Find a supervisor

When applying for a self-funded PhD, it’s important to find a supervisor who motivates and inspires you. 

Finding the right supervisor is one of the key factors in being successful in your research. Consider the strengths of the department, and whether there is an academic who has the specialist knowledge to support your work. 

Your supervisor could be an academic:

• that you’ve worked with before, at undergraduate or postgraduate level, with similar areas of interest
• at your university who you haven’t worked with yet, but who is working in a similar field to you
• at a different university who shares your research interests

Once you have a shortlist of potential supervisors, you’ll need to think about their research histories. The most important factor will be their publication history. This includes papers, books, editorials, press articles and public events. You may also want to look at recent research projects they have supervised. 

Once you have identified a suitable supervisor, you’ll need to make contact with them. This is normally done by email in the first instance, unless you already have a working relationship. When making contact be polite, make sure you use the right title (are they a doctor or a professor?), include a summary of your research proposal, be specific about your work, avoid general statements, and show how their expertise will help.