Questions tagged [early-career]
On issues affecting academics or researchers specifically in the early stages of their careers.
245
questions
9
votes
4answers
575 views
Does it make sense to “pause” an academic career so that I can pursue financial independence and self-fund my research?
I graduated with a bachelor’s in the humanities last year. I would have preferred to continue studying, but I don’t have the money, and I have found very few opportunities for full funding where I ...
4
votes
3answers
379 views
How do I move forward after working with a toxic academic supervisor?
How do I move forward after working with a toxic academic supervisor who ruined my all job opportunities by giving negative referrals, when my next job is asking referee report from him?
If anyone has ...
-1
votes
1answer
143 views
Is Research Right for me?
I am going to start college in a while and one of the programs I've applied for is a Bachelors in Technology followed by Masters in Science Program which is a consolidated program here and can be done ...
0
votes
0answers
69 views
Finding time for the associate editor job – should one ask institute's management?
An early career researcher (ECR) is asked to become an associate editor for a reputable classical journal. Of course, no renumeration is offered. Based on the experience of other ECRs in a similar ...
0
votes
0answers
62 views
Pros and Cons of being an editor for an edited book volume
I am early in my tenure track position. I have just completed my post-doc and PhD two years ago. In collaboration with colleagues, we have recently circulated call-for-papers for an edited book.
What ...
2
votes
0answers
124 views
TAing for two young hotshot postdocs (possible “in” for future research)? or TAing a lab with more student engagement?
Incoming theoretical physics PhD student in the US.
I hope to get into academia after my PhD.
When listing TA preferences, would it behoove my career goal more to list as my top preference a course ...
0
votes
2answers
173 views
Is a math bachelor the right choice for me? [closed]
I am currently a student in high school, who plans on going to university.
As of now, I am planning to pursue my bachelors degree in mathematics in the UK and then go on to do a PhD in computer ...
1
vote
1answer
90 views
Specialise now or broaden knowledge?
I am currently an undergraduate student in mathematics coming to the end of a 4-year Bachelor degree. I have strong credentials (good marks, plus research and teaching experience) and have been doing ...
11
votes
5answers
1k views
Am I taking a wrong approach while looking for an academic position in applied areas - brutal criticisms appreciated! [closed]
After a PhD in pure mathematic, I wanted to do work in applied areas where I could bring in my pure math expertise. So I did two postdocs in computational medical imaging where I could apply my pure ...
6
votes
3answers
438 views
Is there a way out of losing interest in science during a PhD?
My concern is that I completely lost interest in science over the past few months, however, I am still towards the end of my first year of my PhD studies. I will offer some background:
I have always ...
27
votes
6answers
8k views
When someone cites one of your papers, is it a good idea to send an email to the authors to show appreciation?
For an early career researcher in physics or science in general, is it a good idea to send a "thank you" email to other authors who cited one of the researcher's papers? Will this be perceived in a ...
2
votes
1answer
240 views
I have somehow completed my PhD without having the required theoretical understanding of my field. Can I have an academic career? [duplicate]
I have an undergrad in mechanical engineering. My Masters, PhD was in Mechanical too. However, I have never been academically strong (grades were majorly C and B+). I had to retake advanced ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
Would it be ok/wise to end my PhD contract after submitting my PhD thesis in order to be able to start a new job at that time?
I would like to start looking for a job in the period preceding the submission of my thesis, so that if I’m lucky and I find a job, I could end my PhD contract (around PhD submission time) and take on ...
3
votes
4answers
283 views
Very highly regarded (but also very abrasive) secondary PhD supervisor - how much should I involve him in my project?
I'm doing a PhD and I have two people listed down as my supervisors for the project, who I will call supervisors A and B. I get on really well with supervisor A, he makes constructive suggestions in a ...
1
vote
1answer
244 views
How do you interpret the feedbacks of my boss [closed]
I have a PhD in biological sciences but working (for two years by now) as a data analyst (I can say something like a bioinformatician) in a university analysing cancer omics
My boss says that I am an ...
1
vote
5answers
72 views
What are the subjects that one must learn while an undergraduate to pursue an academic career in Biophysics? [closed]
I am an undergraduate student pursuing a B.Sc(Hons.) degree in Physics. I want to pursue an academic career in Biophysics. So, I wanted to know which subjects are required for higher studies in ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views
Post-Doc foundation fellowship vs. private contractor (ORISE vs. McNeal)
I'm a post-doc research fellow working in a government lab and my supervisor has "offfered" to renew my position through a private contracting company (McNeal), instead of the my current funding ...
19
votes
7answers
7k views
Choosing between a Post-Doc and a faculty position at “2nd-tier” institution
I am Ph.D. student in India working in computer science. I will be graduating soon. I have two options: 1) post-doc 2) join a "tier 2 institute" (i.e., an institution ranked between #11 and #20 in ...
36
votes
5answers
4k views
How to become a better researcher in a shorter amount of time?
This question could also be read as :
As a professional researcher, you wish you would have done some things differently than you did when starting your research career. Things that would have ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
How to reach out for research collaboration?
I am an early career researcher (pre-PhD) and planning to work on research articles before applying to PhD studies. May I ask is there any clear cut method to approach well-established scholars to ask ...
4
votes
1answer
199 views
Becoming an Engineer with a Math degree
I'm not sure if this is entirely the correct stack exchange for my question, but the career stack exchange seemed to have a different focus from what I'm looking for. My question is: Can I work in ...
2
votes
1answer
319 views
How can I better equip myself early on for pure mathematics research? [closed]
From discussions about the nature of pure mathematics research I reached to a conclusion that it requires both- theory building; that is to create rigourous concepts relevant to the problem one ...
-2
votes
1answer
162 views
How to deal with a relationship and the need to move abroad? [closed]
I am in a long term relationship (almost 9 years) and in the last half of my PhD. Inevitably I will have to move abroad for a postdoc, after that I will probably move abroad again, and I don't know ...
1
vote
4answers
387 views
Prizes on Academic CVs
I rarely see academic prizes mentioned on academic CVs. I suppose many students who are completeting a PhD also have a few of such prizes. I am thinking, amongst others, about
best MSc dissertation,
...
2
votes
1answer
202 views
I am extremely passionate about entropy/physics, but I don't think I can get into grad school. What can I do to pursue these topics sustainably? [closed]
I am a recent graduate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland with a 2.94 GPA and a 3.01 major GPA and I am completely obsessed with entropy and the foundations of quantum physics. I'...
73
votes
9answers
26k views
I wasted six years of my life getting a PhD degree. What should I do, and how will I survive?
I struggled with low self confidence throughout my bachelors, masters and PhD in chemical engineering. After spending two years in Masters and six years in getting a PhD degree, I am lost at what I ...
0
votes
2answers
207 views
What should I do to make the most of a stopgap postdoc position offered by my PhD supervisor?
I am a PhD in computational materials science, and I have been offered a stop gap postdoc position (at the moment for 6 months) by my PhD supervisor which I will be starting a month after my defense. ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
How much actual funding does a Marie Curie fellowship entail?
The EU has a research fellowship program named after Physicist Marie Skłodowska-Curie. The website lacks a bunch of information, but I'm specifically interested in understanding what kind of funding ...
4
votes
5answers
743 views
Are there any examples of people who successfully did a startup AND worked in academia? Or is it better to just choose one?
I'm a newly minted PhD researcher from Sweden who just finished my defense this summer (after a really stressfull and draining final year). Ever since then I have been thinking about my future in ...
-2
votes
1answer
82 views
Best way to position yourself to contribute greatly to a very new field? [closed]
I'm in my undergrad and am interested in brain-computer interfacing, but the field is still very new and undetermined.
My hope is to be at the forefront of the field of BCI and be in a position ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
How do you advise an early career researcher who has an unrealistic opinion of their prospects?
One often reads stories along the lines of "I was told I wasn't suited to a career in academia; now I'm a professor at < Big Name University >". At the same time, given the structure of the ...
26
votes
5answers
4k views
Giving a talk on a different topic than what we discussed
I'm a postdoc in mathematics. I had a conversation with a professor after he gave a talk at my university, and he seemed interested in my ideas. I sent him an email the next day to elaborate on our ...
4
votes
0answers
263 views
What could be a next thing after my theoretical physics career has not worked out? [closed]
Perhaps this question is about leaving the academia, but hopefully it's still in the right place. Given that many people have been there before, I'll spare you most of the personal details. Late in my ...
2
votes
2answers
317 views
Should I get a CS PhD if I'm only interested in industry research? [closed]
I'm currently working on a masters in CS and working at a university as research faculty (my title is 'research engineer'). I'm in the branch that does mostly contract work with the government or ...
25
votes
3answers
6k views
Is it worth delving deep outside my field to revise a paper?
I have a paper that got lost in the editorial pipeline for about a year due to the second reviewer dropping out and not telling anyone. During that year, I didn't revisit the paper much; it was a ...
2
votes
3answers
459 views
Supervisor lack of knowledge
I am a doctoral student in the engineering area in Europe, Belgium. I applied for the project in which I am in April and was accepted. I also had other offers from England.
I liked the subject and ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
What should I do if my parents are forcing me to study a career I don't want? [closed]
I want to study biotechnology and become an engineer. I'm a straight A's student and as the eldest daughter I'm quite disciplined. However, my parents don't want me to study that career and are ...
1
vote
1answer
78 views
My R01 application was re-assigned to a study section that doesn't seem like a good fit (NIH)
I submitted my first ever R01 application a few weeks ago and indicated that it be assigned to a specific study section (let's call it study section A). Yesterday, I received an email from the chief ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
Would preaching in a church be advantageous for becoming a lecturer?
In general, the job of a lecturer (under Australian terminology- I think the terminology is different in America) can be divided up into two main areas of focus: research and teaching, with the latter ...
4
votes
2answers
292 views
How important is teaching experience?
I am a PhD student in economics in the UK. Recently, I have been hearing how important teaching experience is to find a job in academia as a lecturer. One needs to submit teaching statements and may ...
3
votes
1answer
204 views
Personal qualities required for a career in academia? [closed]
I am looking to apply for research programmes after I complete my undergraduate degree. While I thoroughly enjoy research, I'm worried about whether this is the best field for me to pursue.
What ...
3
votes
2answers
936 views
PhD research results in postdoc talk presentation
I am a PhD candidate and have been invited to visit two labs where I had applied for postdoc positions after initial online interviews. My question is regarding the content of my talk, which I think ...
1
vote
1answer
279 views
What should one consider when pondering a career as a scientific editor? [closed]
I'm in my 2nd year postdoc, considering getting a science-related job. I looked for jobs at PhD level, and found that one of my options is becoming an editor for a scientific journal.
How many years'...
4
votes
1answer
135 views
Uploading paper drafts before first-time publication
I am half-way through a Masters degree in Logic and Philosophy of Science following a BSc in Astrophysics. Although I've dreamed for years about getting a paper published, I still haven't submitted ...
6
votes
1answer
171 views
Getting a Postdoc, Dropping out of PhD for Greener Pastures (I hope), or else Staying Competitive in Current Position
I've seen similar questions on here before so I'm sorry if it's a duplicate or anything.
Frequently, I find myself in despair at my postdoc prospects as a result of the reputation of the university ...
4
votes
1answer
200 views
Is it appropriate to ask for a $220k piece of equipment on an ESI R01 application to the NIH?
I'm an early stage investigator (ESI) working on an NIH-R01 application where I am proposing a good amount of experiments that necessitate this piece of equipment that costs $220,000. This piece of ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
What affiliation(s) to list in an oral presentation at a conference?
I'm a doctoral candidate at a big university and am teaching as an adjunct at a smaller university. I'll be graduating with my PhD in a few months and I'm hoping to get a tenure-track job at the ...
2
votes
1answer
166 views
Postdoc speculative application [closed]
I am just about to finish my PhD and a prof I know well and I were discussing future postdoc labs. They suggested I email a friend of theirs in the US. I got a very positive reply saying my research ...
2
votes
0answers
80 views
How to differentiate which conference to publish to? [closed]
There are many conferences, let's take example cryptography.
I assume it makes a difference if you publish at a good conference
as compared to a bad conference. The question is then: how do I find
...
16
votes
3answers
912 views
Husband and wife publishing together - Problem for tenure-track jobs?
My husband and I work in the same research area (of theoretical computer science). We were in the same PhD program and even had the same advisor. We are a great collaboration team, and really enjoy ...
