NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

How to PhD: Perspectives from three ECE Professors

Jan Allebachallebach@purdue.edu

Electrical and Computer EngineeringPurdue University

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Is a Ph.D. right for you?

Hard work

Major commitment

Major rewards

Helps to be passionate about what you do

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

So you’ve decided to get a Ph.D.What do you do next?

Identify a graduate area, i.e. AC, BME, CE, CNSIP, MN,

ESS, VLSI

What do you find exciting?

What courses do you like?

What do your fellow students have to say?

Choose a major professor

What kind of research do they do?

What is their style for working with students?

Where have their advisees gone after graduation?

What do your fellow students have to say?

Do they having funding for you?

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Factors that influence choice ofdissertation topic

If research is sponsored, may depend on type of funding

Government

Industry

Style of your Major Professor

Open-ended

More prescribed

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Characteristics of dissertation research

Must meet standards for good scientific practice

Fully documented

Reproducible

Should address an important problem, not just an

interesting problem

Should be conducted in the context of the current state-of-

the-art in the your area

Should be substantially novel and demonstrate a

significant advance to the current state-of-the-art

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Some other thoughts about dissertation research

Your dissertation need not be a monolithic entity – it can

be a series of relatively independent substantive projects

Don’t be afraid to fail – but if you are going to fail, don’t

take too long to do it

Don’t reinvent the wheel – borrow freely from others, but

only with permission and attribution

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Communications –“Good enough” is not “good enough”

Applies to all areas of professional communications Presentations

Papers

Even e-mail

Learn to be your own worst critic Read, revise, re-read, revise ….

Dot the i’s and cross the t’s

What are you trying to say? It is clear?

It is concise?

Take every opportunity to improve your English language skills

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Be a sponge

Use on-line databases to scour the literature related to

your chosen research problems

Follow the leading journals in your area

Read the papers written by your fellow students in your

research group

Attend preliminary examinations and final defenses in

areas related to your research problem

If you have the opportunity to attend a conference, get as

much out of it as possible

Talk to your professors and fellow students

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Be a squeaky wheel

“My graduate students are my most important resource”

It is in my own best interest for them to be as effective as

possible

Ask for what you need

Don’t wait for your Major Professor to request a meeting

with you

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Build a network

This is one of the most important outcomes of your

graduate school experience

It is not only what you know, but also who you know

If you attend a conference, meet as many people as

possible

Socialize with all your fellow students – not just those of

your own nationality

Stay in touch

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

Graduate school can be…

Stressful

Scary

Demanding

Frustrating

NCN Spring Dinner – 04/21/09

But overall, it should be fun!