RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
CHOSING YOUR RESEARCH
ADVISOR
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You are not expected to run off and hide in
some lab, conduct research, get a result, write
a thesis and defend it on your own.
You need to work with……
An
Advisor
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HOW DO YOU CHOOSE AN ADVISOR?
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Talk to potential advisors
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Talk to current and former students
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You will get to know what they're working on
Whether they're looking for new students or not
Very important set
Several different opinions about the advisor's strengths and
weaknesses
Each student will have a different read on the advisor depending
on how well they work together, so it's important that you speak
to multiple students
Read their publications

What they're working on and what stage their research has
reached
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WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ADVISOR?
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Accessibility
How accessible are they likely to be?
 Often you will need reassurance, guidance,
signatures, direction, keys, and more signatures
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Compatibility
Do you have similar working styles?
 What do they expect from their students?
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Do they think the work week is 40 hours or 80 hours long?
What kind of expectations of progress do they have?
 How do they react if those expectations aren't met?
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WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ADVISOR?
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Durability
Will they be here for all of your stay?
 Do they often go on leaves of absence?
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History – Track Record
Have they graduated other students?
 Are their current students successful?
 Are they established in their area, or are they a
"rising star"?
 Have they lost a lot of students through advisor
changes or departures?
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WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ADVISOR?
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Research
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Are you interested in their research?
Normally advertise what research areas they are interested
in
 See their publications.
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Do they have a large group working on one problem,
or individuals working on unrelated problems?
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WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ADVISOR?
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Do not be influenced by the performance of a
professor in non-supervisory tasks
Teaches well or badly
 Late or early for meetings
 Dresses well or badly
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Actually tells you very little about how good a fit
they might be with you.
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RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SUPERVISOR
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Help you select/refine your research topic
Guide you in writing the thesis proposal
Review your thesis proposal and recommend its approval
Meet regularly with you
Review your progress on the thesis and guide your
research effort
Review your research papers/presentations/reports and
give you appropriate feedback
Guide you in the preparation of your thesis arguments in
document form
Evaluate the readiness of your thesis for defense
Sit on your examination committee
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An advisor will only give
you the directions to
follow – you have to
walk by yourself
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PROS AND CONS – JUNIOR ADVISOR
o
o
o
o
o
Easier to access
Enthusiastic
Cutting edge research
Hands-on mentoring
Fewer responsibilities
o
o
o
o
o
Inexperienced
Little track record
May be risky research area
Harder to develop
independence
Fewer networking contacts
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PROS AND CONS – SENIOR ADVISOR
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Experienced
Knowledgeable
Significant track record
Established research
Trained more students
Can foster independence
Many contacts
o
o
o
o
o
o
Not very accessible
Generation Gap
May be dated
May delegate supervision
May not give due attention
Many responsibilities/
travel/ meetings etc.
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Your relationship with your advisor will
last beyond your stay in graduate
school. You will often continue to
discuss research, professional, and
other problems with them.
Once an advisor, always
an advisor.
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The material in these slides is based on the following resources.
REFERENCES

Choosing a Supervisor, Alexander Ferworn,
Department of Computer Science, Ryerson
University
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