Hi all!

I hope you find this useful as this is the kind question lots has asked me: HOW to choose a group for a PhD. After a while and some experience in answering this question, I came to the following:

(1) Go for what you really like and interests you. Don't accept halfway. It will influence your career later and if you do what you like things will be easier.

(2) Look for the group. Consider your supervisor and his/her experience BUT remember to look at it in perspective. Try to find out what he/she did as students as well. A long list of publication can be meaningless IF published in low impact factor journals. Also, what he did as a student. By this, I mean (s)he's smart in pushing others to do what (s)he wants BUT not necessarily he did that way.

(3) IF the group is in France, it should have French people. If in the UK, Brits. By this I mean that if the students of that country don't go for that institutuion or group, try to find where are the smart students of that particular country are.

(4) Research atmosphere. Normally, research groups have websites. Look at the photos. Are people smiling, looking extrovert? This means a relaxed atmosphere. If people are crossed-arms and not smiling, that's not a good signal. Are there girls around? This is also a good signal though it depends on the area.

(5) Look for the ratio between graduate students and pos-docs. A group should haven't too many bosses. It is a bad signal! It will mean more pressure on you especially if pos-docs are >40. At this age, they tend to control more than work themselves. AVOID by all means groups with a ratio pos-docs/graduate students =>1.

(6) Avoid research proposals with too many promises. It is a TRAP.

(7) Go to talk to your prospective supervisor and DO talk/write to other students in the group. They can give good advice!

(8) The group collaborates a lot? Many reviews? Hmmm... Tricky. Try to find out who was the corresponding author in these papers and who are the students (if any) in publications. Are they from the group? Is the student's name on the 1st place?

(9) Big groups can be good. The supervisor might be famous and this will influence on future reference letter for you and besides means you'll have money for your research. If the group is small, it can also be interesting as you will probably be working with someone motivated in the beginning of the career and the chances for you to learn directly from that person is high. THE WORST of all, is the group that was once big and NOW is small. There are several reasons for that and you should avoid.

(10) Supervisors who have moved a lot! Avoid! This should indicate problems to you. If the person has moved the group 2-3 or more times and still at the age of 40's. Oops!! You will probably experience a move during your PhD. That's an awful experience.

(11) Don't go for very narrow research areas. It will narrows oportunities of jobs later. By this, I also mean not the fanciest.