Terminology: In this resource, I use “PI” (principal investigator) and “supervisor” to refer to the person primarily responsible for guiding your PhD research. In some institutions, the PI is your direct supervisor, while in others you may have a different day-to-day supervisor (such as a senior researcher or co-supervisor).
Project
Research freedom
PhD positions vary in how much freedom you have in defining your research questions. Some positions are tied to a specific funded project with predefined goals and deliverables, while others provide only a broad research direction. Neither model is necessarily better; the important thing is to understand the level of flexibility in advance and choose a position aligned with your preferred working style.
Expected outcomes
Different projects have different expectations regarding publications, software, datasets, or other research outputs. Ask the supervisor what they consider a successful PhD project and what milestones they expect along the way. Make sure their expectations match your goals, interests, and career plans.
Funding
The source of the funding may have implications for the project duration and expected outcomes. If the funding is tied to a specific grant, you should know in advance how narrow the proposal was and whether there is an option to diverge from the original plan. In addition, if, for example, funding is only guaranteed for two years while the PhD program is four years, you should make sure there is a clear plan for funding the entire PhD. Ask what typically happens when the initial funding period ends. Are extensions common? Are students expected to find additional funding themselves? Is the funding attached to the project, the PI, or the department?
My interest in the project
Your interest in the project can strongly affect your PhD experience and, for some people, is crucial for maintaining motivation. Ask the supervisor to share a written project description (if such exists), ask for related papers and read work from the research group or related researchers - would you enjoy writing these papers? A project can sound interesting because of the application area or buzzwords, but the day-to-day research matters more. Try to imagine spending several years reading papers, debugging experiments, and writing about this topic.
Supervisor’s level of enthusiasm for the project
While the supervisor is usually involved in defining the project, they are also busy with many other projects and may not allocate equal time to all of them. Like everyone, supervisors naturally tend to devote more attention and energy to projects they find particularly exciting. If close involvement from your supervisor is important to you, a supervisor who is genuinely excited about the project is more likely to provide sustained attention and support. To estimate this, ask the supervisor about this project, and also about other projects.
Ideation and independence
It is expected for you to become more independent over time, but different supervisors have different approaches. Some see themselves more as managers, providing ideas and tasks for you to execute. Others are more open to your ideas, while some leave the research direction almost completely up to you. A supervisor-driven project can benefit from the supervisor’s experience and existing ideas, which may lead to faster progress or publications. However, some people prefer to have more control over their research agenda. The right balance depends on your preferred working style.
Collaborators
Some PhD projects are part of larger projects involving other groups, which could provide opportunities to collaborate and extend your network. Collaborators can provide scientific feedback, new technical expertise, and future career connections. However, understand whether collaboration is a real component of the project or only mentioned as a possibility. Ask who the actual collaborators will be and how frequently you are expected to interact with them.