So you’ve found some PhD projects you’re interested in applying for, what do you do next? You reach out to the supervisors for these projects! This will likely lead to a meeting between the two of you – note: most PhD supervisors will do this for potential candidates, however sometimes if projects are highly popular, some supervisors might choose to not have any contact with potential applicants to ensure fairness. My understanding is that meeting a potential PhD supervisor is common in the UK. A lot of what I mentioned in my last blog post about choosing PhD projects can be uncovered when you meet a potential supervisor for the first time and remember, your first meeting with a potential PhD supervisor is a two way street – you’re looking to see whether you’d work well with said supervisor and they will be doing the same. 

First of all, you should have an academic CV ready to send to a potential supervisor when you first reach out. This allows them to understand your background, decide whether you’re a suitable candidate for their project, and gives them things to ask you about when you meet them. Common questions you should always prepare for before a meeting are: 

1. Why do you want to do a PhD? 
2. What relevant experience do you have? 
3. Why are you interested in this particular area/type of research?

Expect questions related to the content of your CV to come up and you should spend some time learning about the research your potential supervisor does and the wider area – you won’t be an expert but if you show up with zero understanding of what they do, that won’t leave a great impression on a potential supervisor! 

When I was looking at PhD projects, I found the following links particularly useful: 

1. This thread discusses how to reach out to potential supervisors via email so you leave the right impression on them before you even meet! 
2. I also went through both links below when preparing for meetings with potential supervisors which were really helpful. Both are written in the context of US PhDs so keep that in mind as some of the questions don’t really apply to UK STEM PhDs – make sure to do your research and only ask questions where there aren’t obvious answers available!
   1. https://blog.ml.cmu.edu/2020/03/02/questions-to-ask-a-prospective-ph-d-advisor-on-visit-day-with-thorough-and-forthright-explanations/ 
   2. https://www.quora.com/What-should-I-ask-say-to-my-PhD-supervisor-during-our-first-meeting 

A slightly less obvious thing you should look out for is whether you get on with your supervisors. There’s no right way to tell because this is about a gut feeling. Feeling some nerves is very understandable since you’re meeting them for the first time but you will be able to tell whether anything feels “off”. After all, you will be working with them for the next few years of your life and you should feel comfortable! 

The next thing for you to find out is your potential supervisor’s supervisory style. How frequently do they meet with their students and who provides day-to-day support? What are their expectations of PhD students e.g. with supervising Masters or Bachelors’ students, publishing while doing the PhD, and going to conferences? All of this will help give you an idea on what your PhD experience will be like. If possible, try to arrange a visit to the lab so you can meet other lab members without the supervisor present as well. 

These seem like loaded questions to ask an academic you’re meeting for your first time but by doing so, you’ll be making a much more informed choice on the projects you apply for, and ultimately spend the next few years of your life working on. If you have a meeting with a potential supervisor coming up, I hope you make good use of these tips and good luck!

Jean