Queries related to progression of academics in various capacities from a student to a professor and the various stages involved in the process.
-1
votes
0answers
110 views
Accept admission offer this year or try again next year? [duplicate]
I had started my application process pretty late, from Feb-Mar this year for my graduate admission. Though I was rejected in many top universities, I got offers from good universities ranked in ...
-1
votes
0answers
83 views
Employability TU Berlin [closed]
I've been accepted for mobility study track of Embedded system at the following universities by EIT ICT Labs.
Enter Univ - KTH Royal Institute of Tech, Sweden
Exit Univ - TU Berlin, Germany
Could ...
-5
votes
0answers
60 views
How realistic is it to get a good job a math degree (other than a teacher/professor)? [closed]
I want to get a bachelor's or above in pure mathematics. What kinds of jobs could I get with such a degree, and would they be at least average pay? Thanks!
-1
votes
0answers
88 views
How is academic career progression different in Germany vs. USA [closed]
How is academic career progression different in Germany vs. USA
in terms of supervision, giving credit in papers or academic freedom.
3
votes
1answer
154 views
Does your Alma Mater and U.S. News Rankings Really Affect Future Job Opportunities?
I'm in the process of trying to decide on which graduate program to attend. I am pursuing a Master's level degree in Computer Science in hopes of furthering my web development career. I would love ...
5
votes
2answers
106 views
Master's Degree Curriculum and its Effects on Teaching Opportunities
I have been working as a entry-level web developer for approximately a year now. I am looking to go back to school to get a Master's Degree in hopes that I will be able to teach ...
6
votes
1answer
63 views
What should new faculty focus on when meeting with the university public relations representative?
I am a new faculty member at a medium-sized liberal arts university that focuses on undergraduate education. I have recently been contacted by the university public relations representative and he ...
17
votes
1answer
196 views
Which topics should be covered in a teaching statement?
In mathematics, submitting a teaching statement (also called teaching philosophy or similar names) is part of the application package for any teaching jobs (and most research jobs). I suspect it is a ...
11
votes
5answers
421 views
Are there downsides to speculative applications for academic jobs?
Speculative applications, i.e. application without a job announcement being published, are common (well, at least normal) in non-academic jobs. But I am not sure the situation is the same in academia. ...
10
votes
3answers
197 views
How important is the publication venue for academic hiring and grant applications?
A comment in this question says: but spending some money to publish in a high rank journal can open more funding opportunities in future, doesn't it?. In another post, JeffE writes in this answer:
...
14
votes
4answers
573 views
How important is a online reputation for academics? [duplicate]
I catch myself too often thinking about how to become more visible and present online instead of doing Great Research™.
But how important is it to be very visible online for academics and researcher ...
3
votes
2answers
194 views
Math PhD application process
I expect to be graduating with a maths BSc (with an honours year, in Australia) in the not-too-distant future. I’d like to pursue a PhD in pure maths, with the view of becoming a research ...
17
votes
5answers
309 views
Archiving papers, simulation and experimental data, etc?
Archiving of papers and projects is very important for most of the people, and everyone has a method of it.
I, personally, try to have different folders for different papers. In the folder of each ...
28
votes
5answers
2k views
Should I leave academia?
First some background. Two years ago I joined a research group as a research associate. My intention in obtaining that position was to publish with the group and build some academic capital, but in ...
9
votes
4answers
369 views
What is the downside of not pursuing postdoctoral fellowship position?
Suppose after graduating from a PhD program, you don't do a post-doc. Are the chances of getting a tenure-track position severely reduced? Also is it possible to do a post-doc after a completion of a ...
9
votes
8answers
1k views
What is the advantage of becoming a full professor if you already have tenure as an associate professor?
What is the advantage of becoming a full professor if you are already an associate professor with tenure? Why not just stay an associate professor for life? What is the key difference between an ...
4
votes
2answers
219 views
Do community colleges have good math libraries?
Do community colleges have good mathematics libraries (with advanced books)? I am sure that it is different from place to place. I am interested to get some feeling of the general situation.
11
votes
1answer
139 views
How an academic can reconcile the problem of collaboration and competition with colleagues at the same time?
In many fields of academia, a professor must get grants to fund his research (e.g., medicine, biology).
Early in academic career, a scientist can have naive expectations about how things work in ...
4
votes
2answers
111 views
Contract versus ongoing positions in academia
Why are a majority of jobs in academia offered on a fixed term basis?
I have noticed that most teaching or researching positions have a contract term (e.g. 3 year contract). Some contracts may be ...
6
votes
3answers
360 views
Does my work in industry carry any weight in academia?
I have no academic (peer-reviewed) publications to my credit but close to 6 years of industry-based experience. I have just completed a PhD in sociology.
Does my work in industry carry any weight in ...
14
votes
3answers
626 views
Important factors for hiring a young mathematician
Let's list important factors for evaluation of a job candidate (for research post doc, assistant professor, tenure track, etc):
Research experience (research articles, research talks, expository ...
52
votes
3answers
664 views
Life as a math professor
I am currently an undergraduate math major in my 3rd year (in America). I have taken lots of pure math courses, and anything I put in my resume tells potential employers I'm probably going to be an ...
11
votes
2answers
627 views
Rumor mill and math job
After starting the application process this year, I found a wiki page at UC Davis that lists people who have supposedly been shortlisted, invited for interviews, or given offers for faculty positions ...
9
votes
3answers
341 views
Importance of Undergraduate Research
How important is it for an undergraduate student majoring in Physics and Mathematics (or any other science) to have experience in research (e.g., have a peer reviewed paper to his name most probably ...
7
votes
2answers
178 views
MD-Phd (MSTP): What are the benefits?
I have BS in Biotech, an MS in Neuroscience and applying MD-Phd next June. I have always wanted to go into academia and eventually establish my own lab. However, I have been receiving a lot of ...
5
votes
1answer
114 views
Optimal journal publications strategy (academic career)
Suppose that I've written 10 academic papers. Which CV is the best for academic appointments?
5 publications in mid-high ranked journals, 5 in low ranked (but nevertheless peer-reviewed) journals.
5 ...
2
votes
2answers
194 views
How many years of industrial experience needed for a Mechatronics Professor?
I have a Bachelor's in EE and Master's in Automation and 3 years experience, including 2 in software development. For me, an academic career would be both more meaningful and professionally rewarding ...
12
votes
6answers
315 views
How does one keep herself updated with new research without forgetting older results?
The title is fairly generic in nature, so I'm trying to elaborate in the body. I'm interested in answers pertaining to Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), but I'm certain the question would be equally ...
10
votes
3answers
755 views
How to contact a potential PostDoc advisor?
Reading this very interesting question ("How long before PhD graduation should I start applying for post-doc positions?") about "when", suddenly I started to reason on the "how" issue.
Imagine you ...
18
votes
2answers
538 views
How long before PhD graduation should I start applying for post-doc positions?
My earliest PhD graduation date is 10 months away. Funding permits me to stay 1–3 months longer, so the final date is still uncertain.
It is never too early to make contacts for possible post-docs. ...
7
votes
2answers
163 views
Can it hurt me to accept a brief “Visiting Lecturer” position?
I must make a difficult decision, so am having to turn to the wider community to gain some perspective.
My situation is the following: I am currently outside USA and am trying to enter academia ...
4
votes
2answers
183 views
Any risks down the line choosing maths vs. stats PhD programme?
It seems funding for a PhD (at least in the UK) is a lot easier to get for a PhD in statistics rather then maths. Provided one can find a supervisor who has the background and research interestes that ...
8
votes
2answers
201 views
How can I apply to be an adjunct faculty?
I am currently a staff researcher at a public research university in the US. While a tenure-track position may be in my future, I would like some of the opportunities and responsibilities now. In ...
11
votes
4answers
190 views
Work in an area or work on problems?
I have a question about two possible career paths, for which I was unable to come up a better title. Let me explain what I mean:
Path 1, Working in an area: By this I mean, making a career by adding ...
6
votes
2answers
99 views
What are the roles and responsibilities of an adjunct faculty?
Is adjunct faculty's duty limited to teaching? Do they have any role in course design, grading, etc.?
What are the other responsibilities, as an adjunct faculty?
16
votes
2answers
798 views
What are some reasons to get (or not get) a PhD?
Lots of people start PhD programs, but far fewer finish (in some programs the drop-out rate is 50% or higher). Some people are motivated to get a PhD by: wanting a job in academia, wanting a job in ...
3
votes
2answers
135 views
Consequences of quiting a masters program (because of a job) and later applying for PhD program
Suppose a student complete 1 year of a masters degree (2 year program). She then decides to accept a job. Later on, she wants to apply to a PhD program. Would it look bad if she didn't finish the ...
5
votes
1answer
182 views
Is it a bad idea to take a leave of absence to finish a degree?
In general, is it better to complete a graduate degree first before deciding to work? Or is it also advisable to take a leave of absence and work while finish your graduate degree later?
9
votes
2answers
745 views
Is it hard to start PhD programme after leaving to work in indusry
Currently I'm finishing my master program in computing. I need to decide between going to industry and starting PhD programme. Having worked a bit with research and industry I prefer the former so ...
8
votes
2answers
372 views
What are some implications of taking a break before a PhD in the US or Europe?
I am a final year physics Master's student. I want to do a PhD after completing my masters. But instead of applying directly after completing masters, I wish to take a break from academics for a year ...
4
votes
3answers
337 views
What are the various designations/stages in the academic career of the person
In context of a person's academic profile in a web application, I need to broadly classify the various degree/designations/stages in the academic career of the person.
For example I would like to ...
15
votes
2answers
474 views
How does the ranking of a university relate to a future career in mathematics?
Although I am an active user of SE, I have chosen to remain anonymous because of the nature of this question. I am currently a graduate student at a university that lands in the mid 70s among U.S. ...
6
votes
1answer
83 views
NSF sponsoring scientist already having postdocs under their supervision
This question seems reasonably focused and of interest, but is perhaps unanswerable. I'm a mathematics student graduating and would like to apply for the NSF postdoctoral fellowship. I wanted to know ...
14
votes
1answer
497 views
How to introduce myself briefly in a get together for new faculty members?
For the new faculty orientation, there is a get together where they will ask every new faculty member of all departments to say a few words about him/her self.
What are the best practices regarding ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Pursuing a Second Master's Degree(Part Time) : pros and cons
I am currently working in a manufacturing company as a software developer and have just completed my masters in control and automation in 2011 with my bachelors in "Electrical and Electronics". My ...
7
votes
2answers
952 views
What are the benefits of getting a PhD in statistics over a MS in statistics?
What are the benefits of getting a PhD in statistics over a MS in statistics (other than being a professor)? Do people with PhDs in statistics earn significantly more than people with MS degrees in ...
4
votes
1answer
178 views
Giving up good position because of studies
I earned my Bachelor Degree in Computer Science 5 years ago. From the moment when I have a diploma in my hands, I thought, enough I never return to academia, no matter what happens. I was very keen to ...
9
votes
1answer
191 views
How (un)usual is changing fields?
For a long time I thought that when I start my PhD, my field of research is fixed for the rest of my academic career. However, I've encountered multiple people who have a PhD in space science or ...
27
votes
3answers
569 views
How is Google Scholar changing academic evaluation?
Google Scholar is making it very easy to track (their measure of) citation counts, h-index, etc. for individual researchers. Is this changing how academics are evaluated? Do tenure committees now ...
18
votes
2answers
346 views
How does the experience of working at a “top” university differ from working at an average one?
Being a professor at the top university in your field must be a very different experience from being a professor at a top 20 university, which must be a very different experience from working at a top ...
