Finding the right professor is one of the most important preparation steps for Master’s and PhD applicants planning to apply for the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) 2027–2028.

Before contacting professors, prepare a professional academic CV. A professor may review your CV before deciding whether your academic background and research interests match their work.

If your CV is not ready yet, start here:

Professional CV Guide:
Click Here to Visit Professional CV Post

Once your CV is ready, the next step is to identify suitable professors and find their official university email addresses.

Finding Professors at a Glance

Step	What to Do
1	Shortlist universities offering your field
2	Open the relevant school or department
3	Find Faculty / Professors / Supervisors
4	Check professor research interests
5	Open the professor’s official profile
6	Copy and verify the university email
7	Read recent research before emailing

The goal is not to collect hundreds of email addresses.

The goal is to find professors whose research actually matches your academic background and proposed study area.

Step 1: Shortlist Universities in Your Field

First identify Chinese universities offering programs related to your major.

For example, if your background is Biotechnology, you may search for:

• Biotechnology
• Bioengineering
• Molecular Biology
• Microbiology
• Biochemical Engineering
• Synthetic Biology
• Bioprocess Engineering

If you study Computer Science, search for relevant departments such as:

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Software Engineering
• Data Science
• Cybersecurity

Do not search for professors randomly before confirming that the university has a relevant department or postgraduate program.

Step 2: Open the Official University Website

Always start from the official university website.

Look for sections such as:

International Students → Schools / Colleges → Faculty → Professors / Supervisors

or:

School of Life Sciences → Faculty

School of Computer Science → Academic Staff

College of Engineering → Professors

Graduate School → Supervisors

Different universities use different names for their faculty directories.

Step 3: Use the Department Faculty Page

Suppose you are applying for Biotechnology.

Open the university website and locate:

School of Life Sciences

School of Biotechnology

School of Bioengineering

College of Biological Sciences

Then look for pages named:

• Faculty
• Academic Staff
• Professors
• Supervisors
• Faculty Members
• Research Groups

Open individual professor profiles.

A useful professor profile normally shows:

• Academic position
• Research interests
• Educational background
• Publications
• Laboratory or research group
• Email address
• Office or department

Step 4: Check Research Compatibility

Do not email a professor only because they belong to your department.

Read their research interests first.

For example:

Your proposed topic:
Microbial biotechnology for wastewater treatment

Professor A:
Plant genetics and crop breeding

Professor B:
Environmental microbiology and microbial bioprocesses

Professor B would normally be the more relevant research match.

For Master’s and particularly PhD applicants, research compatibility is extremely important.

Step 5: Find the Professor’s Official Email

The best source is the professor’s official university profile.

The email may appear as:

Email: name@university.edu.cn

E-mail: name@college.edu.cn

Contact: name@university.cn

Prefer an institutional university email whenever available.

Examples of common Chinese university domains include:

• .edu.cn
• university-specific .cn domains
• institutional research institute domains

Do not assume that every professor uses the same email format.

Never guess an email address when an official one is available.

Method 1: Search the University Website

Use the university’s internal search function.

Search:

Professor Name

or:

Professor Name + Department

Example:

Li Wei Biotechnology

Then open the official faculty profile.

Method 2: Use Google Site Search

Google can sometimes find faculty pages faster than a university’s own search system.

Examples:

site:zju.edu.cn biotechnology professor

site:tju.edu.cn bioengineering faculty

site:pku.edu.cn molecular biology professor email

You can also search:

“Professor Name” university name email

Example:

“Professor Zhang” Zhejiang University biotechnology email

Open the official university result rather than relying only on third-party websites.

Method 3: Search the School or Laboratory Website

Some professors have separate laboratory or research-group pages.

For example:

University → School of Life Sciences → Laboratories → Professor Profile

A laboratory page may contain:

• Professor email
• Research areas
• Current projects
• Publications
• Student recruitment information

This can be especially useful for PhD applicants.

Method 4: Check Recent Research Papers

If an official faculty page does not clearly display an email, search for the professor’s recent research publications.

The corresponding author information in a paper may contain an email address.

However, check whether:

• The paper is recent
• The professor is still at the same university
• The email is still active

Then verify the professor’s current affiliation through the university website.

Do not rely on a very old publication without checking the professor’s current position.

Method 5: Google Scholar and Research Profiles

Google Scholar, ORCID and other academic profiles can help you understand a professor’s research.

They are useful for checking:

• Recent publications
• Research topics
• Current institution
• Academic activity

But use the official university website as your preferred source for the final contact information whenever possible.

Example: How to Find a Professor

Suppose your field is:

Biotechnology

and you want to explore Zhejiang University.

You could search:

site:zju.edu.cn biotechnology professor

Then:

1. Open the official Zhejiang University result.
2. Find the relevant school or department.
3. Open the Faculty section.
4. Review professor research interests.
5. Select professors related to your field.
6. Open their official profiles.
7. Record the official email address.
8. Read some of their recent work before contacting them.

Create a simple shortlist like this:

University	Professor	Research Area	Email	Contacted
University A	Professor A	Biotechnology	Official Email	No
University B	Professor B	Microbiology	Official Email	No
University C	Professor C	Bioengineering	Official Email	No

This will help you organize your supervisor search.

How Many Professors Should You Find?

Do not send emails to dozens of unrelated professors at the same time.

A better strategy is to identify a focused group of professors whose research genuinely matches your background.

For each professor:

Research the profile → Check recent publications → Prepare a personalized email → Attach your CV → Contact professionally.

Quality is more important than sending a very large number of generic emails.

What to Check Before Saving an Email

Before adding a professor to your contact list, confirm:

• Professor is currently at the university
• Research area matches your interests
• Professor supervises postgraduate students
• Email comes from an official or credible source
• Profile is reasonably current
• Your intended degree level is relevant

A professor working in your general department may still not be suitable for your specific research topic.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

• Collecting emails without checking research interests
• Guessing university email addresses
• Copying old emails from outdated webpages
• Contacting professors outside your field
• Sending the same message to every professor
• Emailing before preparing your CV
• Attaching unnecessary large files
• Writing extremely long first emails
• Asking directly for a scholarship without introducing your academic background

Your first objective should be to establish a professional academic connection.

Prepare Your CV Before Emailing

Before contacting supervisors, make sure your CV clearly presents:

• Education
• Research experience
• Publications, if any
• Thesis or final-year project
• Research interests
• Technical skills
• Awards or achievements
• Relevant work experience

Complete CV preparation guide:

What Comes After Finding the Email?

After finding a suitable professor and verifying their email address, the next step is writing a professional email.

Your message should normally be:

Short → Personalized → Research-focused → Easy to read

Do not immediately send a long life story or a generic copied message.

Complete guide:

How to Email Chinese Professors for Acceptance Letter 2027–2028

Final Advice

The correct sequence for contacting Chinese professors is:

Prepare Professional CV → Shortlist Universities → Find Relevant Professors → Check Research Match → Find Official Email → Read Recent Research → Send Personalized Email

Do not focus only on obtaining an email address.

Finding the right professor is more important than finding many professors.

A carefully selected supervisor whose research matches your background gives you a much better basis for professional communication than sending the same email to hundreds of unrelated faculty members.

Important Note

This guide is prepared for students planning for Chinese university admissions and the CSC Scholarship 2027–2028.

Professor availability, supervision capacity, program requirements and acceptance-letter policies vary between universities and departments. Always check the latest official university information before applying.