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Things to consider before starting a PhD

Date created: 2.7.23

Prior to starting my PhD, I had many people telling me that I should not choose the project, but the supervisor. They told me that the difference between a good and a bad PhD project is all to do with the supervision. I only half-believed them. Now I feel really lucky that I got great supervisors, but others in my cohort weren't so lucky.

This post is about things to consider before taking on a particular PhD project because I do believe that the most important thing that you will choose is your supervisor. That is the only control that you have over your success in your PhD. Thus, due dilligence is crucial and will save you a lot of heart ache and mental strain during your PhD.

Think of it this way, your PhD is your baby for the next 3-4 years and you need as much support as possible to progress. Without support, it will be very difficult for you to finish.

The project​

Lets say that you found an amazing project doing something life-changing, in a field that you want to be an expert in. That is really great, however, be aware that PhD projects change overtime. My friend started a PhD and during the first year, nothing worked! She ended up completely changing her project because the goals were not viable. Thus, her PhD project changed from what was originally pitched to her!

The original plan of a PhD project is used to try and lure students in - to make it sound amazing and life-changing. In reality, the work you do in 3-4 years will not change the world. It may not even make a mark in academic or industrial fields. The only thing you should be doing is trying to learn. Experience comes with your drive to learn and be better. Your thesis will be a contribution to your field and new literature for others to read and learn from.

It is up to someone else to read your work, become inspired and then change the world. This person may be your future self, it may be your supervisor, or a colleague but it will never be you at that current point in time.

Instead of chasing a project, the best thing you can do is pick a field that interests you: for me it is polymer science. Next, choose a place that you want to be (For me, it was anywhere but Sydney). Finally, do some research and due-dilligence to find a supervisor who works in that field, what people have said about them and look into their students, talk to the students even!

The supervisor​

The supervisor is the most important consideration in starting to look for a PhD project. The supervisor controls your hours of work, your funding, the resources you have to work with and how much support that you will get.

Also, I should note here that before I started my PhD, I met with a few different supervisors. I even applied for a PhD at UCL in London. I told the supervisor what I was interested in and what I wanted out of a PhD. She then tailored a PhD project for me! Thus, if you find the right supervisor, you may land the perfect project.

Although, most of these opportunities are funding dependent. If they are paying you to do your PhD out of their grant money, then you must do the projects that were assigned (as it's from a specific grant). BUT if you have your own scholarship, you can do whatever you want. This is what my supervisor said to me when I was awarded my scholarship. He said I could keep working in microfluidics if I wanted to (which is what I was doing as a research assistant). I declined and stuck with the original project because I love polymers and didn't have the skills to design my own project.

However, not all supervisors are as accomodating.

Things to look out for:​

  1. Conflicts of interest between cosupervisors.
  2. Whether students have dropped out. I recommend, to reach out to these students and ask them why they dropped out.* Sometimes, it's because the student isn't patient enough, or has other life-events happening. But many times it is because of the supervision. Some other tips:*
  3. How big is their research group? If it is a large research group, chances are that you will learn a lot in the really specific research area. BUT, will you have enough fume cupboard space? During my honours degree, 6 students were sharing one fume-hood. I didn't have a designated spot. It was very uncomfortable having others constantly looking over your shoulder. Now during my PhD, I have a whole fume-cupboard to myself. It's very nice and very comfortable for me to do research.
  4. What is their title? Professor? or Lecturer? While this shouldn't matter, I have experienced so many people chasing a supervisor for the prestige. In general, the better title they have, the less time they have for you.

In my case though, my principal supervisor, is a Professor of organic chemistry. He is really busy with everything he is doing, but he will always stop to help me out when I need it. He is a really good supervisor and I am very lucky to have him.

I can say that I was lucky - which I am, but I did my due dilligence before hand. I worked with all my supervisors for 6 months before starting my PhD. I heard so many good things from people. Everyone around the building only ever had nice things to say about my supervisors - even their students.

The importance of co-supervisors It is important to have a co-supervisor without any personal relationship with your principal supervisor. This is to ensure that you have adequate supervision. For me, having two supervisors was very effective. Both have great skills; while my cosupervisor spends a lot of time in the lab. It was so great having a supervisor that was in touch with lab research.

My principle supervisor has a lot of experience in so many different research areas. He was friends with MacDiarmond (one of the Nobel prize winners for CPs). He has a wealth of knowledge, and takes time to come into the lab every now and then to see how I am going.

Finally, if one of your supervisors is harsh, says mean things or is not giving you adequate supervision, you can confide in the other supervisor for support. Thus, that is why there should be no conflicts of interest.

From this post, it should be apparent that the project shouldn't be the sole focus of your search for a PhD project. The most important thing is your supervisor, so due dilligence is required to find a supervisor that will properly support you. At the end of the day, it just depends on the type of person you are and how well you fit in with the research group. The best advice to give is to investigate the vibe of the group, meet with the supervisor several times before hand or even join the group prior to starting your PhD - either by doing an honours degree, volunteering or working.