20 questions to ask before choosing a Ph.D. supervisor

After deciding on doing a Ph.D., the next big decision will be choosing a supervisor. This is the topic of this blog post. I am going to tell you why choosing a supervisor is so important and how your supervisor impacts your Ph.D. experience. I will then talk about what points you should consider when choosing a supervisor and the red flags that you should look out for.

---

The role of a Ph.D. supervisor

A supervisor/guide/Ph.D. mentor/PI is a faculty member (who has a Ph.D. of course) and heads a lab. Heading a lab includes defining the overarching goals or the theme of the lab’s research, securing funding for the research, and mentoring lab members which include Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows, interns, assistants, etc. So they basically ensure that the lab runs smoothly and has sufficient funds to procure any resources required. They are also primarily responsible for recruiting people to work in the lab.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a supervisor and how it will determine your overall Ph.D. experience. As I elaborated in my earlier post , the journey towards a Ph.D. is hard and your supervisor is going to be a constant presence in it. So, your relationship with your supervisor will be a central part of it. I make this statement based on both my own experience as well as of several others around me.

Your supervisor will determine many important aspects of your Ph.D. They will define your thesis project, the approach you will take to answer your question, and also the length of your Ph.D. A good mentor will give you strength in difficult times and also nudge you in the right direction when you feel lost. They will support you in your endeavors during and beyond your Ph.D. and also help open up new opportunities like conferences, talks, collaborations, etc. In the end, they will help you become a good scientist and a good mentor too.

At the end of your Ph.D., you should become a good researcher capable of independent thought and the ability to define and drive your own projects (I believe this goal doesn’t depend on what you want to do after your Ph.D.). A good mentor should enable that. This is possible when they treat you with respect and value your opinions.

---

Choose the person, not the science

There are both good lab heads and bad. You definitely should steer clear of people who have harassed and threatened their lab members in the past, who dictate every aspect of a Ph.D. student’s project, and who expect students to work 10-12 hours every day. In short, do not work with a lab head who considers Ph.D. students as workforce or mules with no freedom to develop their projects.

There are plenty of good mentors but each one has their own mentoring style. To have a good working relationship with your guide, their mentoring style must suit you. Are you someone who prefers to have more independence? Do you work best when you are given hard deadlines and are held accountable? Do you work better with encouragement or do work better with slight pressure? These things require introspection on your part. You will of course give some thought to which field you want to work in. At the same time, also think about who you are as a person and what your working style is. This will help you define what kind of mentoring style will be most suitable for you.

This also means that you should give precedence to how a guide is as a person over whether they do cutting-edge research. My advice to you would be: if you have to choose between a lab whose head is an excellent mentor but the research is not exactly to your liking, and a lab where they do the kind of work you want but the head harasses their students, choose the former. Also, give precedence to a guide whose mentoring style works for you.

I know a few people who initially joined labs because they really liked the research in the lab despite very clear signs that the PI was not a good mentor or their working styles didn’t match. Most of them ended up leaving the lab within a couple of years. Some started their Ph.D. again in a different lab while others decided to change their career paths completely. The sad part is they lost many years of their life. Their mental health also took a serious toll.

---

20 questions to ask before joining a lab

While you cannot judge a person completely without working with them first, key information about them can help you decide if a lab is a good fit for you. The first set of information is of course, about yourself. It is a good idea to list out what qualities you are looking for in a Ph.D. guide.

Before joining a lab, speak with current members of the lab. If you can work in the lab for some time before committing (as part of lab rotation or as JRF), even better! Use these conversations and time to answer some key questions. I have listed a few below:

1. What is the average length of Ph.D. in the lab?

5 years and below is very good. Anything above 7 is too long.

2. Does the PI dictate the hours of work?

Again, this is subjective. If they expect long hours (more than 8) and expect you to work every weekend, it is a bad sign. On the other hand, if the hours are reasonable, it may be beneficial for someone wanting more structure.

3. How often do lab members have one-on-one meetings with the PI?

This shows how present the PI is in the lab and whether they regularly keep up with people’s work.

4. How much freedom do students get in choosing their thesis project? What aspects are defined by the PI and what is left to students?

Although the PI may initially present a broad question based on the lab’s interest, the details should be worked out together with the students over many discussions. Students should get some freedom in planning experiments too. This helps in developing independent thought in the students.

5. Does the PI give inputs on experimental design and help with troubleshooting?

This shows that the PI is highly involved in the project. Many times, troubleshooting alone is daunting. If PI also has expertise in the technique, it can make troubleshooting faster and easier.

6. How are students funded once the fellowship ends?

Most fellowship tenures are 5 years while students end up overstaying. Working without pay during these last years is very hard and demotivating. If PI funds the students from their personal grant, it means they understand and believe that no one should work for free.

7. Are there any Ph.D. students who quit the lab prematurely?

If it is only one or two people, it may be different reasons. But if several people have left the lab, it may be a red flag.

8. Have there been harassment complaints against PI or current lab members?

If there are then it is a big reason to not join a lab.

9. How cooperative are lab members? Do lab members freely share resources? Do senior members actively mentor new members?

You will interact with lab members every day and will depend on them for running your experiments. A safe and cooperative environment will ease your work. Too many conflicts are not a good sign.

10. Are there regular social activities in the lab, with and without the PI?

Social activities help in destressing and improving camaraderie among lab members.

11. Does the PI encourage students to do extracurricular activities?

This tells whether the PI believes in the importance of work-life balance. It is a bad sign if members do no activity outside the lab.

12. How many days of vacation are allowed in a year? Does the PI allow you to take sick leave or leave due to personal emergencies?

Same reason as above. Very little or no vacation time is a bad sign.

13. Does the PI encourage members to attend conferences, workshops, and summer schools? Does the PI provide travel funding or are members expected to acquire travel grants/ self-fund?

These are great opportunities for gaining recognition and networking. PI support shows that they want to increase opportunities for lab members.

14. How old is the lab?

If the lab is new, you will spend some time setting up things that can delay your Ph.D. In older labs, most equipment and techniques are already streamlined. But if the lab is too old and the PI is closer to retirement, funding opportunities may be limited. Also, things may get difficult if you don’t graduate before the PI retires.

15. Does the PI have tenure?

If they don’t have tenure, they may be under pressure to publish work quickly to secure tenure- a pressure that can get transferred to other lab members. Although, it doesn’t always happen.

16. Are there collaborative projects both within the lab and with other labs?

Collaborative projects aid in many ways. By contributing to many projects simultaneously, you get to be the author of multiple papers. Collaborations with other labs help increase reach and recognition.

17. What is the average number of publications per student? In which journals are they published?

Again the number is field-dependent. You must judge what is a good number for your respective field. Though publishing in cell, nature, or science is difficult in India, the publications should at least be in reputed journals from the field with good citations.

18. What is the funding situation in the lab? How many extramural funds does the PI have?

You don’t want to be in a lab where experiments are limited by lack of funds.

19. How does the PI handle conflict in the lab?

Tells how they ensure a safe and happy environment in the lab.

20. What are the lab alumni doing currently? How successful are they in their field? How many are doing nonacademic jobs?

Phew! That is a long list! It may be difficult to find the answers to all the questions but do try to get answers for the first 12. They will tell you a lot about the PI mentoring style and whether it will work for you. It will also highlight any red flags about the PI. This is of course not an exhaustive list. You may want to know more things based on the qualities you are looking for.

---

Honest conversations are important!

Once you have made an informed decision to join a lab, it would also be a good idea to have an honest conversation with your potential supervisor. You should ask them their expectations from you in the course of your Ph.D. and also describe where you would like their input and guidance. This can help both to see if there is any mismatch in expectations and straighten things out early. You will save yourself some friction and disappointment in this way.