How to Email a Professor for Research Position (From Subject Line to Signature)

Muhammad Asad Ullah
7 min readMar 28, 2020
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Are you tired of sending hundreds of emails to professors for the research positions, yet struggling to get a positive response? Don’t worry — in this article, you will learn each and everything about how to write an email to a professor and get a response.

In different discussion forums and Facebook groups, I always see students talking about the matter of not getting a positive response. If it has also happened with you too, then the actual problem is your poor communication and writing skills. As a prospective student, you have to keep tone and language professional.

Keep in mind, you have to display the traits of thoughtful, motivated, skilled, well-organized student. Your email will be the first impression, that’s why it is important to show yourself as a student who is a serious, well-qualified, and motivated enough to carry out advance research under the professor’s supervision. Keep your email short — don’t write long stories. Also, it should not be too short. Ideally, the email should have enough information answering the questions: who you are and why are you emailing.

Let’s dive in

First things first, when it comes to writing an email to a professor, always prefer your academic email. From the subject line to sign…

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Muhammad Asad Ullah

I’m a Passionate Researcher, Writer, and a Lifelong learner.