Research Advisor Selection

Students should find a research advisor (or co-advisors) before the end of the first term in residence to remain in good standing in the program. The research advisor(s) automatically become(s) chair(s) of the TMC and assume(s) primary responsibility for advising the student on coursework and other academic matters. Below are some mechanisms to become informed about research groups in our Department.

Read Up and Reach Out

Connecting with faculty to talk about research is easy! As a starting point, identify a list of faculty from the Department website whose research topics pique your interest. Then send a polite email requesting a meeting to discuss their research.  This is a discussion phase, not a time for either of you to make a commitment.  In fact, faculty are not supposed to commit to taking students into their group before the November 8th deadline.  Be prepared for the meeting: you will probably be asked to talk briefly about your own research experiences and why you are interested in their science.  You might have some specific questions about what you have already read from their website. At the bottom of this page is also a list of common questions that you might ask during your meeting(s).


Orientation Faculty Presentations

During graduate student orientation, a series of sessions will be held at which most faculty will give a brief overview of their research programs. All new graduate students must attend these sessions, as they are particularly useful in helping to identify faculty who should be interviewed at length about their research. Before selecting a research advisor(s), the student should become well acquainted with the research interests of various groups in the department by arranging individual interviews with at least four members of Chemistry’s Graduate Faculty.  This is just a minimum, you should explore the research of as many people as you are interested.


Rotating Student Contacts

Each incoming first-year graduate student in Chemistry is assigned a rotating student contact (RSC) to welcome them into our community and assist them in the selection of a research group by providing exposure to three groups of interest.  Students will rotate to a RSC in another group approximately every month, giving three group experiences up until the Nov 8 deadline to choose an advisor.

The purpose of the RSC is to serve as a liaison between the first-year student and the departmental community.  The RSC should reach out to the first year student and encourage them to attend departmental activities such as research seminars, training activities, and social events.  They should also invite the first-year to group meetings and outings to learn more about how the group members interact with each other and their advisor. In general, the RSC serves as an additional resource to help students navigate their first semester.  The RSC may offer shadowing opportunities in their lab, but the first year student should not be tasked with research activities.  There is no requirement for the first year student to have desk space in the rotating group, but the RSC may offer this if space is available so that the visiting student can have a closer view of day to day group function.

The first year student is not in any way limited to exploring only the research groups through which they rotate.  In fact, we strongly recommend that the student explore all of their options before November 8. The Rotating Student Contact system is just a way to get to know a few groups better!

The DGS will request RSC preferences a week or two before the next rotations are assigned and the first year student is free express completely different preferences each time.


Advisor Selection: How It Works

The Advisor Selection Form at the end of this Handbook should be used to report which faculty members were contacted during this process. On this form students will also give a ranked list of their top three choices for a research advisor. Completed Advisor Selection Forms should be returned to the Graduate Operations Office (115 Smith Hall) by November 8, or the following Monday if this date falls on a weekend. Faculty will not be allowed to admit a student into their group before November 8. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their selections by November 8 since faculty will make decisions regarding admission into their group on that date. Students will be informed of their placement as soon as possible; a one week turnaround is typical. We do not inform anyone until we can inform everyone at once, so this process is limited by the slowest responders.  Every effort will be made to pair students with their first choice but this may not always be possible due to limited resources. Any student who has not found a research advisor by the end of their first semester of residence will no longer be considered to be in good standing and may be removed from the Ph.D. program. The Director of Graduate Studies will reach out to students in this situation to discuss plans going forward.


Changing Advisors

Changes of research advisor are rare but do happen. While such changes typically result in a somewhat longer time to degree, they may be unavoidable, e.g., if a faculty member leaves the University and their student cannot continue to work with them at another institution, or if a student and a faculty member turn out not to be a good match. A student interested in changing advisors may ask a prospective new advisor for confidentiality in the initial discussion of a possible advisor change. However, students must understand that in all but very exceptional cases a prospective new faculty advisor will have a conversation with the prior faculty advisor before giving their final acceptance of a new student. Indeed, to avoid misunderstandings, prospective new faculty advisors are expected to have that conversation. Whatever the situation may be, students interested in an advisor change are strongly encouraged to get an independent opinion and guidance from the DGS, TMC members, or another trusted faculty member.


Questions To Ask When Choosing Your Research Advisor

These are examples of questions you may wish to ask faculty when you meet with them to determine your research advisor. While nothing replaces your gut instinct as to whether or not the advisor is a good match for you, these questions will address other career issues that you may want to consider.