Guidance on how to contact potential supervisors
Identifying a PhD supervisor
Choosing to undertake graduate research is a big decision and it is extremely important that you identify a research project that really excites you. Identifying the right supervisor is critical as this relationship provides you with invaluable support and guidance from a leading academic in your field.
How to identify a suitable supervisor at UCL
• Thoroughly research your options on UCL departmental websites and in the UCL online
Graduate Prospectus: www.ucl.ac.uk/gradprospectus
• You can also search for relevant supervisors and research groups in the Institutional Research
Information Service: www.ucl.ac.uk/iris. Not all academics are listed in this database but it is a good place to start.
• You can read research papers written by UCL academics in our research repository. All papers are put here subject to academic approval: www.ucl.ac.uk/discovery
• Make contact with either the specific academic you are interested in working with, or the appropriate Department Graduate Tutor (listed either on the department website or next to the programme entry in the Graduate Prospectus), to explore research opportunities in more depth.
This process helps define your interests and aspirations, contributes to making your application successful, and also serves to ensure the identification of the best possible supervisor for your needs.
How to make a research enquiry
Academic members of staff are extremely busy people and receive a lot of research enquiries. In a recent survey 67% of staff said they receive research enquiries that do not relate to their interests. It is extremely important to research supervisor’s interests thoroughly before you contact them. If they do not think your enquiry is related to their research they may not have time to respond to you.
Here are some tips for contacting graduate tutors or academic staff to explore research opportunities:
• Take time over your email and make sure you highlight your strengths clearly
• Make sure your English is as good as possible
• Do not use the same email template to contact different academics. Enquiries should be tailored to the academic’s area of interest and refer to their current work
In most cases you should include the following information:
• Funding status (secured funding, self-funded, will apply for a scholarship, applying for a specific advertised position etc).
• Whether you are a UK, overseas or EU student.
• Whether you want to conduct your research full time or part time.
Academics in different areas will expect different things
• Supervisors in areas where research is more usually conducted in research teams, normally science, engineering or medicine, will generally want to see evidence that you will fit well in the research team. They will want to see a CV demonstrating your interest and experience in their area of specialisation, as well as a brief note on why you are interested in joining their research team in particular.
• Supervisors in areas where research is usually conducted on an individual basis, normally humanities and social sciences, will usually expect to see a well thought-through Proposal for the research that you want to conduct. This research will have to be closely related to research recently conducted by the supervisor. Please see further guidance below.
If you are unsure about whether a research proposal is necessary check with the graduate tutor in the department, division, research group or institute you are interested in. These can be found on the academic unit’s website or in UCL’s online Graduate Prospectus: www.ucl.ac.uk/gradprospectus
Guidance on how to write a research proposal (if applicable – see previous section)
The format for
