How to nicely tell a professor that I do not want to work with her...

[Epi_Catherine]

Hi everyone,

 

I am a first year PhD student and have already secured an awesome 5-year traineeship working with a professor that I really love (who is also my academic advisor). However, while my advisor was away for the holidays, another professor in the department emailed me and asked me to meet with her. I agreed and when I arrived to the meeting there were 2 other professors in the department there with her, and the three of them described a new training grant they are applying for and asked me if I was interested.

 

It was a little overwhelming for me since I don't know these professors very well and it was very random/out of the blue, so I asked for some time to think about. I didn't want to appear rude, so I did say I was interested in the opportunity but would need time to think about it because it's not 100% my research area of interest.

 

The more I think about it, the more I don't think it's the right fit for multiple reasons. Like I said, I already have guaranteed funding for 5 years, this new grant would only be for 3 years. Additionally, while two of the 3 professors would make great mentors, the third one (who arranged the meeting) is a bit pushy and also scatterbrained. I've heard bad things about her mentorship which make me nervous. Lastly, while the methodology involved with the research grant they are applying for is the same, it's a different topical area than I'd like to practice professionally and worry that I'd get stuck doing it after I graduate instead doing research that I'm truly passionate about. 

 

Anyways, long story short the pushy professor keeps emailing me and asking me to switch to have her as an academic advisor which to me is a huge red flag because I really like my advisor already and feel loyal to him. What's a tactful way to tell her that I just don't think it's the right fit without burning any bridges?

 

Thanks! 

Catherine 

 

[kewz]

Hmm why not try asking your current advisor for some advice? In my experience usually when I consulted my advisor for this sort of situations she always gave me very good suggestions -- ones that only could only come from someone who is older and much more experienced in handling tricky social scenarios like the one you are dealing with.

[St Andrews Lynx]

Keep it professional & brief: just tell the emailing professor that you don't think their project matches your research interests. You don't need to justify anything to them, it's enough to say No Thanks. Thank them for their time and wish them luck in finding a suitable student, that's all the politeness you need.

[juilletmercredi]

^This is my advice.  Make it about your professional fit and research interests, and not about her mentorship style.  "Thanks for the very generous offer!  I am flattered that you thought of me.  However, I am quite satisfied with my working relationship with Awesome Advisor, and I don't think that my research interests are a great fit for the traineeship.  If you like, though, I can forward the information onto some colleagues who might be interested!"

[sduffy228]

I agree with Andrews. Keep it brief and straight forward. Mention you're already involved in one and you'd like to carry it out to the end.