Better Supervisor or preferred field?

[Emmanouil]

I am attempting to choose a field of study for my masters course following my undergraduate course however due to the circumstances of the researchers I have to choose between a better supervisor or a preferred field of study; my ideal field would be theoretical quantum computing, however the head researcher at my university in this field is not particularly strong in the field (I have heard from previous students that the program was not very strong). On the other hand I can choose to do theory with a highly respected theoretician in his field (supersymmetry) and get a sort of boot camp experience as well as a (hopefully) strong thesis so that I may apply to a stronger college in the field. Does the second option make any sense from previous experiences? Thanks in advance!

 

[jedishrfu]

An interesting dilemma, I think you should consider the theoretical quantum computing as a future course of study and go with the highly respected theoretician.

Why? because you will clearly learn a lot from working under him/her and it will place you on a path to greater success. You might even learn some math/physics techniques that can apply to the QC field later on.

In contrast, if the QC researcher is as weak as you say then you will be learning it more on your own and while being interesting you might not get what you want out of it and ultimately will get frustrated.