I usually ask my doctoral students to consider the following factors when shortlisiting an advisor...

Let's begin with whom NOT to select!

1. Someone who does not have a research track record, especially in your area of research.
2. Someone who is in the early stages of his/her career., i.e., untenured. (this person maybe a co-chair with a tenured faculty member.
3. Someone who is viewed as selfish
4. Someone who is not easily accessable
5. Someone who is not caring and compassionate
6. Someone who does not work well with others

Selecting an advisor is a tough task. A hasty decision can mean years of dissatisfaction, and poor advisory relationships. This is one of the major reasons why students drop out of the doctoral program. Having an adviser who isn't a good fit can also hinder your chances of landing choice jobs.

So what questions should you be asking when selecting an advisor. This list can go on and on. You want a prospective adviser who can:

envision a coherent plan of study
is prepared to provide moral support during difficult times, and
can help students think through their academic and professional ambitions.

Based on this I think students begin identifying potential advisors from the first year of their doctoral program. Although the relationship is informal before dissertation, this type of early interaction with the potential advisor can help you find out more about the advisor.


Here are some preliminary questions you need answers to:

How much time do you spend with your students?
Who would directly supervise my day-to-day work?
What are your expectations for students' workload?
How much flexibility in schedules do you allow?
How would I be funded?
How well funded is the project I'll be working on?
What lab space and equipment are available?
What is your approach to deciding authorship on collaborative research articles?
Do graduate students have a real chance at first authorship?
How many students have earned Ph.D.s in your lab?
How long did it take them? Where did they go?
What are they doing now?
What specific strategies do you use to help students hone their interests, refine their technical skills, and develop independence?
How do you guide students who are interested in pursuing nontraditional/industrial career options?
Do you support your students' travel to scientific meetings?

This should get you started!

What I did was to have my mentor serve as my advisor. This worked out very well for many reasons. We got to know each other very well at a professional as well as personal level. This is very important when I faced personal issues. Next, my research interests was influenced by my mentor's research. Therefore when it was time to select a dissertation topic it was an extension of my mentor's work.

Does the mentor always become a doctoral students advisor. Not necessarily. I had classmates where this relationship did not work. But the writing was on the wall from day 1. What you need to do is walk away from this mentor and request another faculty member. Always find the right excuse. Example, my research interests are different or our time schedules dont work usually work very well.

Sometimes although you work well with your mentor they dont have the same research interests. This maybe the time to have a co-advisor. i.e., a faculty member who is interested in your research as well as be in good terms with your mentor!

Thanks for the posts which have been very useful to me. I am facing a rather different issue. My advisor who was has been my mentor is suggesting of having a co-advisor from another university. The reason is that the potential co-advisor is strong in methodology and data analysis. I am concerned that having a co-advisor from another university can be problematic. Any thoughts?

This is a very interesting discussion, especially for a prospective doctoral student. I can't imagine how a student can tell a faculty that you dont want him/her as a co-chair. I have been in industry for quite few years, and trust me there will be repercussion for saying something like that. Is academia that different?

Selection of a doctoral advisor is an impotant issue. An equally important issue is
Managing relationships with your advisor is critical. Remember advisors have competing demands for attention. They can disorganised and forgetful. Plus they have teaching, research, administration as well as research supervision duties. In addition there could be personality and interaction style issues.

However the good news is that advisors are generally benevolent. You and your advisor need to have reasonable expectations of each other. You should manage your relationship with your advisor.

Consider the following questions:
How often do you want to have meetings? Regular meetings versus on-demand meetings.
How do you want to be managed? Beating with a stick versus gentle encouragement; Strict deadlines versus none.

Check your supervisor’s management style. Does he/she prefer

Reminders helpful versus irritating;
Written reports versus verbal reports;
Send material before versus after meetings;
Implicit versus explicit discussion of needs;

Most importantly, Remember to foster good relations with your advisor.