What the email needs to contain
A subject line naming the topic and your intent, for example 'Prospective PhD applicant — perovskite stability, Autumn 2027 intake'.
One sentence on who you are and your degree. One or two sentences on a specific piece of their work and the question you would want to pursue. One sentence on funding: a scholarship you are applying for, or a question about advertised positions. A closing line offering to send a proposal.
What to attach
A two-page CV and your transcript. A short research statement only if they ask, or if the advert requests one.
Keep attachments as PDFs with your name in the filename.
Common mistakes
Generic praise of the university. Very long messages. Asking whether they have funding without saying what you want to study. Sending it to the whole department at once.
Following up
Academics receive a lot of these emails. Wait ten working days, then send one short follow-up in the same thread. If there is no reply after that, move on — silence is usually about workload, not about you.
Put this into practice
Search supervisors by country, university and research area, or let the PhD Finder rank funded positions against your profile.