In the process of applying for a PhD program, it is necessary to contact a potential supervisor in order to discuss the suitability of your research interests with them.
Finding a PhD Supervisor
The first stage for doctoral program application is to identify potential supervisors. This can be done by looking at the publication of supervisors and their research area which matches your interest.

Considerations
- Firstly, select a research subject or area that interests you. It is crucial in postgraduate study, to show the research area you’re passionate about if you want to be successful in applying and completing it.
- Secondly, reflect on where you want to study. Is there a particular institution or lab group you would like to study in?
- Lastly, consider the potential supervisor. The relationship between the supervisor and student is critical to the success of a postgraduate degree. So, this must be someone who has a good reputation for teaching, inspire you in your area of research, and has a compatible personality for you.
These considerations can be helpful in drawing up a list of potential supervisors.
Research
Once potential supervisors are identified, make sure to read their research thoroughly and become familiar with it. This is significant to understand the research field better and to ensure that it matches your interest area. It could prove useful when contacting them. Supervisors have their own academic profile page on university website which allows candidates to find more about their research interests, publications and previous work. There you can get their email address.
First email
In most of the cases, the best way to contact potential PhD supervisor is through email. It should be formal email, somewhat similar to an application cover letter.

Email etiquette
- As a formal email; make it polite, assertive, respectful and most importantly well-informed on your research interest.
- Use the supervisor’s correct title and sign off with “Kind regards” or “Yours sincerely”.
- Make sure that there are no grammatical errors, it is consistent and have proper formatting.
There should also be a clear but brief subject title to the email. This should concisely explain your enquiry in a succinct manner. For example: “Role of Customer Relationship Management in Hotel Management; A case study of UK”.
Along with the research proposal, it is important to send supervisor your SOP (that dictates the reason of interest) and Resume. This is because, the supervisor easily get influenced seeing previous research experiences, publications, work experience, concerned research area and purpose of study in the particular field.