How do you get a busy professor to respond to your very urgent inquiry? (Not only I am fed up of chasing people, but also curious about how you handle the situation when somebody doesn't respond.)

you are right. What made me annoyed is that I called this person, but he asked me to send him an email. Now he is not responding to the email. Grrrr..... I guess that was his polite way of saying "I can then ignore your inquiry easily...".

Thank you DanB. The good thing is that writing here stopped me from sending this guy a horrible email (or a dead duck through his post box)

I wonder how many academics work with the office light off so their PhD students don't think they're working in there...

I used to share an office with one of my supervisors. The amount of people visiting him was unbelievable; perhaps 8 per second. So in the end he built up a barrier from books and folders to hide behind. And as you said, we used to keep the lights off. I'm so glad I work from home now.

I've been tempted to work with the door locked - to keep an academic out! (not my supervisor)

why sue? Is s/he one of those non-stop no-sense talking freaks? Doesn't he leave once he manages to enter your office?

perhaps Sue has a not so secret admirer!

Also called a prowler (or perhaps not? English is my 2nd language)

No, not an admirer (if only someone was that keen!)... it's an academic who comes to have long social chats with someone else in the lab - there's just one 'caller' at the minute, but there have been others. Anyway, I'd rather they didn't because 1.I get a bit tired of saying 'no, x hasn't been in today yet' 2.it means I can't do certain experiments (safety reasons) 3.I don't want to hear the conversations! (loud mp3 player to the rescue) I did see a really good idea somewhere - a sheet of paper on a door that said 'I'm not here, I am... (list of options)' with a drawing pin through whichever was correct.

r u not able to leave a message with their PA?
Everyone who has a busy prof supervisor at my uni MUST have a second supervisor that isnt as busy. May be you could request a second supervisor?

Thank you driven2insanity. I have 3 supervisors plus an external one. This professor is someone I was put in touch with, through one of my supervisor's contact. He is quite important to a project I am currently undertaking for my research. I was furious at the time of posting to the forum but I'm calm now. I'll try him again tomorrow