writing to potential phd supervisor

5 Things You Should Know Before Writing to a Potential Supervisor

• July 6, 2022
• GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Making contact with a prospective supervisor is one of the essential parts of your PhD application process. Now, more than ever, it is vital to clarify expectations and processes for PhD work in light of disruptions caused by the Coronavirus.

But, it is important to do your research first before writing to a potential supervisor.

So how do you actually reach out to a supervisor? Should you provide as much information as possible about yourself? Do you attach a research proposal? Are supervisors even interested in hearing from you?

In addition to covering the general process for writing an email to a prospective PhD supervisor elsewhere, I thought it would be helpful to summarize some of the ‘golden rules’ you should know before writing to a potential supervisor.

Check how (and if) they want to be contacted.

Do supervisors really want prospective students to email them?

The answer is often “yes”, and some universities and education systems actually encourage students to speak with a supervisor before applying for a PhD. It can also be the other way around, especially if the university prefers to handle all the formalities of PhD admissions and then match students with supervisors.

Nevertheless, you can check it easily before writing to a potential supervisor.

You can discuss your own PhD idea with an academic on the university’s website (Google “their name” + “university name”). Generally, it will specify whether prospective students are welcome to contact them.

We offer email enquiry options here – so feel free to use them if you’re interested in writing to a potential supervisor.

What program do you want to take?

There is no standard for the kind of research that a department in a given university conducts. It is at least 50% likely that you will find similar research conducted by the mechanical engineering department in one university and the materials science department in another university, for instance.

A good rule of thumb for a students is to check at least three departments within a university to find a research area that interests you before writing to a potential supervisor.

You will benefit in many ways by finding research areas, although it may initially seem daunting.

You would be able to find the right match for your supervisor and the type of research you are looking for. Furthermore, this will help you narrow down your research interests. By examining different research areas in different universities, you will be able to keep up with the latest advancements in your field; therefore, you will be better equipped to determine which area is most suitable for you.

Unlike a bachelor’s degree, a master’s or PhD is a “custom-designed” degree. Students who come straight from bachelor’s degrees have difficulty understanding this at first. What you will do in your graduate degree will be primarily determined by what your supervisor is interested in. It is therefore extremely important to choose the right supervisor when it comes to graduate studies.

Suppose you are interested in a specific topic. In that case, you might want to check with several departments at a university to find out what they do and if there is any overlap between those interests and your own.

What are the admission requirements for your chosen program?

Depending on the university and the department, graduate program requirements may vary.

Visit the department’s website to find out the minimum requirements for a graduate program. There is a tab for “Prospective students” and/or “Graduate admissions” on most of these web pages.

Additionally, different universities require different types of test scores. Most universities in the United States require TOEFL as the English proficiency test with a specific passing score, while most other countries require IELTS (there are other options as well).

GRE scores may be required for some programs.

Even if a professor accepts your application, you might not be admitted to a program if you can’t provide your GRE results in time.

Therefore, before writing to a potential supervisor, it is always recommended to check these requirements first.

What area of research do you want to pursue?

Can you find professors who work in the area that interests you?

It is not advisable to write to every professor you find on a department’s website in the hope that someone will be interested in your application.

Taking this approach has several drawbacks .

To begin with, this is not the first time a professor has received an email from a student. Using a generic email that you can pass on to any professor won’t even get you a reply. Therefore, it is a waste of both your time and theirs.

Secondly, if you haven’t already determined what research you’re interested in, a supervisor probably won’t be interested in working with you. They are always on the lookout for people who are familiar with the research areas they are interested in. This awareness will be reflected in your email. In each and every email, you may need to include subjective information (to the supervisor).

You may write fewer emails when you specialise, but the ratio of sent emails to received replies will exponentially increase.

Make sure you do your research first before writing to a potential supervisor.

Identify one or two professors whose research is closely related to what you are interested in.

It wouldn’t be the best idea to contact the professors in that department even if you are interested in a certain topic in general but not something you want to work on for the foreseeable future.

For students who have studied physical science, this is more relevant.

As a prospective graduate student, this is also extremely difficult to comprehend. Because there are still many things, you don’t know at this point. In graduate programs, research topics are extremely narrowly focused. You may see a professor mention a certain research area as an interest. Still, if you haven’t seen any recent publications leading up to that topic, chances are they won’t be starting a project on that topic anytime soon.

There is, however, a way to work around this problem. Try to find at least two prospective supervisors in the field of research that interests you.

Contact the professor whose research interests are most similar to yours. Inquire specifically about the kind of research that they would like to conduct in the future. End the email by asking for suggestions for contacting other professors doing similar research.

By doing this, you are getting recommendations from an expert in the field of research that interests you. Regardless of whether you think the professor you contacted is the best fit for you, it may not be, and this is an opportunity for you to find out if there is anyone else in the same department who is better suited for you.

Images courtesy : Send mail vector created by storyset – www.freepik.com

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

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

Choose your region

Select the region that best fits your location or preferences.

Choose your site language

This setting controls the language of the user interface, including buttons, menus, and all site text. Select your preferred language for the best browsing experience.

Choose your job languages

Select the languages for job listings you want to see. This setting determines which job advertisements will be displayed to you.

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

5 Reasons You Should do Your PhD Abroad

Have you ever considered doing your PhD abroad? There are several major ...

6 Tips for Dealing with Exam Stress

These 6 tips will help you avoid stress so you don't feel overwhelmed an...

Spanish Academic Job Titles

While there will be some differences university to university, here's a ...

Everything You Need to Know About the GRE

Depending on where you plan to apply for graduate school, you may have t...

The 5 Most Important Questions You’ll Be Asked During a PhD Interview

These are the five most important questions you will be asked in a PhD i...

Recognizing and Preventing Burnout in Grad School

Someone who is burnt out always feels tired, has no motivation, can’t fo...

Jobs by field

• Electrical Engineering 197
• Machine Learning 195
• Artificial Intelligence 182
• Programming Languages 177
• Molecular Biology 138
• Computational Sciences 134
• Management 133
• Cell Biology 131
• Materials Engineering 129
• Mechanical Engineering 128

Jobs by type

• Postdoc 316
• Professor 270
• Assistant / Associate Professor 250
• Lecturer / Senior Lecturer 141
• Researcher 123
• Research assistant 117
• Tenure Track 100
• Engineer 61

Jobs by country

• Belgium 283
• Germany 272
• Switzerland 161
• The Netherlands 119
• Luxembourg 74

Jobs by employer

• IU International University o... 133
• KU Leuven 122
• KTH Royal Institute of Techno... 104
• University of Luxembourg 72
• ETH Zürich 72
• Mohammed VI Polytechnic Unive... 65
• Free University of Bozen - Bo... 56
• University of Cologne 55
• Ghent University 47
• Karolinska Institutet 42