Reaching out to a PI to enquire about joining a group can be daunting. I endeavour to respond to all enquiries I receive, but at the same time I get a large number of applications, many of which are unsuitable. Below is some advice on factors to consider when approaching me.
Advice for prospective applicants
There is lots of information on applying for PhDs and postdoctoral positions, in the Department of Geography, and on the different funders, and I provide extensive links here. I expect applicants to read these.
In thinking about doing reaching out to enquire about studying or working with me, it is crucial you consider three important factors:
1. Fit
2. Funding
3. Timing
Even if you’re the strongest and most enthusiastic applicant, if you don’t get these aspects right, you don’t stand a realistic chance of joining the group.
Fit
I get a lot of applications to join the group, and many are from great people with strong academic records. But many fail to understand what we do in my group, and what is required to be a part of it. Our work is described on these pages, and my Google Scholar and Department profile show the kind of work we’re doing. Before approaching me you should read some of our papers. If you can’t see yourself doing the types of projects we list, I’m unlikely to be a good supervisor. Wanting to study at Cambridge is not a good reason to join my group – wanting to do science that we can collaborate on is.
Currently, we are focussed on highly computational approaches in forest ecology using data science/AI, as well as field techniques; I tend to look for applicants with evidence of excellence in these areas, and who want to study projects with a clear ecological focus based entirely or mainly in forest ecosystems.
If you don’t have strong computational and quantitative skills I’m not likely to be a good supervisor.
Finally, we strive as a group to create an enjoyable, fulfilling and respectful research culture, and we have a group Code of Conduct to guide how we work together to achieve this. Prospective applicants should read this to better understand our approach to science.
Funding
Unless I’m specifically advertising a position on the University job page, you’ll need to apply for funding (whether as a PhD student or postdoc).
All PhD students in my group are funded through competitive applications. This covers their stipends, fees and research costs, and means that they can focus on their studies completely during their time here. This means that all applicants must identify and apply for suitable funding. Cambridge has many sources of funding for PhDs, and some for Masters (though not as many). The ones I know about are listed here, and generally these are applied for in the same system as the PhD application. I don’t make funding decisions, but each year put forward my strongest applicants for consideration. Funding is very competitive at Cambridge and only the strongest students will be funded.
If you want to apply for any other external funding you should discuss this with me beforehand – not all funding sources are suitable for the kind of work we do.
Timing
The timings for applications are set by the University and funders. All the relevant links are listed here, and are not flexible. For PhDs the general timeline follows: 1) informal contact with me a few weeks/months ahead of the application deadline; 2) given enough notice I will provide informal feedback on your CV and research proposal; 3) I assess applications submitted through the University system, and formally interview some candidates; 4) I put forward the strongest candidates for consideration for funding, and 5) the funding bodies decide which (if any) receive funding.
For postdoctoral funding, many schemes require an internal selection process in the Department. This means that you will need to identify funding and get in contact several months in advance with your ideas. You will need to be prepared to have your application complete well in advance of the funder deadline, in order to meet the institutional requirements.