79
votes
Accepted
Considering a second PhD, this time in statistics. Will any professors be interested in working with me?
As most of the comments already say, doing a second PhD is probably not a good use of your time and not very helpful. From an industry perspective you have a math PhD, that means you are very smart ...
- 8,037
79
votes
Accepted
Can my former PhD adviser force me to complete tasks after quitting his research group?
Do not sign any document you are not sure about. Do not sign a document that assigns property to someone else unless you are getting fairly paid for it.
Your PhD advisor cannot force you to do ...
- 100k
48
votes
Professors refusing to write recommendation letter due to change of field
Your professors are in essence, trying to help. They think that their letters would not carry enough weight to help you. They may be thinking about if they'd admit a student from a different field ...
- 31.4k
40
votes
Can you work in physics research with a data science degree?
However, I love physics, I read books at home, watch documentaries and
research on my own.
Engaging with popular books and documentaries on physics can be exciting and inspiring, but it's almost ...
- 3,668
34
votes
Accepted
Skills Difference between Theoretical Physicists and Mathematicians
My opinion departs rather significantly from the main line seen in most of the answers here, so I'll write another answer.
I have a PhD in physics and transitioned between physics and math many times, ...
- 2,506
29
votes
How realistic it is to change to a different field of mathematics after PhD?
I think it's quite misleading to hold up examples of very talented mathematicians or mathematicians from the distant past. The answer depends heavily on the field you want to switch into, hold ...
- 26.5k
28
votes
Prospective employers tell me my field is obsolete. How can I reinvent myself?
Suppose you work in an extremely narrow field: Nuclear powered monochromatic robotic underwater nine inch basket weaving. Suppose that you write the seminal paper in that field, effectively killing it ...
- 399k
27
votes
Accepted
Could number of years in Phd affect your chances to get employed in academia?
If you want to do the doctorate, then just do it. Never mind about the rest. While a few people might question the time, I think most realize that there are a lot of reasons that it can take longer ...
- 399k
26
votes
Can my former PhD adviser force me to complete tasks after quitting his research group?
If you sign a document in which you promise to complete unfinished projects, it will become much harder for you to refuse a request to do that, since you will be refusing to do something that you ...
- 202k
23
votes
Skills Difference between Theoretical Physicists and Mathematicians
This is probably a better fit for Mathematics Stack Exchange or Physics Stack Exchange, and might be too opinion-oriented anyway, but for what it's worth I'll give some comments about my experience of ...
- 4,297
21
votes
Skills Difference between Theoretical Physicists and Mathematicians
Here are my opinions based on my experience as a student and as a professor.
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to understand how things worked at a fundamental level. Naturally this led ...
- 311
19
votes
Can my former PhD adviser force me to complete tasks after quitting his research group?
First off: You can't be forced to do anything in any situation where you are walking away (*).
This implies that when you are asked to sign a document, you can decline. You can also decide to sign it, ...
- 191
19
votes
Accepted
(How) Can I switch from field X to field Y after getting my PhD?
First, you should consider: what is your motivation for making this switch, and why do you think you will be successful? Is there some compelling need to make this change (such as limited job ...
16
votes
Skills Difference between Theoretical Physicists and Mathematicians
You've already gotten a lot of answers, but many seem to be from the point of view of mathematicians, or people who do both mathematics and physics. This answer is from the point of view of someone ...
- 9,365
13
votes
Accepted
What to expect when pursuing a second doctorate in an unrelated field
In my experience, nonstandard paths like what you propose are initially viewed with surprise, and with varying degrees of suspicion. That includes admission committees, potential supervisors, fellow ...
- 7,990
13
votes
Switching to Maths after Physics Undergrad
For doctoral study in Math in the US, switching from a Physics undergraduate is reasonable. You wouldn't need to do another undergraduate degree and the funding for a doctorate is much more likely ...
- 399k
12
votes
Tenured professor wanting to go back to school for a PhD in a different field
The two fields are very close together. (Both are essentially different types of applied psychology.) There isn't really even a point in going back to school for this. Just learn the stuff and ...
- 121
12
votes
Accepted
Switching fields within biomedical sciences between PhD and postdoc?
My background for context: BSc Mathematics, MSc Applied Mathematics, PhD Mathematical Modelling in Electrophysiology, Postdoc Biomedical statistician in gastroenterology but I avoided statistics like ...
- 2,054
12
votes
Considering a second PhD, this time in statistics. Will any professors be interested in working with me?
From your question and comments it seems that there are two distinct issues:
Finding a good industry job with your profile: since you mention statistics I assume that you are looking at jobs in the ...
- 13.6k
11
votes
Skills Difference between Theoretical Physicists and Mathematicians
I sit (as an applied mathematician) on a few PhD committees in Physics and I would say the line is quite blurred, many times. The main difference, I would say, lies in the "requirement for proof&...
- 476
10
votes
How realistic it is to change to a different field of mathematics after PhD?
Plenty of people change fields, and it is probably easier in math than in other disciplines, since we don't need any equipment. And for most people, the transition is very natural rather than forced.
...
- 6,808
10
votes
Changing research interests as an undergrad?
Your undergrad career is actually the best time to explore different research interests. It is much easier now, when you are an undergrad, than it would be at any later stage.
There is no ethical ...
- 110k
10
votes
Doing a PhD in sociology as a computer scientist – is it possible?
No, there's no legitimate way for you to get an online PhD in sociology (which is a social science, not humanities, but eh, lables are silly anyway), at least not with the profile you describe. You ...
- 5,639
10
votes
Accepted
How may a young scholar without tenure change their field of research?
Your best hope for getting a postdoc position in a related field where you don't have much expertise is when there's a valid quid pro quo (mutualistic relationship) between you and your postdoc ...
- 5,081
10
votes
Accepted
Telling my department about switching to a new PhD program - moral dilemma
What's the best way to approach this and tell the department about this?
There is no magic incantation; the approach will be the same as for any other job. Tell them as soon as possible, thank them ...
- 73.4k
10
votes
Switching to Maths after Physics Undergrad
If you are studying at Cambridge you must be taking Natural Sciences. This course teaches physics, but also chemistry, biology, materials science, plant science, etc., so to fit it all in there may ...
- 200
10
votes
Can you work in physics research with a data science degree?
My close friend, a professor at a highly respected university, is in charge of a physics lab doing nano- and biotechnologies. Having a wealth of experimental results to process, he is now seeking to ...
- 4,865
9
votes
Accepted
How to identify future directions in a saturated field without getting discouraged
If you browse through top 10 schools (or researchers') websites, you might get a "feeling" on where (or what) their research is heading towards! For example, you can check what their newest post docs ...
- 3,524
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible