4. Choose a supervisor

In your search for the right person to be your supervisor, you will first look for a good match for appropriate scientific interests. Obviously, that is the primary starting point. However, when choosing a supervisor, much more aspects are crucial. Your supervisor will be your coach, mentor and guide during your PhD trajectory. To succeed in your PhD trajectory, you are pretty dependent on your supervisor, and therefore there must be a click, as a healthy work partnership is a key to success and joy.

A potential supervisor will assess whether you are a suitable candidate, and you will, of course, do your best to present yourself in the best possible way. However, in your enthusiasm, don't forget to be critical about whether the potential supervisor is the right person to guide you in the years to come.

So the assessment should be two-sided. Align your expectations before deciding to go forward together!

Just a few examples of topics that should definitely be discussed:

• How do you like to be guided? Some students like to be 'micromanaged', while others prefer to have a lot of freedom and little interference. Do you and the intended supervisor have the same preferences in this area?
• Do you have the same ideas and expectations about (practical) matters like working time, overwork, taking holidays e.g.
• Are the requirements for finishing a thesis clear enough?

Below you will find some links to websites where you can read interesting tips on how to choose your supervisor:

• https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330
• https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/how-to-choose-the-right-phd-supervisor