Who Is To Find Research Ideas in Computer Science Research: PhD Student or Adviser? [duplicate]

Question

Is a PhD student in Computer Science always expected to come up with new ideas or it is the responsibility of the adviser to provide some idea and guide the student to solve the problems in achieving that idea?

My PhD adviser wants me to give project ideas all by myself. He is not very good with new ideas and if he comes up with an idea he becomes the first author. So ideally to become a first author and complete my graduation, I've to find ideas all by myself and I don't get any useful suggestion from him either. I understand as a PhD student I should be able to find out problems but at the same time I expect some input from him. At least guide me to some specific direction or help me from a high level. Am I expecting too much or is my adviser's action appropriate? FYI, I'm at the end of my 2nd year and I've been working with him for 1 year. My major is Computer Science.

Answer 1

The goal of the Ph.D is that you become a researcher that can do research by himself (find topics, solutions, etc.). However, during the Ph.D., the supervisor should still give you some guidance. Now the question is how much guidance? The answer depends on the supervisor. There are some professors that are very busy and thus do not give much guidance, and there are also some professors that will look at what you are doing more closely. I would not see it as a problem if a supervisor told his student to find the topics by himself. Actually, if your supervisor is giving you more autonomy, it may be good in the end as the goal is that you become an independent researcher. Also, it is normal that during the Ph.D. you have more freedom than when you were doing a master degree because you are on your path to become an independent researcher.