How to Succeed in Postgraduate Study

Finding a Supervisor

by Marie desJardins

Finding the right supervisor can help you immeasurably in successfully completing a thesis. You should ideally have selected the schools you applied to by identifying staff members you'd like to work with. If not, start looking around as early as possible. Of course, the ideal supervisor will be in the area you're interested in working in, will actively be doing high-quality reseach and be involved in and respected by the research community, and (not least) will be someone you can get along with.

Read research summaries by staff members (which are usually published by the department), go to talks they give, and attend or audit courses given by academics you might be interested in working with. Talk to other postgraduate students and recent graduates. Ask them how their relationships with their supervisors are/were, how quickly the supervisor's students graduate, and how successful (well recognized, high-quality) their research is. What kinds of relationships do they have -- frequent interactions, collaborative work, encouraging independence? handing out topics or helping students to create individual research areas, or a more hands-off style?

Other things to find out about potential supervisors:

• What is the average time their Ph.D. students take to finish their degrees? What is the dropout rate for their students?
• How long have they been with the university? There are advantages and disadvantages to being one of the first members of a new research group. On the positive side, you often have more freedom to choose your research topic and to influence the direction of the group's research. On the negative side, you may be more isolated (since there won't be older postgraduate students in the group), your supervisor won't have as much experience, and if they don't get tenure you may be scrambling for a new supervisor several years into your thesis.

A good supervisor will serve as a mentor as well as a source of technical assistance. A mentor should provide, or help you to find, the resources you need (financial, equipment, and psychological support); introduce you and promote your work to important people in your field; encourage your own interests, rather than promoting their own; be available to give you advice on the direction of your thesis and your career; and help you to find a job when you finish. They should help you to set and achieve long-term and short-term goals.

Once you identify one or more potential supervisors, get to know them. Introduce yourself and describe the area you're interested in. Attend their research group meetings if they hold them regularly. Give them a copy of a research proposal if you have a good idea of what you want to work on, and ask for comments. Ask whether they have any TA or RA (research assistant) positions available, or if there are any ongoing research projects that you could get involved with. Read their published papers, and the work of their students. Drop by during office hours and ask questions or make comments. Offer to read drafts of papers -- and do more than just proofread.

The type of relationship that each student needs with a supervisor will be different. Some students prefer to be given more direction, to have frequent contact, and to be "checked up on." Others are more independent. Some may need contact but be self-conscious about asking for it. Other things that vary include what kinds of feedback is preferred (lots of "random" ideas vs. very directed feedback (pointers)), working individually vs. in groups, working on an established research project vs. a new, independent effort; working in the same area as your supervisor or doing an "outside" thesis.

You may find that your thesis supervisor doesn't always give you all of the mentoring that you need. Multiple mentors are common and useful; they may include other staff members in your department or elsewhere, senior postgraduate students, or other colleagues. You may want to seriously consider changing thesis supervisors if your supervisor is inaccessible or disinterested, gives you only negative feedback, doesn't have the technical background to advise you on your thesis, or harasses you.

The most important thing is to ask for (i.e., demand politely) what you need.