Finding a Supervisor
The ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Programme, Student Project Fellowship, and E4D Doctoral Scholarship require a host/supervisor at the time of application.
Supervisor/host eligibility:
- The supervisor must be an ETH Zürich professor.
- Lecturers or senior scientists are not eligible
- For the Doctoral Scholarship, Eawag group leaders are not eligible as solitary hosts
- Lecturers and Eawag group leaders can apply as co-supervisors or co-hosts, together with an ETH professor who will act as the main academic supervisor.
- For the Doctoral Scholarship: this grant covers 75% of a four-year doctoral salary. Supervisors must commit in their letter of support submitted with the application to funding the remaining 25% of the salary. As a safeguard for potential PhD candidates, applications without this commitment cannot be considered.
While any ETH professor is eligible to host, some professors are already members of ETH4D. The list of ETH4D members could be a good place to start your search.
General guidelines:
- Professors you reach out to as potential contacts should be from your same academic discipline. Your research should have links to what they do. Without this match, it is not likely that a professor will be able to pursue an application.
- You should contact the professor 2-3 months before the respective deadline. This will ensure enough time to develop a strong application together with the professor.
- If you do not hear back after two weeks, you could write again. If the professor declines, no need to follow up.
- Emails should be short and concise
- Professors employ multiple PhDs and postdocs in their research groups. You can also write to these individuals to learn more about their group.
Request emails should include the following:
- Brief introduction of your proposed research topic and link to a specific aspect of the professor’s research area
- Brief introduction of the grant and deadline. Include link on ETH website
- Invitation to discuss the application further via Zoom
- Attachments:
- CV with list of publications
- Transcripts
- For Doctoral Mentorship: one-page summary of your current doctoral project
- For Doctoral Scholarship: half-page summary of your doctoral project idea, describing your potential research question and where it fits with existing scholarship
Subject: Inquiry About Potential Mentorship for ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Programme
Dear Professor [last name],
My name is [your full name], and I am currently a doctoral student at [your university] in [your country]. My research focuses on [briefly describe your research topic], aiming to [explain the significance or goal of your research].
I recently came across the ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Programme, which offers a unique opportunity for students like myself to benefit from mentorship and collaboration with esteemed scholars at ETH Zurich. The 12-month mentorship entails recommended monthly meetings, as well as funding for a three-month stay with your research group in Zurich.
I am writing to inquire if you would be open to discussing the possibility of mentoring me through this programme. I believe that your expertise in [mention professor's research area] would greatly enrich my work, particularly in [specific aspect of your research related to their work].
If this aligns with your interests and availability, I would be grateful for an opportunity to discuss this further. More details about my background and qualifications can be found in the attached documents. Thank you for considering my request.
Kind regards,
[your full name]
[your university]
Subject: Inquiry About Potential Supervision for E4D Doctoral Scholarship Application
Dear Professor [last name],
My name is [your full name], and I am currently [your position/title] at [your university] in [your country]. I recently came across the ETH E4D Doctoral Scholarship. I would like to apply for this scholarship to pursue research on [briefly describe your research topic], which aligns closely with your work in [mention professor's relevant research]. My background is in [briefly describe your relevant academic background or qualifications].
The scholarship provides funding for students from low- and middle-income countries to undertake doctoral studies at ETH Zurich, emphasizing research that contributes to the sustainable development goals. I am reaching out to explore the possibility of having you as my supervisor, given [supervisor’s expertise and the relevance of their research to your proposed project].
I would be grateful for the chance to discuss my initial ideas for a research plan and potential for collaboration. More details about my background and qualifications can be found in the attached documents. Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
[your full name]