It does help a lot, thank you very much GSM. I just didn't want to bruise anyone's ego, and end up making an "enemy" in the department, but I believe you're right when you say they'll be professional understanding people. Again, thanks a lot!

I'm currently attending a Ph.D in Portugal, but ran out of possible funding sources (the financial crisis is hitting us hard), so I'm considering the possibility to apply for a funded Ph.D program either in the UK (preferred, since it's closer to home) or the US. I've selected a few potential supervisors, which I plan to contact initially through email. My problem is that some of those potential supervisors work in the same universities, and some even in the same departments. Is it ok to contact them simultaneously? What if, in a rather optimistic scenario, they all show interest in being my supervisor? Thanks in advance for your help.