Professor Match

1. Target schools, regions, or countries? (e.g., "US top-50 CS PhD programs", "universities in Germany")
2. Preferred research fields? (Pre-fill from .local.md research_interests if available, and let the user confirm or adjust)
3. Any specific requirements for the professor? (e.g., "must be taking new PhD students in 2026", "prefers labs with strong industry collaboration")
4. Application timeline? (TIME QUESTION -- run date first via Bash, then include current date in the question, e.g., "今天是 2026-04-06，你的申请截止日期是？")
5. Any professors already on your shortlist? (Provide names and universities if yes)

Standard Flow

Step 1: Gather Context from .local.md

Read .local.md and extract:

• research_interests -- primary and secondary research areas
• target_regions or target_schools -- geographic or institutional preferences
• CV Profile data: key experiences, skills, publications, and background

If the user provided command-line arguments (e.g., /ra:professor-match MIT NLP), parse them for target school and field, and use these as the primary search criteria.

Step 2: Search for Professors

Use WebSearch to find professors matching the user's criteria. Construct searches based on:

• Target school + department + research field
• Target region + research field + "faculty" or "professor"
• Specific research keywords from the user's interests

Run multiple searches to ensure broad coverage. For each promising result, note the professor's name, university, department, and homepage URL.

Step 3: Analyze Each Professor

For each professor identified, gather detailed information:

1. Read the professor's homepage using the webReader tool on their faculty page. Extract:

   • Current position and title
   • Research group/lab name
   • Research direction summary
   • Whether they are actively recruiting students

2. Check recent publications using WebSearch for Google Scholar or DBLP profiles:

   • Identify 1-3 key recent publications (last 2-3 years)
   • Note publication venues and impact

3. Cross-reference with user's CV profile:

   • Which of the user's skills or experiences align with the professor's research?
   • Are there gaps that would need to be addressed?
   • Does the professor's recent work suggest new directions that complement the user's background?

Step 4: Evaluate Fit and Produce Match Report

For each professor, produce a structured entry:

### [Professor Name]
- **University**: [University Name]
- **Department**: [Department]
- **Position**: [e.g., Associate Professor]
- **Homepage**: [URL]
- **Research Direction**: [1-2 sentence summary]
- **Key Recent Publications**:
  1. [Title] ([Venue], [Year])
  2. [Title] ([Venue], [Year])
  3. [Title] ([Venue], [Year])
- **Match Score**: High / Medium / Low
- **Match Reasoning**: [Which of the user's experiences, skills, or interests align with this professor's work]
- **Suggested Outreach Strategy**: [Specific advice on how to approach this professor, what to emphasize in initial contact]

Step 5: Output Structured Comparison

After analyzing all identified professors, produce:

1. Summary Table: A comparison table with columns for Professor Name, University, Research Direction, Match Score, and a brief note on alignment.

2. Detailed Analysis: The full per-professor entries as described in Step 4.

3. Recommendations: A prioritized shortlist with reasoning, suggesting:

   • Top 3-5 professors with the highest match scores
   • Professors whose research directions align with emerging areas in the user's field
   • Any notable opportunities (e.g., professors who recently received grants, new faculty who may be actively recruiting)

4. Next Steps: Suggested actions for the user:

   • Which professors to contact first
   • How to prepare tailored emails for each
   • Any materials to prepare before outreach (e.g., research proposal, writing sample)