PhD application: should I mention more than one faculty member in my SOP? So I am confused by this for quite a while. Intuitively, mentioning more than one faculty member in SOP can backfire since it put the people you mentioned into a pretty awkward situation. But in another way, it might be a good thing for the board to see an applicant is flexible. Out of idea. Looking for advice.

Thx
First, it is always a good thing to mention specific mentors by name - it helps you get recognized and demonstrates you have a grasp on what you want to work on. The fact that there are two faculty you'd be happy with shows you may integrate well, provided the research interests are somewhat similar. The best approach is to contact both of these individuals personally, by email or by phone. This proves your interest and probably guarantees your application will be looked over carefully.  I don't think that listing two potential mentors will set you back, but you could be put into a situation where you have to choose.  If that happens, congrats, you made it into grad school. I've never heard of a PI dismissing a qualified candidate because he/she applied to more than one person.