Which is the best Institute to do a flotation res.

[iitiansindhu]

Dear Sir(s),

I am a Mining Engineering student at IIT Kharagpur, and want to pursue PhD study in Mineral Processing particularly in the flotation area. I have research internship experience at Imperial College
London (under Dr. Cilliers) and Univ. of Kentucky (Dr. HOnaker).

Could you please help me regarding which is the best institute to do my PhD study. Various options that I have are:
i) JKMRC (if i'll get a scholarship)
ii) Ian Wark Research Inst. at univ of south Australia, Australia
ii) Imperial College London
iv) McGill University

I would be highly thankful to you guys for this help and guidance.

[jpt]

Hello - It is difficult to say because there are many factors to consider. The key is to discuss potential projects with prospective supervisors. This should be guided by your own personal interests such as column or conventional cell, modeling-type work, lab or pilot scale, fundamental stuff or more industrial, etc. Then you will have a better idea of which institute and supervisor can offer you what you need. They are all great institutions, but obviously a place like JK will have a lot to offer.

Also the supervisor him/herself is key - along with the committee. I strongly urge you to inquire about who will be on your committee. Are they all flotation (or at least mineral processing) experts? How committed will they be to supporting you and seeing you through to the end? (Thus you may want to talk with recent Ph.D. graduates of that institution - and stay away from the professors with the big egos, because to them the student's interests are secondary.) It does not matter how great your research is, if you find yourself stuck with an unsupportive or indifferent supervisor/committee, you will find that the final product suffers and your ultimate goal is jeopardized.

I wish you the best of luck and let us know what you finally decide.

Cheers!