Finding undergraduate research mentor? Etiquette for responding to email from potential mentor

Question

Me and another student at my university are interested in applying for an undergraduate research grant that is offered by the university. It is 'collaborative' and requires the assistance of an academic member of staff i.e a 'mentor'. My friend and I wrote an email to the head of our department, who is an expert in the field we are interested in researching, asking whether he could advise on potential mentors for the project, and he responded saying that there are a number of people in the department who could help to mentor the research. He said that he is interested in the issues we want to research himself, definitely implying that he would mentor us. I just don't know how to respond to this, given that he did not directly say 'i would be interested in mentoring you?

Note: we are at a UK university, if that makes any difference etiquette-wise.

Answer 1

I believe a simple follow-up email would do.

Make sure you:

• Thank them for their time responding to you.
• Acknowledge their interest in the project.
• Ask if they have a convenient time you could come and chat to them in person.

Others may have more ideas, but that would be the way I would respond in this circumstance.