What's PhD Research? - Old Dominion UniversitySurviving the PhD • Read Ron Azuma's guide • Perseverance –it can be slow, it can get boring, some days you just have to get through

What'sPhDResearch?

MicheleC.WeiglePhDGathering

Fall2017– Sep20,2017

@oducs

Largelybasedon"What'sGradSchoolAllAbout?",https://www.slideshare.net/mweigle/2015-cap-wic

MSvsPhD- Jobs• Amastersdegreeequipsyoutodohighlevel,complexdesignandpotentiallyleadsoftwareengineeringteams.

• APhDdegreeequipsyoutodooriginalresearchandpotentiallyleadR&Dteams.

• “WithaPh.D.youwillhaveabetterchanceofspendingtherestofyourlifedoingwhatyouwanttodo,insteadofwhatsomeoneelse wantsyoutodo."– WilliamLipscomb,aNobelPrizewinnerinchemistry

Fall2017 PhDGathering 2

http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-differences-between-a-Masters-and-a-PhD-in-computer-scienceVijayChidambaram,computersciencegradstudent

MSvs.PhD– RequirementsatODU• MS

– 34hoursofcoursework(11courses)– project(only10courses)orthesis(only8courses)– usuallypartialtuitionwaiver– ~2years

• PhD(afterMS)– 48credithours– 24hoursofcoursework(8courses)

• 4"real"courses(notseminarorspecialtopics)with3differentfacultymembers

– 24hoursofdissertationcredits– fulltuitionwaiver– variable(often3-5yearsafterMS)


BSvs.MSvs.PhD• BS- youaregiventhe questions andtheanswers

• MS- youaregiventhe questions andmostlyyougettofindtheanswers

• PhD– youmustcomeupwiththe questions andtheanswers

• Itsureisalotsimplerwhenyouaregiventhe questions and theanswers.


Dr.KrisCooper(myundergraduateadvisor)

APhDisAllAboutQuestions• "APhDteachesyouhowtoasktherightquestions"

• YourPhDadvisor'sjobistoaskquestionsaboutyourwork– whydoestheoutput/graph/resultlooklikethis?– whatwouldhappenifyourantheexperiment/analysisanotherwayinstead?


http://blog.skanev.org/2013/03/why-not-do-phd-in-computer-science.html

Solong,andthanksforthePhD!


RonAzuma'sclassicarticle(PhD,UNC1995)http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4.html

WhatisaPhD?• APhDprogramisverydifferentfromgettingaBachelor’sdegree,andyoumusttreatitasastrangetypeofjob.– Initiative,tenacity,flexibility,interpersonalskills,organizationalskills,andcommunicationskills areallcriticalandnotthingsthatuniversitiestypicallytestforinselectingincomingstudents.

• APhDisameanstoanend:employmentinastartup,commercialbusiness,governmentorindustrialresearchlab,oracademia.


http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4.html

WheredoGRAsComeFrom?• Academiaisabusiness,and“graduatestudent”isajobtitle.

• Facultywritegrantproposalstoexternalagencies(NSF,NEH,IMLS,…).– fundGRAstipends,travel,smallamountsoffacultysummersupport

– withoutgrantfunding,thereisnoGRAfunding

• Theseagenciesexpectconcretedeliverables(software,publications,etc.).



TreatYourGRALikeaJob• Youmustprovetoyourprofessorsthatyouarecapableof– gettingtheworkdone,– beingateamplayer,– communicatingyourresults,and– mostoftheothercharacteristicsneededtodowellinregularjobs.



APhDisNotAboutCourses• MostofwhatyoulearninaPh.D.programcomesoutsideofclasses:– fromdoingresearchonyourownandincollaborationwithyouradvisor

– attendingconferences– discussionswithyourfellowstudents



Ph.D.StudentsMustBreakAwayFromUndergraduateMentality

• Gradesdon'tmattermuchanymore– mainformofevaluationisresearchprogress(i.e.,publications)

• Thereisnoonewhocantellyouexactlywhattodo,soownyourresearch– secret:youradvisorsdon'tknowalltheanswers!

• Whenyougraduate,youwillbetheworld'sexpertonyourdissertationtopic


https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2013/7/165494-ph-d-students-must-break-away-from-undergraduate-mentality/fulltext

CriticalSkillsNeeded• Initiative• Tenacity• Flexibility• Interpersonalskills• Organizationalskills• Communicationskills



Initiative• Thedissertationrepresentsafocused,personalresearcheffortwhereyoutaketheleadonyourown,uniqueproject.

• Ph.D.studentsmustshowinitiative tosuccessfullycompletethedissertation.

• Ifyouneverdoanytasksexceptthosethatyourprofessorspecificallytellsyoutodo,thenyouneedtoworkoninitiative.



Tenacity• Noonecantellyouinadvanceexactlyhowlongthedissertationwilltake,soit’shardtoseewherethe“endoftheroad”lies.

• Youwillencounterunexpectedproblemsandobstaclesthatcanaddmonthsoryearstotheproject.

• Ifyouarenottenacious aboutworkingonthedissertation,youwon’tfinish.

• Thebestwaytofinishthedissertationistodosomethingeverydaythatgetsyouclosertobeingdone.



Flexibility

• Flexibilitymeans– takingadvantageofopportunitiesandsynergies,–workingaroundproblems–beingwillingtochangeplansasrequired



InterpersonalSkills• Youneedtobuildandmaintaininterpersonalrelationships

withyouradvisor,yourcommittee,yourresearchandsupportstaffandyourfellowstudents.

• Cultivatinginterpersonalrelationshipsismostlyabouttreatingpeoplewithrespectanddeterminingtheirdifferentworkingstyles.– Givecreditwherecreditisdue.– Acknowledgeandthankthemfortheirhelp.– Returnfavors.– Respecttheirexpertise,adviceandtime.– Apologizeifyouareatfault.– Realizethatdifferentpeopleworkindifferentwaysandare

motivatedbydifferentthings



OrganizationalSkills• Youwillhavelotsofresponsibilities(classes,GRA,GTA,dissertationresearch,publications)

• Youmustbewell-organizedandlearntoprioritizetomakesuretheimportantthingsgetdone



AdditionaltimemanagementadvicefromRandyPausch (formerprofatUVa,CMU)http://web.archive.org/web/20070223065627/www.cs.virginia.edu/helpnet/Time/time.html

CommunicationSkills• Youwillwrite(alot)• Youwillpresentyourideas(alot)

• Itwillbesomuchbetter(andmoreefficient)foryouandyouradvisorifyouspendmoretimetalkingaboutresearchideasthanaboutorganization,grammar,andtypos

• Icannotover-emphasizehowimportantthisis



SurvivingthePhD• ReadRonAzuma'sguide

• Perseverance– itcanbeslow,itcangetboring,somedaysyoujusthavetoget

throughit

• Initiative– youradvisorwillrarelybugyoueachdaytomakesureyou're

working,mustsetyourowngoals

• Curiosity– PhDstudentsareusuallyreadytograduateoncetheystart

askingtheirownquestionsabouttheirdataandresearch

• Coffee


WhatisResearch?


MattMight(http://matt.might.net/),aprofessorinComputerScienceattheUniversityofUtah,created"TheIllustratedGuidetoaPh.D."toexplainwhataPh.D.istonewandaspiringgraduatestudents.

[MatthaslicensedtheguideforsharingwithspecialtermsundertheCreativeCommonslicense.]http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/


Imagineacirclethatcontainsallhumanknowledge

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/


Bythetimeyoufinishelementaryschool,youknowalittle



Bythetimeyoufinishhighschool,youknowabitmore



Withabachelor'sdegree,yougainaspecialty



Amaster'sdegreedeepensthatspecialty



Readingresearchpaperstakesyoutotheedgeofhumanknowledge



Onceyou'reattheboundary,youfocus



Youpushattheboundaryforafewyears



Untiloneday,theboundarygivesway



And,thatdentyou'vemadeiscalledaPh.D.



Ofcourse,theworldlooksdifferenttoyounow



So,don'tforgetthebiggerpicture


Keeppushing.

SkillsGainedThroughPhD• Abilitytoworkindependently

• Criticalthought– APhDcandidatelearnstocriticallyexaminethethoughtsofothers

andpickouttheprosandcons.

• Perseverance

• Abilitytoworkwithpoorlydefinedgoals– OneofthebiggerhurdlesofthePhDisthatthereisnoclearcutgoal.– Noonecanexactlysaythesearethethingsyouneedtodoeveryday.– Researchassuchinvolvesgoingbackandforth,exploringblindalleys

andsoforth.

• Effectivecommunication


http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-differences-between-a-Masters-and-a-PhD-in-computer-scienceVijayChidambaram,computersciencegradstudent

Documents

What's PhD Research? - Old Dominion UniversitySurviving the PhD • Read Ron Azuma's guide • Perseverance –it can be slow, it can get boring, some days you just have to get through