Starting a Phd research

There are various ways to start your research as an external PhD candidate. If you already have a topic for your research, you can elaborate this into a research proposal. Such a proposal, which is several pages long, generally contains:

• a brief overview of the research in your area of study
• a research problem and objective
• the research approach
• a list of sources

The proposal and your CV, including your achievements as a student, may serve as a basis for an interview with a professor to discuss PhD supervision. Only full professors are entitled to act as official PhD supervisors. All full professors and their areas of expertise can be found in the Knowledge Base. Possibly you are already in touch with a professor who is skilled in your area of research/interest. If this is the case, you and the professor may choose a topic together and develop this into a proposal. If you have already published and/or collected data through your job, this should be mentioned during the interview.

You do not have to decide immediately what your PhD research will involve. You can also agree with the professor to start by working on one or two articles. In all cases, it is important that you find a professor willing to supervise you and that you consult with the professor in a timely manner. If you have no idea which professor you should contact or where your research fits in at the university, please contact one of the faculty contacts.