Finding a supervisor
Before applying for candidature you need to find and contact a supervisor to discuss research opportunities within the relevant Faculty, School or Institute.
Supervisors play an integral role in your career as a higher degree by research student. The relationship between you and your supervisor can have a large impact on the positive and successful completion of your degree and finding the right supervisor is an important step that every candidate must take.
You can find the supervisor that is right for you by providing us with accurate information, asking the right questions and making good decisions.
To find a supervisor you first need to determine your area of research interest and which area of research expertise it falls into. Topics based around the University’s research priority areas have the advantage of a concentration of resources and facilities, and the stimulating environment and peer support provided by a critical mass of good students and research staff with highly regarded credentials.
A list of Deakin’s areas of research expertise is listed below to help you. Research staff can be found by searching these websites.
Deakin is divided into four Faculties, and their areas of research strengths can be found at:
Deakin also has a number of Institutes and Strategic Research Centres with focused research efforts in the following areas.
- Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM)
- Alfred Deakin Research Institute
- Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation
- Centre for Intelligent Systems Research (CISR)
- Centre for Memory, Imagination and Invention (CMII)
- Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research
- Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN)
- Centre for Research in Educational Futures & Innovation (CREFI)
- Centre for Sustainable & Responsible Organisations (CSaRO)
- Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research (QPS)
- Centre for Integrative Ecology
- Centre for Molecular and Medical Research
- Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology
- Centre for Sustainable and Responsible Organisations
- Deakin Population Health
- Pattern Recognition and Data Analysis
- Psychiatric Health Strategic Research Centre
You will need to find a supervisor that you think you can work with professionally and have a good personal relationship with. You will work very closely with them for the duration of your degree so your decision should not be taken lightly.
Once you have found a supervisor you think you would like to work with, you will need to contact them directly. You may talk with them on the phone or arrange a meeting. To determine if this supervisor is right for you, some of the questions you may like to ask include:
- What areas of research are they interested in and specialise in?
- What areas of research have they worked in in the past?
- What areas of research do they have experience in supervising?
- How many students are they currently supervising and have supervised to completion in the past?
- Do they have time to supervise you?
- What is their preferred working relationship i.e. what level of guidance do they offer?
Please note Deakin may not be able to appoint the person you request as your supervisor and not all research topics are suitable for higher degrees by research. The topic must provide scope for research training, and be likely to lead to sufficient results for an acceptable thesis to be produced within the normal period of candidature.
The Faculty must ensure that your research is appropriate for the School in which you plan to enrol, taking into account
- the resources and facilities required
- the expertise available for supervision
- the suitability of the project for the degree sought.
If you are offered candidature, the Faculty will provide a qualified team of supervisors who will guide and support you through every stage of your degree.
Return to Apply for a research degree.
