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Muhammad Asad Ullah Follow

Mar 28, 2020 · 7 min read · · Listen

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How to Email a Professor for Research Position

(From Subject Line to Signature)

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Are you tired of sending hundreds of emails to professors for the research positions, yet

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struggling to get a positive response? Don’t worry — in this article, you will learn each
and everything about how to write an email to a professor and get a response.

In different discussion forums and Facebook groups, I always see students talking about
the matter of not getting a positive response. If it has also happened with you too, then
the actual problem is your poor communication and writing skills. As a prospective
student, you have to keep tone and language professional.

Keep in mind, you have to display the traits of thoughtful, motivated, skilled, well-
organized student. Your email will be the first impression, that’s why it is important to
show yourself as a student who is a serious, well-qualified, and motivated enough to
carry out advance research under the professor’s supervision. Keep your email short —
don’t write long stories. Also, it should not be too short. Ideally, the email should have
enough information answering the questions: who you are and why are you emailing.

Let’s dive in
First things first, when it comes to writing an email to a professor, always prefer your
academic email. From the subject line to sign off, the content of email should
straightforward, without any grammatical and spelling mistakes.

To compile a perfect email, there should be three paragraphs (introduction, connection

building, and closing) each of them shouldn’t be more than 4 to 5 lines. It will help you
to organize your email. Remember, you are emailing a professor for research career.
Never make the mistakes that could ruin your chances of getting a positive response.

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Image: studycatch.com

1. Catchy subject line

Is your email click-worthy? It depends on the subject line of your email. Choose the
subject line wisely. The subject line of your email should be short and gives a clear hint
about the purpose of emailing. For instance, you could write:

Request for research supervision Fall 2020

Request for PhD supervision

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Request for MS supervision

Prospective PhD Student

2. Greeting
Be aware, salutations can either help or hurt you. It is crucial to understand that,
professors have done years of hard work to earn this title that’s why you should show
them respect through the courtesy of using a salutation. Since the salutation is the first
thing a professor will see, that’s why it is important to start your email with “Dear”. As it
is most appropriate way to address a professor. Warning! — never ever use words Ms. or
Mr. In greetings, capitalize the first letter of each word, and there should be a comma at
the end of the greeting line. For instance,

Dear Dr. [NAME],

Dear Prof. [NAME],

It is worth noting that if you email without writing the name of a professor such as a
“Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”, God help you. It shows that you
are sending same copy pasted emails to other professors. That’s a sign of clear-cut
REJECTION. Also, don’t misspell professor’s name, ever. In the first email, always avoid
these informal greetings like “Hi”, “Hello”, and “Hei”. These are normal to use with the
friends, but it’s not a professional way when it comes to approach a professor.
Especially, if you are emailing them for the first time and you have never met before. A
well-written salutation will define how well the rest of your email.

3. How to introduce yourself

It’s time to introduce yourself. In general, there are no hard-and-fast rules about how to
introduce yourself in an email. The first paragraph of your email should address who
you are in a clear and concise way–such as:

My name is [YOUR NAME], and I have completed [YOUR DEGREE TITLE] from [YOUR
UNIVERSITY NAME,NOTE: don’t only use abbreviation for degree title and university
name] with [YOUR CGPA/TOTAL CGPA. NOTE: don’t mention CGPA if it’s low — but don’t
worry — there are different ways to compensate the low CGPA such as online courses,
relevant work experience, publishing a research paper, and a strong Letter of Motivation].

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At the moment, I am working as a Trainee, Communications at [COMPANY NAME],

[CITY]. EXTRA TIPS: As an option, you can write about your big achievements such as
Gold Medal and Dean certificates, if you have any.

There are few things that you must take care of, such as personal nouns and
abbreviations. The personal pronoun ‘I’ is always written with a capital letter in
standard English. Don’t even imagine to writing ‘i’ when emailing a professor. It gives a
big message that you don’t have sufficient English language skills. Remember, you are
emailing for research supervision. Professors are always looking for students that have
a strong command in English for understanding existing scientific literature and
writing the research papers. And never use country specific abbreviations.

4. Build connection
Besides introducing yourself, now it’s time to build a connection with professor through
common research area and interests. Be specific, and let the professor know about your
research background and relevant experience. If you don’t have any prior research
experience, then you can show your motivation towards the ongoing projects of the
professor. I always recommend to take your time and read some latest research articles
of the prospective professor before emailing. It will show that you have done your
homework by reading the information on the academic profile of the professor. This
one is key, especially if you don’t have any previous research experience. In such case,
MOOCs are the best way to boost your profile. Luckily, there are dozen of platforms
providing tons of academic courses that offer world-class education — right here on the
internet.

When you write an email to professors, keep in mind that they receive tons of email
from the student — every day. To stand out from the crowd, keep your email short, clear
and concise without repeating the whole details of your academic CV. Always list your
skills and expertise in a simple and easy-to-understand way by aligning with the
research area of targeted professor. All in all, you have to advertise and sell yourself by
showing genuine research interests and capabilities. For example,

During my [UNDERGRADUATE/MASTER], I have worked on some projects to actualize

and implement the theoretical knowledge of [Internet-of-Things, Smart Cities and
LPWAN] into practical work. I read your research work and really fascinated by your
recent paper [PAPER TITLE]. NOTE: In this paragraph, connect the dots between your

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previous and current work experience, internships, online courses and projects with the
professor’s area of interest. If you have any research publication, then you can mention in
this paragraph.

5. Closing
Once you build a connection through common research interests, now explain how and
where you got the information about the professor. Most importantly, explain why are
you reaching out to professor. Finally, at least in your first email, always end with a
greeting and full signature. You can mention that CV is attached with the email. Here is
a sample,

I visited [MENTION THE NAME OF PROFESSOR’S LAB OR RESEARCH GROUP] website

and found that you have research interests in [Wireless Communications, 5G, Internet-
of-Things, Smart Cities and LPWAN]. Your ongoing projects seem very interesting. If
possible, I would love to join your research group and pursue [MS/PhD] under your
supervision.

I have attached my CV with this email. If there’s anything I can do to facilitate the
connection further, please let me know.

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

Best Regards/Regards/Sincerely, [Pick one of them]

Your name,

Affiliation (if any)

Proofread and Fact Check

Before sending email to a professor, proofread it carefully and get someone you trust to
review for spelling and grammar. Also, don’t forget to include your full name in the
signature. I recommend you to read Do’s and Don’ts of sending an email to professor.

What does this look like all together?

I hope these guidelines will help you, and here is what

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does this look like all together.

Dear Prof. [NAME],

My name is [YOUR NAME], and I have completed [YOUR DEGREE TITLE] from [YOUR
UNIVERSITY NAME] with [YOUR CGPA/TOTAL CGPA]. At the moment, I am working as
a Trainee, Communications at [COMPANY NAME], [CITY].

During my [UNDERGRADUATE/MASTER], I have worked on some projects to actualize

and implement the theoretical knowledge of [Internet-of-Things, Smart Cities and
LPWAN] into practical work. Recently, I read your research work and really fascinated
by your recent paper [PAPER TITLE].

I visited [MENTION THE NAME OF PROFESSOR’S LAB OR RESEARCH GROUP] website

and found that you have research interests in [Wireless Communications, 5G, Internet-
of-Things, Smart Cities and LPWAN]. Your ongoing projects seems very interesting. If
possible, I would love to join your research group and pursue [MS/PhD] under your
supervision.

I have attached my CV with this email. If there’s anything I can do to facilitate the
How To Email A Professor Email How To Write Email
connection further, please let me know.

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

Sincerely,
179 1

[YOUR NAME],

Affiliation (if any)

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