Will I seem like an idiot?

[pde]

Do visiting professors never take graduate students or does it vary? Basically, if there is a visiting professor I am interested in working with, should I contact her and ask or is the answer obviously "no"?

[acher]

There is no harm in contacting and seeing whether there is a possibility that the visiting professorship will turn into a more permanent tenure-track position. Or perhaps that person already has a tenure-track position lined up at another institution. Otherwise, I would advise against going to a specific program to work with a non-tenured/tenure-track professor.

[jacib]

Visiting professor is by nature a temporary appointment. There's a difference between "Visiting [Full] Professor" and "Visiting Assistant Professor". VAP's are usually a kind of adjunct or sometimes similar to a postdoc w/ teaching. Some people see them as having an inside track for any tenure track positions that open up, but there's no guarantee. They're generally in a precarious situation in terms of employment and can't take students, are often over worked and underpaid. Visiting senior professors can be on sabbatical, trying to make their old department jealous, in basically a try out phase, or waiting for a position to open up. It really depends. You can write and ask them about their research, and maybe where they'll be in the future, but I would guess there's a high chance that they themselves don't know.

[jacib]

But basically yes, for now, they cannot take students until they have a permanent position.

[bertiek]

What about a lecturer? Do they ever involve grad students in their research?

[octopussongs]

One of my letter writers is 'just' a Lecturer but she is active in research, teaches and writes and has for the last 7 years or so at my Uni so it seems sometimes it can just be an 'off' title. I've never had the nerve to ask her why she is a 'Lecturer' instead of a Prof but I kinda want to...

Also, I am applying somewhere where I want to work with a Visiting. I contacted him to see if he was leaving soon and he said that if I got in next fall, he would be able to supervise me for my first year and then move me to a more senior faculty member he sees me as having an, ultimately, good fit with, when he leaves.

[kphd]

Hi! sorry to join in late. I contacted a few visiting Profs and sometimes they say things like "I am interested in your research but Im not full time faculty I would suggest that you get in touch with ......" They may ask you to get in touch with full time faculty that may be interested in your research or somebody that they are on good terms with..so I don't see any harm.

But in order to strengthen your chances you should aim to get a good response from full time faculty..senior, influential ones if possible.