What to do if POI is clearly nearing retirement?

[cunnilinguista]

I'm entering the application season for PhD programs that begin fall 2014 and have found a few departments I really like. One prof whose research is exactly what I'm interested in pursuing is in his eighties but still going strong. I have no idea how long he'll be with the department (before retiring or--I hate to say it--dying).

 

Should I assume it's not worth it to apply to this program since I can't be guaranteed that he'll be around six years from now? The others on the faculty aren't nearly as close to my research interests as his are. If he does retire, they'll likely hire another person in his specialty, but who knows if that prof will be as good a match as somewhere else?

 

It seems like pretty bad taste to email him or the department asking how long he anticipates working, but I'm not sure what else to do. Any advice?

 

Thanks, all!!

[fuzzylogician]

Don't email, it's a tacky question to ask and you won't get a straight answer anyway. You have to assume that even if this professor is still actively taking on new students (unlikely), he might not be around to advise you 5-6 years from now. If he is the only reason you would be applying to this program, I'd suggest you move on. The chances that you'd able to work with him as a main advisor without any hitch or hindrance seem low and you'd be setting yourself up for all kinds of trouble if something does go wrong. Say he takes you on and you work with him, and then something happens in your first year ... do you reapply elsewhere or wait and see who is hired to replace him? Suppose there is a job search in your second year and someone is hired and starts their position in your third year but you are not a match -- then what, do you then start over? Now take this story and offset it by two years -- suppose you're already in your 3rd or 4th year when things start to go wrong. Then what? This all just sounds like a bad story I would not choose to be a part of. I would recommend for anyone to worry if there is only one person they can work with in a particular school, age or not, because things can turn bad for all kinds of reasons. In this case, however, you independently have reason to expect trouble, even if everyone has the best of intentions. My advice - don't set yourself up for trouble that way.

[LinguisticMystic]

But, what if it's Bill Labov?

[cunnilinguista]

Don't email, it's a tacky question to ask and you won't get a straight answer anyway. You have to assume that even if this professor is still actively taking on new students (unlikely), he might not be around to advise you 5-6 years from now. If he is the only reason you would be applying to this program, I'd suggest you move on. The chances that you'd able to work with him as a main advisor without any hitch or hindrance seem low and you'd be setting yourself up for all kinds of trouble if something does go wrong. Say he takes you on and you work with him, and then something happens in your first year ... do you reapply elsewhere or wait and see who is hired to replace him? Suppose there is a job search in your second year and someone is hired and starts their position in your third year but you are not a match -- then what, do you then start over? Now take this story and offset it by two years -- suppose you're already in your 3rd or 4th year when things start to go wrong. Then what? This all just sounds like a bad story I would not choose to be a part of. I would recommend for anyone to worry if there is only one person they can work with in a particular school, age or not, because things can turn bad for all kinds of reasons. In this case, however, you independently have reason to expect trouble, even if everyone has the best of intentions. My advice - don't set yourself up for trouble that way.

I figured as much, but I thought I'd ask. There are one or two other faculty members that would be fine but the same can be said for other programs (ones that don't have this strike against them). Shame, but better to plan ahead I guess.

[cunnilinguista]

But, what if it's Bill Labov?

Haha, you caught me.