Find a Supervisor
It is very important that you have a supervision team with the relevant expertise not only in your chosen topic but also in the theoretical frameworks and methodologies that will underpin your research. Every student has a minimum of two supervisors, with a lead supervisor who will usually be the closest in research expertise to your topic and a second supervisor who can bring additional expertise and/or a different theoretical or methodological perspective. In some cases, a third supervisor may also be appointed.
To find the most suitable supervisors for your proposed research topic, please consult the list of subject areas and find the closest match to the topic you are interested in. Some supervisors have indicated that they are particularly interested in taking on PhD students in certain areas. These are listed here as priority subject areas.
Once you have a list of potential supervisors for your proposed topic, you should then consult the list of methodologies to identify who has experience with the methodology/methodologies you intend to use in your research. If the closest match(es) for your topic do not have experience in your chosen methodology, you should choose a second supervisor who does. Ideally, this person should also have some expertise on your chosen topic or be within the broad subject area but this is not required if there is no one available.
Finally, consult the list of theoretical frameworks. To provide effective supervision, at least one of your chosen supervisors must have expertise in the theoretical framework(s) that you intend to draw on.
Please note that some potential supervisors are not available to take on new students in the coming academic year or have only limited availability due to limitations on the number of students we can supervise simultaneously. This will be noted next to their name in each list. Limited availability means that they are nearing capacity and will consider only applications that are very close to their research interests. Where a supervisor is not available for the next academic year they may be willing to consider a deferred application for the following academic year.
Once you have identified one or two potential supervisors, please email them to introduce yourself and ask whether they would in principle be interested in supervising your PhD. Please include a brief outline of your project in the initial email and attach a draft research proposal.
