Collaborating (online) with researchers from other institutes/countries I am a first year graduate student in a completely theoretical field. How does one go about collaborating online or otherwise with researchers from other institutes/universities? In particular, if I am interested in a problem or an area which is not very well represented at my current institution, how do I approach researchers from other institutes to start a collaboration assuming I have the basic background to start research? Should I have a very particular problem/idea in mind while contacting a potential collaborator, or is it unusual if I approach a researcher just because I am interested in his work and would like to learn more and work on it with no particular problem in mind?
I have found that it is very difficult to start collaborating with people who are totally new to you. Some good ways to find people to collaborate with are:


Tapping into your PhD/PostDoc advisor's existing contact network
Using your advisor's status/fame to get new collaborators (i.e., the advisor handles the initial contact)
Giving talks in conferences and getting people excited about your work.
Talking to people in conferences and finding some common interests for new projects.


I write this as a PhD student with experience in collaborating within physics/chemistry communities.