When it comes to PhD recruitment, so much emphasis is placed on projects, programmes and funding. But what about the supervisors - the people who will guide, support and ultimately shape a student's research journey?

For many students, finding the right supervisor is one of the most important, and often one of the hardest, parts of the process. That’s why we’ve launched Supervisor Search on FindAPhD.

What is Supervisor Search?

It’s a new tool designed to make it easier for students to discover supervisors by research interest. It’s already live across our site and included as standard in our Institution Profile.

But Supervisor Search is more than just a new feature - it’s a fresh way to connect students with your academic strengths, and a powerful tool to support visibility, access and engagement.

Supervisor Search allows students to:

• Search by their research interest

• View academic supervisors that come up in the results

• Click through to active PhD opportunities where available

It's a seamless way to connect students with the academics behind the research and with the universities shaping their field.

Why Supervisor Search matters?

“Supervisor Search solves a major challenge for prospective students - finding that perfect-fit supervisor, the needle in the haystack. It opens up new pathways beyond existing networks, helping students discover mentors and opportunities they might otherwise miss."

"Our mission is simple: to break down barriers, foster diversity, and add a little serendipity to PhD recruitment - because finding the right research match shouldn’t be down to chance."

- Rob Hardy, Managing Director - FindAUniversity (home of FindAPhD)

For students, Supervisor Search brings transparency to what is often a confusing process. It helps:

• Widen participation in postgraduate research

• Support diversity and mobility across institutions

• Help students find the right fit earlier and more confidently

For universities, it’s about visibility. Supervisor Search puts your academic talent in front of students before they’ve shortlisted programmes or universities. It lets you:

• Highlight key research areas and staff

• Drive high-quality, direct enquiries

• Promote current projects

• Support strategic goals in recruitment and access

Quick & easy setup

Getting started is simple:

• We extract supervisor details from your public website

• Our team rewrites profiles to ensure clarity and student focus

• You provide a general landing page link for when no projects are available

No spreadsheets. No manual uploads. Just better visibility for your academic staff.

Included with Institution Profiles

Supervisor Search is part of your Institution Profile - the most effective way to promote your PhD offering on FindAPhD.com. If you're already working with us, you may be eligible to activate it now. If not, we’d love to show you how an Institution Profile can help you attract the right students and promote your research strengths more widely.

Want to learn more?

Our team would be happy to show you how Supervisor Search can support your PhD recruitment strategy. Use the enquiry form below or contact your Account Manager today.