such conversion from English to Portuguese in exam times. As a result, I usually get B grades. I got only one A. Do you think that will lower my chance of getting admission? Third about recommendation letters, I do not have the complete ability to determine which faculty professors I should ask to recommend me. For example, my supervisor is really a nice woman and supportive. However, some times she looks like angry from me and neither I nor my colleagues know a specific reason for that. I just try to relax, supervise, and educate myself. Like that, shall i ask her to recommend me or not. Other professor who was my 65 year old supervisor in Egypt. He was considering me as a son to him and he has written many recommendations to me. But due to out-of-control problems in my work as a TA in the same dept, I feel like he has changed towards me. I am sure that he still appreciate my hard work and traits and he is the most knowledgeable person about me. Shall I ask him to recommend me?

October 5, 2013 at 7:20 pm

I am happy to find this template. I definitely believe it is a great help. I have one concern though. I saw you stated that age is a big risk. I am applying to PhD in finance programs for fall 2014. I will 40 years soon. I hold a triple major and an MBA.

Do you have any advice for me?

Thanks in advance.

October 27, 2013 at 5:54 pm

Thank you for the excellent resource. I just used it to email a prospective graduate advisor. I feel I ALWAYS ask this question, but panels are often targeted on larger problems like GRE, NSF, and personal statement advice.

I was wondering if you could answer two questions.

1) What should a good signature for an undergraduate student look like at the end of an email?

2) How important is a personal website in the application process?

November 4, 2013 at 12:35 pm

Wow!!!!! What an amazing and informative resource. Thank you so much Karen for taking precious time to advice complete strangers on something extremely worthwhile…it takes someone with a good heart to do just that. I (and many others as I’ve seen from the comments) have really benefited from this post on contacting potential supervisors. May God bless you so much beyond your wildest dreams!

November 7, 2013 at 3:10 am

Have you any suggestion for applying together with our spouse!! My husband and I are planning to attend in a same university. please let me know how I can write such an email.

November 14, 2013 at 12:00 am

I really appreciate this post. I was trying to write an e-mail to my potential advisor and had hard time figuring out what to write about.

I referenced your format when I was writing my e-mail. It was a great help.

Sincerely, Cho

November 14, 2013 at 1:57 am

I sure could have used this about two weeks ago. Thank you for providing this template and sharing your information, it is greatly appreciated. If I may ask a question Prof. Karen, is it any good to send a second email with this template to a prof? I sent a less dense email to two potential advisors about two weeks ago and I was hoping I could redeem myself as it appears my first emails were not impressive. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?

December 5, 2013 at 12:18 am

i recently completed my graduation in biotechnology. i want to per-sue my PhD, but it is difficult for me how to write a impressive email to a supervisor who really take interest in my mail.

December 12, 2013 at 8:18 am

Prof.Karen,Thank you very much for your helpful posts.

I have a question about communication with a as a future research group member. what should we do when we feel that the coordinator is not very straightforward( in case it is impossible to meet him/her in their office).

Should we talk about it with our professors? given that most cases they are supporter of each other.

December 17, 2013 at 5:20 am

Dear Prof. Kelsky,

Many thanks for such an informative post. Some of your answers in the thread are very helpful as well.

Do you think it is a good idea to send a draft research proposal to a potential supervisor when approaching him/her?

Kind regards,

December 18, 2013 at 12:14 am

Great posting. I sent a professional email to a my prospective adviser and she gave ma a short

“I do expect to accept one, maybe two, students for next year. I will look forward to seeing your application! Let me know if you have further questions in the mean time.”

I am not sure if I should keep the conversation or leave it at that. I kept it professional, stated my goals and interest and my interest in her research. I don’t want to send unnecessary questions and make myself look bad

January 16, 2014 at 12:29 pm

Can you please advice on whether or not it is a good idea to make a first email contact with a potential advisor, after having submitted the PhD application to the university?

January 18, 2014 at 1:12 am

Dear Professor Dr. Karen,

I am an international student. Your article, “how to Write an Email to a Potential Ph.D. Advisor/Professor”, had helped shining the way to communicate with professors who live overseas.

After sending my email to three places, I received a good reply from a prospective professor who told me that I was a good fit to his/her laboratory.

Because this is only one month after submitting my applications, I do not know whether the email from the professor will guarantee my chance of acceptance. At least his/her reply helps me narrow down the researches that I should pursue.

Recently, I came across a problem. I found a university in which there are more than one professor that I would like to work with.

In fact, this problem is often, but I cannot make a decision for this department. Could you please give me advice on whether I should send the letter to more than one professor in the same department or what positive or negative consequences that I might have encounter.

Thank you for taking your time.

Sincerely yours,

Suvita Swana

February 3, 2014 at 11:45 am

February 20, 2014 at 4:34 am

thank you Mrs. Karen for such a good post, i read it and its quite helping .i wanted to ask you that would it be good idea to go for a Ph.D after completing M.Sc. while you have a business mind more than an academic? I have completed BS in Electrical Engineering in 2013. Secondly i need to support my family after MSc so would i be able to support them while pursuing a PhD.

March 14, 2014 at 2:14 pm

Dear, Dr. Karen: Thank you very much for this helpful post. Ahmed Eltayeb Sudan

March 17, 2014 at 11:54 am

Hello Dear, Thank you very much for your valuable post. If you don’t mind, I want to share with you my letter which I prepared for my Master’s Course in Surgical Oncology in a Canadian university for your experienced guidance.

Thank you Najmul Islam Sabbir

April 3, 2014 at 2:23 am

Hi Karen, Thank you for this post. I just discovered it yesterday,before sending the first version 🙂 I wonder- I am about to finish my master in Germany when I finished my bachelor in Israeli and worked in between. Should I write all of this info in the first paragraph? I feel it might be too much? (CV style) I will be happy to hear your opinion before sending. Thanks a lot in advance. Jasmin

April 4, 2014 at 5:49 am

Thank you Prof. Karen. This letter provides necessary way to connect PhD guide. thank you once again.

April 16, 2014 at 9:55 pm

I can’t help but echo what someone else had already mentioned in the earlier posts. I feel like you have to suck up to the professor to get any real attention. I’m a straight forward guy, and I don’t understand why we can’t just keep it short and sweet, like two or three sentences, with a CV/resume.

I don’t think I can bring myself to go into detail about how great the professor is, or how I’ve read all his/her papers, or how excited I am to start my research career. It’s politics, and I hate that game.

May 8, 2014 at 12:40 am

Oh my goodness, thank you soooo much!! I am so glad i stumbled upon this right before i was about to send out my email! I’m contacting a masters supervisor, and i can assure you, my email was going to be along the lines of the “instant delete” one!! Thank you so so much! I think you just got me into a masters!!

May 29, 2014 at 3:41 am

thank you for your brief guideline for the most of us. i will try this way and if will success i will tell you.

June 11, 2014 at 2:11 am

Dear professor Karen, This is really the most important and fantastic system of writing for admission application i ever had. Surprisingly, I was facing a big challenge how to write a constructive email for consideration of my graduate program this year. I have now alleviated this mountainous problem. Thank you so much Keren!

June 22, 2014 at 6:17 am

Dear professor Karen, Hello. I am a graduate student in physical chemistry (Master of Science). I am going to continue my study in Computational Chemistry fields for PhD degree in abroad. I preferred an Email (see bellow) to Ph.D. positions. Would you please read this letter and say you point of view about, is this letter suitable for sending to professors?

Dear professor ….,

Hello. I am a graduate student in physical chemistry (Master of Science). I have worked in Computational and Theoretical chemistry for more 3 years. I have many publications in good journals (see attached files). I have very good experiences in theoretical and computational chemistry (Ab initio, DFT, Post-HF, QM/MM) and also working with computer systems, UNIX operating systems and programming.

After graduation for gaining more experience and knowledge, I went to Isfahan University of Technology, department of chemistry, as a Research Assistant and continued my research under Professor H. Farrokhpour.

I am going to continue my study in Computational Chemistry fields for PhD degree. I visited your homepage and I think your research areas are fit to my interest, very well and I am interested in working with you as my supervisor.

Regarding my characteristics, I am a reliable, organized, and so enthusiastic student. I can learn everything fast. I am sure that I will carry over the same enthusiasm and skill in doing my PhD as I know that my background will prove to be an effective match for your demands. Therefore, I would like to have the opportunity to develop my abilities, for which I am confident that I have the skills, knowledge and competence. In addition, my English language is good and I can read, speak, write and listen. For more information, please see my CV in attached file.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you. Yours Sincerely, Mostafa Abedi

Research Assistant,

Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran

June 30, 2014 at 7:37 am

I have sent a very similar e-mail to my prospective supervisor. It been a week but I have not received a reply yet.I want to ask if he received my email how should I write an email?

September 11, 2014 at 6:32 am

Thank you so much for posting this information. I have used this information to contact my desired mentor, and I received a response within 24 hours. The professor has now asked for a writing sample. After performing multiple edits, the sample is ready to be sent. Is there a specific response I should give when I send this sample? Thank you again.

December 17, 2014 at 12:36 am

I believe the nice thing about this post is that it reminds you to tell something about yourself; your GPA, your experience, your good qualities. I think those are always worth mentioning. The other really nice thing is that it tells you to get to know the supervisor’s research (after all, why would you want a supervisor whose research was not interesting?) But I disagree with being too concerned about pleasing the professor. I think honesty is way better, and I think people should remember that it’s not just the professor evaluating the potential student, but also the student evaluating the professor; if the professor is always busy, he probably won’t have time for you either. Sucking up will eventually *always* fail. Also, by attempting to please the professor too much I think people are supporting a system where professors pick their students based not on their qualifications and interests but how much they like the person. Just my two cents.

December 17, 2014 at 8:12 am

There is no ‘sucking up’ in this email.

January 2, 2015 at 9:51 pm

Thank you so much for this great post! I am wondering if it is ok to mention my undergrad and grad project? Because it is related directly to the professor’s research area.

January 5, 2015 at 8:53 am

January 25, 2015 at 9:28 pm

Hi Karen, thank you for sharing, it really help.

After i read this article, there is one thing i need to ask you. On the statement above: “My specific project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly interested in exploring the question of xxxxx.” I wonder how specific i should fill on the xxxx and xxxxx. Do you mean that i Should fill it with my research title? I was intend to fill it with my research title but then i was confused because i have some alternative for my research project.

Thank you and i appreciate any answer.

March 19, 2015 at 7:22 pm

Hello Karen,

Thank you very much for the blog. it was useful to get to know about Prof’s mindset. I am getting some replys with the help of it.

May 22, 2015 at 8:36 pm

This is an awesome post, I am using it to contact some researchers of my own.

Thanks. Neelam

August 10, 2015 at 2:53 am

Thanks for your post. I have been thinking of the most polite way of going about this and I think I just found one

October 20, 2015 at 11:34 am

Thank you for writing this post. In my day job, I frequently write professional correspondence to senior management, clients, and team members. That being said, I’m a little nervous about my PhD application. I appreciate the few tips I pulled from these examples.

March 7, 2016 at 11:28 pm

Dear Karen Would you please send me a template for PhD application? I am a PhD student in my country but I want to apply for a part-time PhD research as PhD research opportunity in a foreign country. Thank you Best regards, Mahboob

March 9, 2016 at 9:26 pm

No, I don’t send templates for any type of writing, and especially not for Ph.d. applications.

May 30, 2016 at 6:21 pm

Thank you for your advice, it really helped me. I sent e-mail to a professor and he answered me asking to send CV, Cover letter, and Personal statement. Would you please help me about what should I write in the cover letter and what is the difference between it and personal statement.

Thanks a lot.

May 31, 2016 at 3:19 pm

We offer this help on a case by case basis. Please email me at [email protected] .

March 25, 2017 at 5:12 am

Dear Karen:

Your kind help is helpful to many new graduates.

Sincerely, Khurram ali shah

August 18, 2016 at 1:32 pm

Dear Dr. Karen,

Thank you for your informative article. I have a rather trivial question about … style (?)

At the end of the text of the email, is there a reason for using a comma after “Thank you very much” instead of a period (dot) or an exclamation mark? Thank you very much!

August 30, 2016 at 5:42 am

Dear Karen I must say you have done a good job in helping people like me regarding this area. Thank you so much for sharing. I would like to know if you offer any paid services in relation to research in general. Secondly, I am currently working on my research proposal and will be consulting potential supervisors very soon, however I do have a big worry. I am 32 years and I intend to start my Ph.D next year. I have 2 Bachelor of Science Degrees and a Masters of Science Degree. I have never worked, all I ever did was go to universities.If the supervisor asks for my CV, which has only a list of courses I have undertaken, would it be OK if I told them I never worked? Do you think having never worked is a disadvantage for me to be considered for a Ph.D? Thank you

September 5, 2016 at 3:36 am

You are amazing for doing this. I found this absolutely helpful.

October 4, 2016 at 7:00 am

Just used your advices for a PHD request in Finland. Fingers crossed!

January 27, 2017 at 7:42 am

Great advice, I just used then in my Master’s application. Thank you!

February 19, 2017 at 9:13 am

Thanks, it gave me a boost.

May 19, 2017 at 6:07 pm

99% of the professors will ignore the email since it is too long, and they cannot afford to read 200 such long emails which come to their inbox every day.

March 28, 2018 at 2:11 pm

Good, but most importantly, “How do we reply for a response?”

[…] with the potential advisor is perhaps the most important element of all; refer to this post for advice on how to initiate the conversation. Ideally you want the advisor to commit to you ahead […]

[…] some good “how not to sound like an idiot when writing to a potential advisor” templates here and here. There are plenty more where these came from, so don’t sweat it if this is an area that […]

[…] satu bloger menulis dalam blognya ( http://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor/ )tentang pentingnya sebuah email bagi para pencari beasiswa dan menjelaskan mengapa email tersebut […]

[…] Source: theprofessorisin.com […]

[…] TPII is a great resource for students (of all education levels). Dr. Kelsky covers everything from contacting potential supervisors to mental illness in academia to getting tenure. She also offers paid services if you’re […]

[…] Source […]

[…] have two websites about that subject, you can link here and here. But in short I can say […]

[…] made a list with all the academics conducting researches that might interest me. These were alternative supervisors that I could contact by email. Not only the ones doing similar stuff to what I was doing, but people whose style of supervision I […]

[…] emails daily and many, many requests from prospective students every year. You need to stand out. Here is a very thorough post about nailing the inquiry email. If you are able, try to arrange an informal […]

[…] How to Write an Email to a Potential Ph.D. Advisor/Professor. […]

[…] > http://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor/ […]

[…] OPTIONAL, IF NEEDED: The Professor is In (blog): How to Fire a Professor (from your committee), How to Write an E-Mail (to a potential research advisor) […]

[…] https://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor/ […]

[…] supervisor is not your laurels. They can find that in your CV. It is the part where you establish common ground. You must be able to connect the dots between the professor’s research interests and your […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Who Is Dr. Karen?
• Who Is On the TPII Team?
• In The News
• Why Trust Me?
• Testimonials
• Peer Editing
• PhD Debt Survey
• Support Fund
• I Help With Custody Cases for Academics

Get on my schedule to work on your tenure track job cover letter, CV, grant applications, book proposals, interview preparation, and more.

Check for Openings

Community Blog

Keep up-to-date on postgraduate related issues with our quick reads written by students, postdocs, professors and industry leaders.

10 Ways to Impress a PhD Supervisor

• By Eduardo D. S.
• August 1, 2020

So you want to find out how to impress a PhD supervisor? Maybe you’re about to contact them about a potential project, perhaps you already have a meeting scheduled with them, or maybe you’re already one of their PhD students but you want to leave a lasting impression. Whatever your reasons, learning the correct way to impress a PhD supervisor can do wonders for building a great relationship and increasing your chances of success not only in your project but also in opening doors for your future career development.

Based on my own experiences, I’m going to share 10 of the best ways to impress a supervisor – 5 for before they agree to take you on, and 5 for when you become one of their PhD students.

5 Ways to Impress a PhD Supervisor Before They Agree to Supervise You

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. Specify who you are, your educational background, that you are interested in their project, why you are interested in their project, and include a copy of your resume.

You can find a good breakdown of how to structure your first email here – How to Email a Potential PhD Supervisor . Whichever approach you take, the key is to keep it concise.

2. Be Knowledgeable About Your Field

All supervisors want a research student who’s knowledgeable and well-read in their field, as they tend to produce higher-quality work and encounter fewer problems. Although no one expects you to be an expert, make sure you have at least read three of the most popular journal publications in your chosen research area.

3. Research Them

Looking up the supervisor will give you an insight into their research interests, what topics they’re currently researching, and whether they’ve made any notable contributions, be it a publication, a book or a talk at a leading conference. Your goal isn’t to flatter them, but to be able to clearly explain how your project applies to them and why you would like them to be your supervisor. For example, you might pick up on the fact that the supervisor has recently published several papers or attended a number of conferences on a particular subject. Proposing a project closely linked to this area is likely to attract their attention more than a project in a subject which they haven’t published on for several years.

4. Have a Long-Term Plan

Know what you want to research, why you want to research it, and what you want to do after having completed your research.

A PhD is an enormous commitment – it can take up to 8 years, be financially challenging and mentally exhausting. A supervisor will want to reassure themselves that you genuinely believe a PhD is for you, as having a student struggle the entire way through, or worse, drop out altogether, isn’t good for any involved. Spend some time reading up on the common challenges you can expect as a PhD student and determining what your career goals are. Being able to demonstrate an awareness for both of these will help convince the supervisor that your consideration for doing a PhD is a rational one.

5. Have a Project Plan

If you have the opportunity to discuss a project in more detail with a supervisor, keep in mind that not all first interactions will be simple introductory meetings.

Some supervisors like to jump straight in and discuss your proposed project, your methodology, how you plan to collect data, what kinds of challenges you think you may encounter, etc. Answering these questions in detail will show you’re serious about the project. You don’t necessarily need to have all the right answers here but it’s more about showing that you’ve thought about these aspects and do so from a logical standpoint. In contrast, not having well-thought-out answers will give a poor impression of your level of commitment and/or ability.

If you’ve been asked to submit a research proposal as part of your application, you can almost guarantee a large part of your meeting is going to focus on the technical aspects of the project.

5 Ways to Impress a PhD Supervisor After They Agree to Supervise You

It’s natural to want to impress your supervisor, but remember, if they’ve already agreed to supervise you, they’re already impressed with your academic background and research potential. In truth, most supervisors are never more impressed with their students than on the day they receive their doctorate, with all the years of independent research, publications, and hard word work paying off.

If you still want to take a few extra steps to impress your supervisor, here are 5 things you can do during your PhD studies that will get noticed:

6. Be Proactive

Plan your work, commit to your agreed schedule, and fulfil all your obligations. Nothing makes a supervisor happier than an active student taking full responsibility for his or her project. Being proactive assures your supervisor that your project will advance in the right direction, and when you do need support, it’s for genuine issues that warrant their time.

Being a talented researcher isn’t only about being able to conduct research, but also about being able to do so independently. Showing them that you’re capable of this won’t only keep them looking forward to their next meeting, but it will also give them a high level of confidence in your long-term potential.

7. Document, document, document

It happens occasionally – you get a little complacent, or you’re unusually tired that day – and you don’t label your samples or record your results with a high level of care. No matter the excuse, that’s poor practice and will make it harder for yourself when writing up your thesis, or for your supervisor when trying to discuss your results with them.

One of the simplest ways to impress your supervisor (or any fellow researcher for that matter) is to document everything clearly and systematically. This can range from creating a detailed spreadsheet to keeping a frequently updated LATEX file .

Regardless of how you document your work, stick to a single system and make it so detailed that anyone can pick up and continue your research without having to ask for clarification.

8. Network and Promote Your Research

For creating opportunities in the world of research, nothing is more influential than your reputation. Networking with other researchers within and outside of your university and promoting your work through conferences, events and journal publications improves not only your reputation but also that of your supervisors as a likely co-author. This will help them increase the reach of their work, secure new research grants and be considered for future collaborations.

However, it should be stressed that you mustn’t overstep your bounds – especially when it comes to unfinished work or areas of new potential research. Sharing something your supervisor hasn’t yet wanted to make public is the quickest way to go from impressing to annoying them.

9. Help Them

Supervisors are busy individuals, with a schedule full of lectures, lab sessions, department meetings, plus their own research.

You can earn the gratitude of your supervisor by helping them with some of their tasks, such as offering to host a tutorial on their behalf or setting up the lab for their next demonstration. You can also extend your help to new PhD students who join your research group by acting as a mentor and guiding them through the early challenges of doctoral studies, such as explaining how to order equipment or who to talk to for certain lab requirements.

Supervisors appreciate this type of action as it creates a friendly and collaborative environment for the research group for which they are ultimately responsible for.

10. Clean up After Yourself

You shouldn’t need to be told about this, but it’s surprising how many research students fail to clean up after themselves after having completed laboratory work. This not only goes against laboratory policy , but it gives a poor impression of your research group, which is especially important when you consider the fact you are likely sharing the facilities with staff members who are colleagues of your supervisor.

Cleaning up after yourself shows you respect your colleagues and your workplace and suggests that you have a high personal standard which is always commendable in the eyes of a supervisor. Besides, it’s not that difficult to discard your samples, wipe down your surfaces and record all perishable items that need to be refilled at the end of each day.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

So there you have it, 10 ways to build a good working relationship with your supervisor.

In the same way that a supervisor takes you on as a student, you’re also taking them on as a supervisor, so the relationship must work both ways for it to be successful. I strongly encourage you, in your first meetings with a potential supervisor, to get a sense of whether your personalities are complementary or whether you think there’s a clash. Try to find out what kind of character your supervisor has before joining their research group (e.g. whether they’re a hands-on supervisor or whether they’re a laid back one); if you do this right, most of my tips will fall into place naturally without you having to try.

Thinking about applying to a PhD? Then don’t miss out on these 4 tips on how to best prepare your application.

Need to write a list of abbreviations for a thesis or dissertation? Read our post to find out where they go, what to include and how to format them.

The Thurstone Scale is used to quantify the attitudes of people being surveyed, using a format of ‘agree-disagree’ statements.

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

Browse PhDs Now

An academic transcript gives a breakdown of each module you studied for your degree and the mark that you were awarded.

Learn about defining your workspace, having a list of daily tasks and using technology to stay connected, all whilst working from home as a research student.

Rakhi is a PhD student at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. Her research is on the production of Borneol and Menthol and development of separation process from the reaction mixture.

Dr Hothi gained his PhD in Orthopaedic Engineering from Queen Mary University of London in 2012. He is now the Implant Science Fellow at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, researching how to improve knee, hip and spine implants.

Join Thousands of Students

Word & Excel Templates

Printable Word and Excel Templates

Email to the Professor for Supervision in Ph.D

Although writing letters to people for putting forward any kind of request is still very useful, sending emails is the best way to communicate when it comes to communicating with professors and asking them for any favor. Students who want to pursue their doctorate program in any field need a supervisor who keeps redirecting them to the right path.

What is the email to the professor for supervision in Ph.D.?

It is a communication between the professor and the aspirant to the doctorate program in which the person who wants to carry out his research asks the professors to supervise him. Since email is the quick way of putting forward the request, those who are in search of a supervisor should write an email to various professors.

When you write an email to a professor, you first have to consider the impression that you want to put on him. In general, the content of the letter clearly describes how qualified the applicant is and whether the professor should choose him for supervising him or not.

Why it is important to send an email for research supervision?

Students of PhDs always need a supervisor who can guide them throughout the research process. The student first finds a person who can guide him in carrying out the research and then he will have to write him the email. In some countries, the student gets admission to any university in the doctorate program only when his supervisor shows a willingness to supervise him. This way, the future of the student entirely depends on this email.

Basic guidelines to write the request for supervision:

Since the future of the student depends on whether the professor chooses him for research or not, the student is required to be cautious while writing this email. The sole purpose of this email is never to convince the professor but to make him think about capabilities. Following are some guidelines to follow:

Illustrate your capabilities:

Make certain that the content of the email is strong enough to make the professor believe that you are a bright and competent person who has been blessed with the capabilities to drill deep down into things and carry out the research in an efficacious way. The professors love to supervise people who have a strong ability to learn and have strong analytical skills.

Remain clear and to the point:

Some students do mistakes and write a long email in an attempt to convince the professor that they deserve to be chosen. Always remember that you cannot add details beyond a certain limit.  Even if you want to discuss the area of your research and your prior contribution to this area, you can attach your resume with the email but never let the email become lengthy.

Give impressive details:

You might be having lots of things to share with the research professor; you are not required to share all of them. Only make your professor see the bright side of your work and your personality. Nobody is perfect and you can ask your professor to learn new things and improve Yousef in his supervision.

How to write a convincing email?

Give a subject line:.

Every email contains the subject and how you add the subject and what you write in the subject is the most consideration. The subject should contain a one-line statement that can compel the recipient to open the email.

Use professional salutation:

This email also requires a proper and professional salutation to address the recipient of the email.

Body of the email:

The email should be divided into three different paragraphs each of which should not be too long. The first paragraph should be based on the introduction of the student and a description of his skills and capabilities.

In the second paragraph, you should discuss the research work that you have done previously as some professors might choose you based on how actively you publish your research work.

The last paragraph should include a formal request to the professor to ask him to work with you as a supervisor. This paragraph concludes the entire letter and therefore, should be given more consideration and attention.

Sample letter

Dear Dr. [name]

I am [name], PhD student from [department name]. I have done by BE [name of degree] and MS [name of degree] from [name] university. My area of interest has always been wireless communication. My final year project in BE was [name of the project]. In MS, my thesis topic was [topic]. I also have a journal publication in [name of journal] published on [date]. The title of my paper was [title of paper].

I am starting my Ph.D. in the field of [description]. My special area of focus would be [specialty name].  I have read your papers on [topic name] and I am a great admirer of your research in this field. I want to explore the dynamics of [area name] and I feel that you are one of the best people who can guide me. I want to work under your supervision and guidance. I would be grateful if you accept to be my supervisor. If there is any background reading you want me to get started on, please let me know. I have already gone through the following: [titles of journal publications].

Looking forward to working under your guidance,

Yours sincerely,

File: Word (.docx) 2007+ and iPad Size 16 KB

Ocean Springs wins annexation case, adds almost 6 square miles to city

What changes have already taken place.

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - Court documents and Jackson County officials confirmed that Ocean Springs won its annexation case.

On April 5, Judge H. David Clark ruled that “the City of Ocean Springs’ proposed annexation of the additional territory sought in these proceedings is approved in its entirety.”

The city first approved the annexation plan in 2022, but it was soon opposed by Jackson County, the Jackson County Utility Authority (JCUA), and the City of Gautier.

A hearing was first held on March 20, 2024. Prior to the hearing, Ocean Springs entered a settlement agreement with the county and JCUA. Both entities withdrew from the case, with Gautier withdrawing following the settlement.

“The judge was positive about Ocean Springs’ financial conditions to handle annexation and provide those services,” Ocean Springs Mayor Kenny Holloway said.

Ocean Springs now extends the length of Ocean Springs Road to Highway 57, then northward along Old Fort Bayou and beyond I-10.

“The study showed that we had 11 and a half percent vacant and buildable land available in the city limits of Ocean Springs. And that’s extraordinarily low. Normally when a city gets to 45 or 50 percent vacant land they propose annexation,” Holloway said.

The city also acquired portions of land south of Old Spanish Trail, as well as the land occupied by Ocean Springs High School and Ocean Springs Sports Complex.

In all, about 750 residents live in the annexed areas, according to the court.

The annexation does not include Gulf Park Estates or the Saint Andrews communities.

Jackson County Supervisor Randy Bosarge posted a map on Facebook showing the new additions to the city .

The city will extend its sewage and garbage services in those areas with the help of Jackson County Utilities but police and firefighter presence will be provided by the city.

“By statute, we have to provide public safety within 10 days of the decree. So as of 12 am Sunday, we started providing public safety, law enforcement, and fire,” Holloway said.

The documents also state the city stands to gain about $555,000 in ad valorem taxes in the first year. The court noted that the annexed areas generated more than $130,000 in sales taxes in 2022.

Officials estimate the city will gain over $1 million in the next five years from the expanded tax base.

Mayor Holloway says while the process will take time to adjust, he is excited to see the city grow and able to provide more affordable houses to those looking to move to Ocean Springs.

“The city wasn’t growing population-wise because of the constraints we had on our geography so this will give the city some opportunity to grow population-wise also,” Holloway said.

“It’s a supply and demand thing. When you don’t have much supply, the price is higher. So this will give us a supply of available land and we expect that the housing cost will go down.”

The annexation adds almost six square miles to the city.

As for the new areas added to the city, Ocean Springs plans to add dozens of new fire hydrants and increase water pressure. Ocean Springs Fire Department has a level 4 rating, whereas the volunteer county departments are rated 7 and 8.

The city also plans to hire three police officers, purchase new public works vehicles, and add hundreds of streetlights to increase safety.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE .

Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.

Highway 49 now cleared following massive pallet fire, Harrison County Fire Rescue says

Gulfport Police: Silver Alert cancelled, missing man found safe

Fire chief: workers spark blaze at Gulfport fire station

Man sentenced to life in Harrison County on sexual battery, child molestation charges

Latest news.

Bill Snyder gives tour of the 2024 St. Jude Dream Home in Ocean Springs

Less than 24 hours until 2024 St. Jude Dream Home drawing; tickets still on sale

Wesley's Tuesday Morning First Alert Forecast

Chilly start, low humidity, pleasantly warm Tuesday afternoon