Selecting Your Major Professor and Dissertation Committee

Your major professor and dissertation committee are essential partners in finishing your dissertation. Carefully select these individuals and nurture the academic relationship with them throughout your graduate career. 

Content

Selecting a Major Professor

Committing to a Lab

Selecting a Major Professor

At the heart of faculty-graduate student collaboration and apprenticeship is the quality of the mentorship relationship. The major professor is responsible for guiding the student in the development of their dissertation project, and usually serves as Chair of the Thesis/Dissertation Committee. Before trying to define what kind of lab or research would work best for you, it can be helpful to start by assessing what your own style and needs are. The Council of Graduate Schools has a Quick Start Guide to assist in this process.

Student Perspective

Rotations go both ways. Ask yourself not only if you would be a good fit for the lab, but if the lab will be a good fit for you.

Write down your specific personal and professional needs. It is important to be brutally honest with yourself when doing this. How do you best learn and thrive in a laboratory setting?

• Mentorship style:
• Do you prefer more direct involvement with your Major Professor vs. postdocs and other grad students?
  
  How often do you want to meet directly with your Major Professor? Once a day, week, month, quarter? 
  
  Do you want to be the driver of your own project? Or do you want a Major Professor that is more willing to guide you through the nuances of your research?
  
  Does the Major Professor have specific requirements for graduation (E.g., a first author paper, multiple first-author papers, reviews, exit seminars, etc?)
• Opportunities:
• Research project - are you given a project or are you expected to come up with one on your own?
  
  Does the Major Professor have the appropriate network to help aid your future career growth? (E.g., industry? Academia? Something else?)
  
  Ask the Major Professor what lab alumni are doing now. Are they in academic institutions, biotech, industry, other professional settings?
• Mental Health:
• Consider how you might handle stressful situations or conflict. Does the Major Professor and lab environment seem appropriately supportive for you? 
  
  What kind of environment do you need to maintain your own mental health? 
  
  What do you need from your Major Professor when you’re struggling? 
  
  What is the Major Professor’s policy on vacation/sick leave/mental health days? 
• Communication:
• You cannot be afraid to talk to your Major Professor. Meet with the Major Professor throughout the rotation and use these meetings to learn more about their mentorship style and as a gauge of how well you’re doing in the lab.
  
  How clearly does the Major Professor communicate expectations? The end of rotation assessment can be a good indicator:
  • Offers insight into whether you met the Major Professor’s expectations.
  • Does it seem like they took their time to fill out the assessment and give a fair honest evaluation?
• Funding:
• Ask the Major Professor how grad students are funded in the lab - direct grant support, fellowships, TA-ship
  
  If you are very committed to this lab and they do not have funding, ensure that you are willing to apply for grants and TA for financial support. Do not make the decision to fund yourself lightly, this will likely add at least a year onto your degree completion time.
   

Faculty Perspective

It is important for students to know their own needs. One student may thrive in a particular lab environment, while others might struggle in the same situation. 

For example, if you are completely new to the skill set necessary for the lab, then you may want to be certain that you will get the training necessary to do your job. Talk to current lab members about lab training culture and carefully think about this during rotations. 

• Mentorship style:
• Make sure you have the opportunity to discuss the Major Professor and lab culture with students/postdocs in the lab and really LISTEN to what they have to say.
  
  Do you prefer hands-off mentors or hands-on mentors? 
  
  Ask the Major Professor about their mentoring style - how often they are in the lab and/or how often are they traveling?
  
  What will their availability/communication style be when they are not in the lab?
  
  Rotations are a perfect opportunity to get to know how the lab operates and how you feel in it. 
  
  Take any red flags seriously.  Even if you LOVE the research, if the lab environment and Major Professor are not a good fit for you, that lab is not the best choice in the long run. 
• Mental Health:
• Communication is Key:  If you are going through a situation that may impact your work it is important to communicate with your Major Professor. Reach out early with a plan that works for you; maybe you need a modified working schedule, or to move a deadline. Reaching out with a plan shows that you are being accountable. 
  
  Talking about mental health is not easy but remember that you don’t need to share details. You set the boundaries with which you are comfortable, communicate within those boundaries. You may want to reach out to your mentoring network to help you navigate these conversations. 

Committing to a Lab

You must choose a lab to complete your studies by the beginning of the Spring Quarter in your first year. For doctoral students, the MCIP program will cease funding your stipend and a Major Professor must take over that financial obligation. Your rotations will hopefully give you an idea of which lab you would like to pursue your degree in.

Student Perspective

• Communicate often with the Major Professor during and after the rotation. Make it clear you're interested in joining the lab by saying so. Do not assume they know you're interested. Tell them how passionate you are about their research questions and how well you fit into their team, and ask them if they would consider being your ‘Major Professor’.
• Ask questions! In lab meetings, in one-on-ones with the major professor, and of other lab members.
• If you still have rotations to complete, inform the Major Professor about your plans. Ask them what their situation is for accepting a student, and the likelihood that they will still have a position available if you continue rotations.
• Helpful questions to consider:
  • Do I want to spend the next 4-6 years closely working in this laboratory environment? Remember that the only constant will surely be the Major Professor. Other members will hopefully move on to new opportunities. 
  • Do I truly enjoy the research?
  • Talk to other members of the lab - how do they like working there? Focus on grad student perspectives as they have a unique position in the lab.

Faculty Perspective

• Halfway through the rotation, request to meet with Major Professor to talk about your progress in the lab and areas that may need attention. These conversations are important to get a sense of how things are working and may help gauge the level of commitment and if you are ready to commit to the lab. If you are interested in joining the lab, let the Major Professor know before the end of the rotation so they have an opportunity to discuss feasibility.
• You can ask about funding by saying something like, “if you were to accept a graduate student into the lab right now, what are the expectations for funding? Would I be required to TA or find external funding, or are you in a position to support a new student at this time?” 
• Most Major Professors will be very transparent about the current situation and expectations.  Just keep in mind that things can always change - a well-funded lab may not be so well-funded in a few years, and vice versa.  That is why you should always be applying for fellowships, even if you join a very well-funded lab.  Ask your Major Professor early about what fellowships they would like you to apply for and when.