Hi,
So I have been working on my emails to potential supervisors for PhD. I would like to pitch my idea for a research proposal, but I am also open to other suggestions. Is it alright to mention that I do not mind discussing other ideas with the professor? Or does it make me look like I'm not sure about what I want?

In my experience, the professors appreciate having a well-written proposal with research questions/hypothesis, timeline, background reading (mini literature review). It gives them an idea of how you envision your research path, how much you know now, and where they can offer suggestions for improvement.

I would stick with one proposal rather than suggesting that you might fashion changes to be in line with what the supervisor suggests.

I have had a number of offers and simply emailed my proposal with a note asking if the recipient or a colleague might be interested in supervising me.

In every case I received a response.

N