Authored by Shayma, PhD Genomic Medicine
Embarking on a PhD application can be a daunting and protracted journey. Nevertheless, with the right support, it can transform into a seamless and even exhilarating process, offering clarity on your aspirations and passions. Here’s a rough outline for discovering a PhD that fits your needs, drawn from my own experiences in locating, selecting, and applying for a PhD at Imperial.
Why seek a PhD?
Before you initiate your PhD search, it’s essential to grasp your motivation for pursuing one. A PhD demands commitment, and it’s crucial to ensure it corresponds with your goals and interests. It equips you with the training necessary to become an independent researcher, a competency vital for the career I aim to pursue.
In addition to technical training, I was attracted by the research autonomy and inventiveness that academia offers. My enthusiasm for science has limitations if I’m engaged in topics that don’t interest me and conducting experiments I’m not passionate about, which is why I chose a PhD project that truly captivated my curiosity. The liberty to direct my project according to my vision is also a significant advantage for me, and it ranks among my favorite elements of undertaking a PhD.
Therefore, as straightforward as it may seem, I recommend creating a pros and cons list regarding pursuing a PhD prior to commencing your search to confirm it’s entirely a goal you want to achieve – what benefits do you anticipate a PhD will bring you?
The PhD application journey
The application journey generally comprises several phases:
- Searching for a PhD
- Submitting the initial application
- Shortlisting candidates
- Participating in interviews
- Receiving conditional or formal offers
- Deciding on funding
Interviews typically concentrate on your reasons for applying, your comprehension of the project, your previous research experience, and your problem-solving approach. When I was readying myself for interviews, I revisited my application, reviewed pertinent literature, and contemplated my experiences so I could articulate them clearly and confidently during interviews.
Locating a PhD
Discovering a project necessitates first understanding what type of research invigorates you, what settings allow you to flourish, and which skills you wish to acquire from the PhD. Some resources for identifying your PhD include:
- University websites, like those of Imperial – seek specific departmental pages where they list all available PhD positions
- Centralized PhD portals and job boards, such as FindAPhD
- Webpages of research groups and supervisors
- Academic networks and recommendations from professors or supervisors
- Websites of funding organizations and doctoral training centers
My application journey might slightly vary from yours. For my PhD, I obtained funding from my home nation, so I only needed to find a research group engaged in a project that intrigued me. To achieve this, I combed through the Imperial website, discovered lists of researchers and groups there, read about their research, and examined their research outputs.
As I was already pursuing my Master’s at Imperial while searching for PhDs, I also consulted my instructors about which research groups they believed would align well with my interests. I located my current project supervisor from a compilation of research groups shared by my MSc course leader.
The crucial point is to engage with EVERYONE and gather as much feedback as possible. I personally know a fellow PhD student who discovered their project through a conversation with a stranger in a pub who connected them with their current principal investigator (PI) and PhD supervisor.