Relevant and adding to that.
I am planning to pursue a PhD (currently at masters) and have many research interests. Some of my interests are more attainable and my knowledge in the domain is good enough to make contributions and publish papers and get a PhD faster than usual. However I feel that those research areas have small impact as compared to other and makes me not want to dedicate a significant amount of time to something I know will probably impact a very small slice of the pie.
Other research interests I don't know as much about, or what I know is from a class settings. Some of those interests I didn't enjoy working on in the past as part of my courses but I am still considering a PhD on them. Mostly because they can have a much larger scientific impact.
My main motivation for doing a PhD is the scientific impact that my research can have and how I can help solve problems that can have some sort of application.
Research Interests Include:
AI, Reinforcement Learning, Machine Learning with specific applications in Software Engineering and/or Social Networks, Robotics, Motion
So here are my questions:
- Is it acceptable to apply for a PhD program that I know not as much about but am willing to learn?
- How would it reflect on a PhD program application diverse research interest topics with more than a handful faculty?
- What should be my main motivation behind choosing a topic?
- What questions should I be asking to narrow down my interests?