Choosing a supervisor

If a supervisor has availability for new students and you have a strong curriculum vitae, you may be invited to an interview to explore opportunities. This interview may be only with the supervisor you contacted or may be a small panel. They might also ask you to provide a short presentation on any prior research you may have.  While the interview may not be as formal as a traditional job interview, it’s important to approach it with the same level of professionalism and preparation. The purpose of the interview is to allow the potential supervisor(s) to learn more about you, your research interests and motivation for undertaking a research degree. Essentially the supervisor will be assessing whether you, your research interests and goals are a good fit for their research group.

It is a good idea in your preparation for an interview to learn about the supervisor and their research group, their publications and perhaps collaborations. It’s also important to think about the types of questions that you will be asked during the interview, which may consist of general questions about your background and research experience but may also ask you about your motivations for the research topic and undertaking a research degree and, your career ambitions.

In addition to the supervisor interviewing you, remember you are also interviewing the supervisor and assessing whether the supervisor, research team and University is what you are looking for. The questions you ask may align to your own motivations for undertaking a graduate research degree and your career ambitions. Examples of questions could be:

• What qualities do you think are important for a student to be successful in your group?
• What are your expectations for students publishing and presenting their research?
• What is your supervision style? - Are you more hands-on or do you expect students to work more independently?
• What have your past students gone on to do in their careers following completion of a research degree in your research group?
• What resources and facilities are available for research?
• What opportunities are there for teaching or other professional work experience?