There are lots of places on the web that give advice about how to contact professors you’re hoping to work with. Here is one set of advice from Dr. Manuel Rausch (University of Texas), from an X/Twitter thread, with a few notes from me.
Every day, I receive about 3-5 emails inquiring about PhD positions, and few get it right. Here are 10 tips for writing an email that resonates better with me and, I bet, many other faculty, too. Of course, some will have different thoughts, and I’d love to hear those too!
- Target your emails. I guarantee you that “mass approaches” won’t work. In other words, take the time to identify a lab and customize your application.
- Write a meaningful subject line. State clearly that you are a PhD applicant [or whatever] and clearly state the group that you are interested in. For example: “Pursuing a PhD in biostatistics at McMaster”
- Keep your email short. This is important.
- In the first paragraph, state briefly where you have trained, i.e., went to school and in which major [program], and some performance metrics (GPA, ranking, etc.) Keep this to one sentence.
- In a second paragraph, highlight why you are interested in [working with me]. This is important: If you cite a paper or prior work, ensure this represents my lab. I get emails citing work of mine that is outdated or from collaborations that only marginally represent what we do.
- In the third paragraph, list specific skills that fit my […] approach, goals, and interests. Speak to meaningful experiences. Again, keep this short and customize.
- Attach your CV! I receive lots of emails without CVs. I personally also like to see a transcript.
- Don’t misspell names. While this may be obvious, many emails misspell my first or last name. This doesn’t speak well of the effort you put into this email. Importantly, there are cultural differences in the use of first and last names. Try to get this right. [In this kind of formal e-mail, I would prefer to be addressed as “Dr. Bolker” or “Prof. Bolker”]
- Don’t use copy and paste, which leads to mismatching fonts, font sizes, etc. It looks sloppy and doesn’t speak to the effort you may have put into preparing this email. [I like plain-text e-mail even better.]
- Don’t send follow-ups for at least two weeks. I try to respond to as many emails as possible within a reasonable time, but with 3-5 emails a day, this will take, even during the best of times, at least a week or two.
- Good luck y’all!