How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

YET ANOTHER CURRICULUM PUBLICATIONS PROJECTS PRESENTATIONS

DATA
RESEARCHER

How do I write the first

email to a professor for
PhD Application
Hey guys,
I decided to summarize what I’ve learned during the
Farzad process of “Sending a PhD Application Letter to a
Nozarian Supervisor”. I hope you find this summarization helpful.
I am master student at Don’t hesitate to leave a comment and share your idea.
Amirkabir University Thanks,
Farzad.
of Technology. I

research in the filed of
big data analytics,
data mining and
machine learning with General Notes
focus on Cluster
Analysis. The first contact should not be a spam letter, that is, a
letter that you could easily have sent to 1000 faculty
 Email members worldwide, and probably did.:
 Google+ It is addressed to “Dear Professor” and does not
 Github
mention the project name or the university,
 Stackoverflow even though you think my work is wonderful
and desperately want to work with me.
The letter gives no indication that the writer has
spent even a few minutes looking at the online
materials related to my work.
First take some time to find out what kind of
research the supervisor really do.
Do your homework. Then write me a brief letter,
making specific reference to all of that.
Tell about yourself and graduate major and also, for
what term you will be applying to and university
name.
Make clear what you are asking.
Don’t beat about the bush with “I’m interested
in your research” or “I’d like to become

involved”. State clearly that you’re interested in
doing a PhD, and that you are interested in
having them as a supervisor. If you’re not sure
that they are the right supervisor, it’s okay to
say so. “Your work on xxx and yyy led me to
think you might be a suitable supervisor. I’d
like to discuss my work so far
with you with a

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

view to potential supervision.”

Make the funding situation clear.
“Once I’ve found a supervisor, I’m hoping to
apply for a scholarship through …”
Show that you are serious and well qualified.
Show that you have done thorough research and
utilized all the freely available information on the
website.
Show that you are familiar with the professor’s work.
Show that you respect the professor’s time.
Attach a CV, transcript, and a paper you’ve done
Check with the time-zone before sending the email.
This is to ensure that your email is probably the
latest one to reach his/her office when he/she
comes to the office.
Send a reminder in the same thread after one week of
requesting response to be assured of your mail not
skipping the Professor’s sight somehow.
Sometimes mailing the PhD students of the professor
is more beneficial than mailing the professor itself.
To sum up all of the above: You don’t need to be great
at research (there are further milestones to
demonstrate that), but you should be able to show that
you have the capability of doing research.

Mail Content
Introduce and your interests
I am a graduate student in X.
My name is X X. I received my B.Sc. degree from X
University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
I am a graduate student of Photonics from Shahid
Beheshti University (Tehran, Iran) with a background
on {my research}, highly interested in your research
area.
I have recently graduated from the University of
Tehran, which is the oldest and most prestigious
university of Iran, with an M.Sc. degree
in Electrical
Engineering, xxx, and decided to pursue my studies as
a PhD student at a prestigious Canadian university.
I am writing to inquire about the announced PhD
positions in X, announced on your web page.

Whats your goal

I would like for you to supervise my PhD.
Currently, I am looking for universities and available
positions to resume my education in the direct PhD

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

program.
The project seems very attractive and I am extremely
interested in working on it under your supervision.
It would be really an honor for me to pursue my
studies under your
supervision since, regarding your
papers especially “…….”, I found a close relationship
between your interests and mine.

Do your Homework! Research

before you search
I have read your papers X, Y and Z and have a few
questions about how the work might be extended.
Should I send these questions to one of
your Ph.D.
students or may I send them to you directly?
I’ve read some of your papers such as “XXX”. They
are best compatible to my research interest. I am very
eager to know your opinion regarding my case in
applying to XXX Especially I would be really
interested if I have the chance to become a member of
your team.
I read paper entitled ‘D’ published by your group at
‘E’ and was interested in …
I recently published a paper ‘F’, which I believe

compliments work by ‘G’ in your department on ‘H’
I have read your recent journal paper entitled “xx”. As
mentioned in the conclusion, the proposed observer
may be applicable in the xx. I have gotten very
interested in this issue and chosen it as the most likely
field on which I want to work if I will be a Ph.D.

student.
During the last two years, I have been tracking your
website and found that you have a vibrant research
group.
As evidence of my real interest in xx, during my M.Sc.
I worked as
a research assistant in xx Lab under the
supervision of Prof.xx who is one of the most
prominent professors on xx in Iran.
After going through your laboratory’s webpage, I
found myself really interested in your research about
the XXX and its promising prospects of xx.
Regarding your excellent research background and
reference publications in XXXX group, I believe that
joining your group will help me to improve my
knowledge in the same field.
I read [1,2] to know more about your work on observer
design in which I’m currently preparing a paper to
submit to EJC. I’ve
also read [2] to get a general
overview of the battery modeling. This paper really
interested me in the first part of the project, failure

modeling.
I have read your related research works to my

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

interests. They sound so interesting, especially your

recent paper “…….”. I think my background is in line
with yours in perspective of PPP

CV, Application Date or Available

positions
It would be highly appreciated if you take a look on
the attached file which is my CV
I would like to appreciate your kindly response and
reviewing my C.V as well
I would appreciate it if you could take a look at my CV
attached, and inform me upon any probable position
for the fall 2016.
I would be really grateful if you could please tell me
whether there are any available positions for the Fall
2016 semester in your lab, so I can pursue my studies
under your supervision.
Please find attached my CV along with some
highlights of my academic background
I would appreciate if you could provide me any advice
on this endeavor, wondering if there is any chance for
me to be one of your PhD students
For more information, I have attached my resume as a
PDF file
I would like to ask you whether there is any available
PhD position in your group for Spring 2016 and
whether I have the chance to join your group
Please find my Resume for your kindly review.
I would like to know if there is any chance for me to
pursue my PhD under your supervision.
Please kindly consider my CV attached to this e-mail
for more information.
I would be grateful if you could take a look at the CV
and let me know upon your evaluation.
In response to a PhD opening position announcement
on your website, I sent my attached CV to you for
your consideration.
I really appreciate it if you could tell me whether there
is any chance for me to join your Ph.D. program.

Make the funding situation clear

Be respectful of their precious

time
I know you’re very busy so I appreciate any time you
can give me. Thanks very much,

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

Thanks and I’m waiting for your

response
Thanks for your time, and I hope to hear from you
soon!
Thank you in advance for taking the time and reading
my email, I look forward to your kind response. Yours
respectfully
I look forward to hearing from you.
I’d like to inquire whether you are currently accepting
PhD students.

etc.
I feel confident that joining as a PhD student to The
University of xx under your supervision will help me
fulfill my ambition as a researcher.
My thesis ,entitled “Vehicle Model Recognition Using
Image Processing and Wavelet Analysis”, is being
done and a paper has been submitted to International

Samples:
Dear Prof. X,
Hi,
My name is X X. I received my B.Sc. degree from X
University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. Currently, I am
looking for universities and available positions to resume
my education in the direct PhD program. After going
through your laboratory’s webpage, I found myself really
interested in your research about the XXX and its promising
prospects of xx.
I would be really grateful if you could
please tell me whether there are
any available positions for
the Fall 2016 semester in your lab, so I can pursue my
studies under your supervision. Please find attached my CV
along with some highlights of my academic background

Dear professor
I am a graduate student of Photonics from Shahid
Beheshti University (Tehran, Iran) with a background on
{my research}, highly interested in your research area. I am
eager to join your research group; therefore, I
would
appreciate if you could provide me any advice on this
endeavor, wondering if there is any chance for me to be one
of your PhD students. For more information, I have attached
my resume as a PDF file
Thank you in advance for taking the time and reading my
email,
I look forward to your kind response
Yours

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

respectfully

I have recently graduated from the University of Tehran,

which is the
oldest and most prestigious university of Iran,
with an M.Sc. degree in
Electrical Engineering, xxx, and
decided to pursue my studies as a PhD student at a
prestigious Canadian university. Currently, I am searching

for a supervisor who works on xxx to.
I read your your xx
book as one of the references of xx course which I attended
in spring 2013. During this course, I understood that you are
a
prominent professor in the area of xx. During the last two
years, I have been tracking your website and found that you
have a vibrant research group. Therefore, in this writer’s
view joining to your team and working under your
supervision would be a great opportunity for
anyone who is
interested in xx, including me. As evidence of my real

interest in xx, during my M.Sc. I worked as a research
assistant in xx Lab under the supervision of Prof.xx who is
one of the most prominent professors on xx in Iran.
I have
read your recent journal paper entitled “xx”. As mentioned
in the conclusion, the proposed observer may be applicable
in the xx. I have gotten very interested in this issue and
chosen it as the
most likely field on which I want to work if
I will be a Ph.D. student.
I feel confident that joining as a
PhD student to The University of xx under your supervision
will help me fulfill my ambition as a researcher.
I would
appreciate it if you could take a look at my CV attached, and
inform me upon any probable position for the fall 2016.

Thanks for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely

Dear Prf. Dr. XXX

I have graduated from University of
Amirkabir-Iran in Nuclear engineering-MSc level
concentrating in the field of “Application of Radiation”
research. I have been studying radiation detectors include
HPGe and NaI (Tl) detectors to create(better say “modify” if
it is not actually a creation but rather a modification of an
existing model) and develop a valid simulation models for
them based on experimental results
I had already in hand
considering from my master thesis` research and results
I
would like to continue my research mainly in the fields of

“Medical Application of Radiation” including those used in

Radiotherapy, Radio- diagnostic and medical dosimetery
procedures. Regarding your excellent research background
and reference publications in XXXX group, I believe that
joining your group will help me to improve
my knowledge
in the same field. I would like to ask you whether there is
any available PhD position in your group for Spring 2016
and whether I
have the chance to join your group
Enclosed
please find my Resume for your kindly review.
Best
Regards
Mohammadtaghi haj heidari

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

Dear professor
I am an MSc graduate student in medical physics at
Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran,
Iran. I studied the effect of radiation and nano particles on
cancer cells during my thesis. After graduation I work as a
medical physicist in Yazd radiation oncology center, which
helped me to learn more about radiotherapy, as well as

working in interdisciplinary work environments. As a
medical physicist, I
also do clinical tasks and work on
practical research projects in our department.
Beyond my
research successes (including 2 conference proceedings and
3 journal articles to date), I have actively participated in
workshops and
congresses in my hometown country. I have
also taken many relevant courses, which have helped me to
enhance my capabilities. So, when I visited your research
group website, I found that my research interests in line with
you. I found a great interest on IMRT, IGRT and 4D

treatment planning as advanced precise radiotherapy
methods and eager to
do research in these areas. Thus, I am
quite interested in the ongoing research program at your
institute.
I would like to know if there is any chance for me
to pursue my PhD under your supervision. Please kindly
consider my CV attached to this e-mail for more
information. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,

I am writing to inquire about the announced PhD positions in

X, announced on your web page.
I graduated from the University of Tehran, the 1th-
ranked university of Iran, with an MSc degree in Electrical
Engineering, Control Systems. Briefly, the focus of my
master’s thesis was on the design of an emotional observer-
based controller with application to robotics.
I read [1,2] to know more about your work on observer
design in which
I’m currently preparing a paper to submit to
EJC. I’ve also
read [2] to get a general overview of the
battery modeling. This paper really interested me in the first
part of the project, failure modeling.
Besides, I have a strong
background in the area of nonlinear control systems as well
as data-driven fault detection plans. Thus, I believe that I’m
a good fit for the position, and in response to the

announcement, I sent my CV attached to you for your
assessment in case the position is not filled.
I would be grateful if you could take a look at the CV
and let me know upon your evaluation.
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from
you.

Dear Dr. xxxx,

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

I graduated from the University of Tehran with an MSc

degree in Electrical Engineering, Control systems, and
would like to pursue my studies toward a PhD at SFU on
pattern recognition.
Regarding my field of study, I have a good background
in the area of model analysis and controller design as well as
pattern recognition and modeling of electric and physical
systems. I am also familiar with vibration analysis. Thus in
response to a PhD opening position announcement on your
website, I sent my attached CV to you for your

consideration. The project seems very attractive and I am
extremely interested in working on it under your
supervision.
I would be grateful if you could take a look at the CV
and let me know whether I meet the minimum qualifications
for the project as well as whether you encourage me to apply
for the position.
Thanks for your time and also your
attractive poems on your weblog, and I
look forward to
hearing from you.
Sincerely,

Dear Professor XXX,

I am a student at XXX College with a major in xxx. I am
a [junior] and will be graduating next May. I have a [4.0
GPA] and experience in our college’s [summer program in
xxx/internship program in xxx/Honors College/etc.].
I am planning to attend graduate school in xxx, with a
focus on xxx. In one of my classes, “xxx,” which was taught
by Professor XXX, I had the chance to read your article,
“xxxx.” I really enjoyed it, and it gave me many ideas for
my future research. I have been exploring graduate
programs where I can work on this topic. My specific
project will likely focus on xxxx, and I am particularly

interested in exploring the question of xxxxx.
I hope you don’t mind my getting in touch, but I’d like to
inquire whether you are currently accepting graduate
students. If you are, would you willing to talk to me a bit
more, by email or on the phone, or in person if I can arrange
a campus visit, about my graduate school plans? I have
explored your department’s graduate school website in
detail, and it seems like an excellent fit for me because of its
emphasis on xx and xx, but I still have a few specific
questions about xx and xxx that I’d like to talk to you about.
I know you’re very busy so I appreciate any time you
can give me. Thanks very much,
Sincerely,

Dear Professor
I am a M.Sc. graduate with GPA 17.12/20 in Power
Electrical Engineering from AmirKabir University of
Technology, having the distinguished Center of Excellence

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How do I write the first email to a professor for PhD Application – Yet Another Data Researcher

in Power System in my country, Iran. I

did my thesis
consulting the best professor in field of Power Systems

Protection in Iran and also carried out some project
cooperating with one of the superior researchers in Iran. It
would be really an honor for
me to pursue my studies under
your supervision since, regarding your papers especially
“…….”, I found a close relationship between your interests
and mine. I really appreciate it if you could tell me whether
there is any chance for me to join your Ph.D. program. I
look forward your response. In terms of knowing more
about me, my CV has been attached to the e-mail.
Sincerely

References:
quora.com
applyabroad.org

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published on December 15, 2015 and last modified on December 15, 2015.

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