Finding a Supervisor       Once you have made the decision to commence a PhD degree, the first step in your application process is to locate and contact a potential supervisor who will be able to guide you successfully through your research. Many believe that the choice of supervisor can have a tremendous impact on the future course of your career as a researcher in the field and it is certainly true that the supervisor is without doubt the most important person in the PhD process, other than the students themselves. In the next three or more years, you will be working closely with your supervisor and will rely substantially on his or her expertise and guidance in the process. The quality of your supervisor will have a considerable impact on your overall experience, so it is advisable to make your initial selection with great care.

Some universities, such as Oxford for example, may specify in the application process that a supervisor will be allocated to you once you have applied. Others may require that you select more than one supervisor, particularly if your research field has an interdisciplinary focus, or combines several subject areas. Generally speaking, however, you will have to make your own way in identifying a suitable supervisor who is willing and able to help you through your research project and assist you in acquiring a PhD degree.

There are several ways of going about finding a suitable supervisor. If you are moving directly from a Masters degree to a PhD programme at the same institution, you will likely have a good insight into who might be an appropriate supervisor for your research project. You may even have had discussions with him or her as to the framework within which to present your research project during your Masters study. In fact, it is likely that your research interests have been sparked by a topic examined in your previous academic career. Familiarity with the department and the institution is a tremendous benefit when trying to find a supervisor whose research interests are in line with yours. If you, however, prefer to conduct your PhD research at a different university, you will have to conduct some basic investigation to find out who might be best suited to supervise your studies.

If you are entirely new to the university or universities of your choice, it is always best to find out more about the staff in the department where your research falls. Many universities will have departmental websites that provide a listing of their academic staff and their respective research interests. Often, this includes a list of publications or a bibliography of the academic’s work. This is a great starting point to identify a potential supervisor whose research interests align well with your own. Contact either the department or the potential supervisor directly by phone or email to set up a meeting. In your email you should indicate:

• your reasons for contacting the department or supervisor

• what your academic background is

• a broad overview of what your research idea is

• any prior research experience you may have

The challenge is to be able to convince the prospective supervisor that your research project fits with his or her own research interests and that it would be an interesting project to supervise. The better the match, the better the relationship is likely to be over the course of the next three years.

Another approach to finding a suitable supervisor is to pinpoint either a published PhD thesis or scholarly article that matches your interests in the field and contact the respective supervisor or author to inquire if they might be able to supervise you, especially if they are affiliated with a degree awarding university. Every academic is proud of the hard work they have put into their achievements and many will be positively disposed to a prospective student who shows interest in their field. This approach, however, only works if you have no preference for a particular university and can be reasonably flexible in terms of the location of your study.

While it is necessary to consider the overall standing of your prospective supervisor in the field, it is essential that you gain an impression of some of his or her other qualities. The level of attention he or she provides, how well organized the prospective supervisor is, how experienced he or she is and how well you might work together – these are all important factors to consider in choosing the most appropriate supervisor. When you meet a prospective supervisor in person it is helpful to know their current research focus and we advise that you read his or her latest published material. Ask your potential supervisor as many questions about the programme, the research plan and the expectations as you need, but be mindful to also demonstrate that you are knowledgeable on the topic. This will make it more interesting for the supervisor to take you on as a student.

The relationship between a research student and his or her supervisor often takes on that of a mentorship. The supervisor will assist you in planning your thesis, locating relevant primary sources, acquiring research techniques and maintaining an original outlook. But, perhaps more obviously, he or she will not do the work for you. The better you and your supervisor can work together, the more successful the overall PhD study experience will be for you. This is, of course, sometimes easier said than done, but it is good to keep in mind the ideal scenario when trying to find a suitable supervisor.