TOP QUESTIONS TO ASK A POTENTIAL PHD SUPERVISOR
Written by Sarah Ayyash
Though most people believe that it is the supervisor’ s position to ask the questions, my personal experience has taught me that you( the PhD student) have a lot to ask as well. A PhD project is the result of successful teamwork between at least two individuals, you and the supervisor, and both sides of this team need to clearly understand their duties and what is expected of them. I prepared this list of questions during my PhD position hunt. From my own personal experiences, other PhD students’ personal experiences and interviews with retired professors, I share with you my list and I hope you find something useful in it.
I am going to skip the obvious questions that almost everyone asks, like details about the project and its description because actually this is – in my opinion at least- the problem. Most of the interviews that take place between students and potential supervisors involve a lot of questions about the project itself resulting in no other( but equally important) types of questions being asked. This is unfortunate and almost hard to believe it is unnoticed by many students aiming to pursue a PhD as I came to learn from most students who changed their labs whether during their Masters or PhD and even post-docs, the main reason is almost always a misunderstanding of what is expected from each side during the project and rarely the project itself, which is the element that takes 90 % of the interview’ s time between the potential PhD student and the supervisor.
1) How many years does a PhD normally last in your lab? Of course this will always depend on the progress of the project but you can at least tell the average number of years you are expected to work on this project. Is this a supervisor who finds it acceptable to keep you working on this project for six years or is it someone who is determined that you leave in three. Make sure that this is clear for you. Also, asking how long most of the PhD students in this particular lab spend on their PhD gives you a reasonable glimpse into how long you will need.
2) What type of guidance will I receive at the beginning and throughout the project? Is this a lab where you are expected to know how to work on your own right from the start, or is this a lab where you will get close supervision especially at the beginning with new methods that are unfamiliar to you? Make sure this point is clear for you because it determines the expectations from both sides. Ask how many times you will meet. Is this a supervisor who is always on the go or someone you can reach easily? A promising sign for
8 | NEUROMAG | July 2016