How to Choose a Research Supervisor

Your Digital Mentor Podcast

If you are looking to start a PhD, you may consider choosing a supervisor based on the type of research that you find most interesting. While this should certainly be a component of your decision, it is also important to look beyond the research. In fact, your supervisor and the culture of their research group will have significantly more impact on your happiness and success in graduate school than the research itself. Here, Jen Heemstra talks us through what should be considered when choosing the right supervisor, and how to spot red flags.

Resources
More than a signature: How advisor choice and advisor behaviour affect doctoral student satisfaction
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098770701424983

Choosing a Graduate Advisor https://cen.acs.org/careers/graduate-school/Choosing-graduate-adviser/99/i33

Guest information
Jen Heemstra is a Professor of Chemistry at Emory University, where her research group is focused on using biomolecules for applications in biosensing and bioimaging. Jen is actively engaged in science communication and advocacy via her Twitter presence (@jenheemstra), column in Chemical & Engineering News, and professional development seminars.

Acknowledgements
Editing by Mariana Vaz, https://www.marianacpvaz.com/
Research: Jen Heemstra, Isabela Malta
Producers: Isabela Malta (Producer), Alice Matimba (Senior Producer), Christine Boinett (Creator and Executive producer) and Emmanuela Oppong (Producer).
Social media: Catherine Holmes
Host: Isabela Malta
Created by: Christine Boinett
Music: https://freesound.org/s/477388/

Contact us
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Twitter: @mentor_podcast

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