New answers tagged phd
1
Yes, in the US, start with the list you link to. A lot of them are large State funded universities and they have large faculties and most of them cover most fields. But to narrow it to a single field you need to do some research yourself.
They will all have websites listing faculty by department. Some of them also list graduate students. Find departments ...
1
A deliberately blunt answer from someone who started in academia, pivoted, then worked in industry, and has now pivoted fields again and works in a mixture of academia and industry.
Suck it up and get your Ph.D. It sounds like you're doing just fine, progressing along. It's not exciting you, but what my trail (listed above) has taught me is that one spends ...
0
I'd suggest staying on and getting your degree. The reason is that a materials science PhD can be valuable even minus the thesis because of the training you get en route.
In a typical US / CAN materials program, for example, you would likely have trained to use at least some experimental tools (SEM, TEM, EBSD, XRD, OIM and so on).
These can be very ...
1
You seem to be pretty close to the end. The topic of your dissertation doesn't require that you never study other things. You future is for you to decide.
Many people change fields quite drastically after finishing a doctorate. I switched from math to CS because of the job market. I knew nothing of CS, nor even programming until I'd finished the doctorate. ...
1
Any clues what I should expect and how I should prepare? How much can
they rip me apart in 30 mins?
My number one tip: don't go into it expecting to be ripped apart, they're academics, not leopards! :)
Seriously, though, every PhD interview I had (UK, cosmology, three years ago) was very friendly and relatively informal. Some were more informal than ...
1
Yes, unfortunately, and there is precedent (although not specifically with Iran). In Canada, we had a problem between our government and that of Saudi Arabia. The government of Saudi Arabia chose to restrict how their students could study here (explanation here).
So to the question: is it possible? Yes it is and has happened before. However, as @Buffy ...
4
Can political escalation between Iran and the western world affect Iranian students in getting admission from university in Canada, Australia, and European Countries?
I will go ahead and disagree with Buffy, many other on this page and get plenty of downvotes. The truth is yes, it can very well effect your chances. Here is an example,
https://nltimes.nl/...
3
The Warsaw pact was dissolved almost 30 years ago. It had nothing to do with higher education and research (only collective defense). Its relevance to modern-day academia is close to zero.
The Warsaw pact included countries/regions as different as East Germany, Albania, or Azerbaidjan. There is absolutely no reason to believe that diplomas from these places ...
0
I would say, from what I understand, the answer depends on who is doing the valuation. I have seen people claiming certain school/countries has a bias towards phds from the US. I have also heard that it was better to do your PhD in US if you want to stay in US afterwards and it was better to do your PhD in Europe if you want to stay in Europe. It is hard for ...
1
I am a first year PhD student in theoretical computer science (formal methods), which is close enough to math that I think my experience my be relevant. (Also my undergrad is in math.). When I applied to programs I did multiple interviews like this. In my experience the technical questions pertained to:
literature written by or related to the work of the ...
0
What is your purpose with your pure math study?
If deepening your math knowledge, that's OK. Still, you can have struggles as your classmates will be having math bachelor degrees, they know a lot more about mathematics and see mathematics from a different angle than you. Proofs everywhere.
Pure math students live 24-hours for mathematics, it's their ...
2
One simple answer is no, the two aren't equally valued, because the two are also not even regarded as equal. As a trite example, consider that many European countries (especially the German-influenced ones) are very picky about which letters you can put before or after your name. I have a dual-degree, so I am "allowed" to use Dr. as a legal part of my name ...
0
The best short answer I can give as to the nature of pure mathematics and what pure mathematicians actually do at the highest levels is exemplified, perhaps best, by David Hilbert in proposing a set (23 or 24, depending) of problems worth studying: Hilbert's Problems.
He looked at what was known to be true in math around 1900 and what was not known. From ...
1
Although this is not directly answering the OP’s question (I agree with a previous answer that the question presents a false dichotomy of mathematics), my answer aims to shed light on what mathematics is and is not.
Mathematics is an art-form and at the heart of this art-form is proof.
Whereas science relies on evidence and the scientific method, ...
3
If both of your institutions participate in the Council of Graduate Schools, there's something called the April 15 resolution (cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution) where you don't have to accept an offer until April 15. That way you don't have to feel pressured to accept an offer until you've gotten them. It's still early enough where schools are deciding offers.
1
You can ask, but the most likely answer is that no information can be given. Decisions may not be finalized until near the deadline. There may be regulations that prohibit giving out information to individuals prior to agreed-on dates.
Mentioning the other problem does you no good and might possibly do harm. The admissions committee isn't going to disrupt ...
9
Welcome to the forum! A mathematician, I forget who, once jokingly remarked that applied maths was like the dark side, because applied mathematicians had more money and dressed in cool clothes, whereas pure maths, well, you get the drift, I'm sure. (I think he was joking, at least).
Studying pure maths can be extremely satisfying, intellectually if not ...
2
In the US this would certainly be unusual and at many universities, impossible. Admission to doctoral programs is done by a committee and there are cost implications for admitting a student. Space is needed, if nothing else. An individual professor, most places, has little control over that.
You can ask, of course, and there is no issue with exploring ...
50
I'm a pure mathematician, and my first impression is that your question seems to be assuming a dichotomy in pure mathematics that isn't really there. The vast majority of pure mathematicians, it seems to me, at times have to deal with abstract structures and do the sort of "thinking and reasoning" with them that you've seen in your analysis and group theory ...
15
It is not really clear to me where you draw the line between "reasoning" and "trick". I can assure you, though, that pure mathematics gets very abstract and very theoretical very quickly.
What skills are necessary: First of all, you will be frustrated very often and you need to "like" that (a mathematician is somebody wants to be frustrated, rather than ...
3
That would be a valid interpretation provided the statement is about oneself. More likely they attended for some period of time and left before finishing. There are many reasons for leaving, some personal and some academic. You can't draw conclusions about why they left from a simple statement. But, most likely, they have no intent or no possibility at this ...
1
A PhD is just vocational training for researchers, so if a company is not looking for a researcher then the PhD should be a disadvantage; you are not going to hire a carpenter if you want a plumber.
In practice, it is a bit more complicated because the PhD has the undeserved stigma as "highest" level of education. So a PhD could still get an advantage even ...
3
Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable within reason. Mathematicians will be judging you based on what you say and how you think, not what you wear. And if a future advisor for whatever strange reason judges you poorly based on what you like to wear, you probably don't want them as an advisor.
Remember, you've been accepted. You are now trying to find an ...
2
I'd suggest you make an appointment with your director or studies or ombudsman (or whoever else is in charge). You should explain the problem to them in an honest way like you did in this question, and ask them what are your options and what they recommend. At the very least you need to inform them that there are some issues with your supervisor, so that ...
2
However, come time for the actual conference, my advisor had switched projects on me, and what I presented was nothing at all related to the session of that day.
changed her mind when I went out and actually got an offer
she will take my inquiries as a personal attack
The past few years feel like a textbook definition of Gaslighting
Your ...
2
Yes, it's completely normal for a committee to review a PhD student's research. Research includes novel ideas.
The committee may help you improve your ideas. Usually faculty have more ideas than they need and, as a result, have no need to steal any.
3
I have been faculty in a program that did something like this. But the presentations were more open. Other doctoral students and many involved faculty.
Ideally it shouldn't be a problem. People should be able to give candidates advice after seeing what they are working on and thinking about.
However, if it is a problem, and you have reason to fear people ...
1
That really sucks.
I had a messy situation during my MSc which took me over 3 years, in part due to supervisors being flimsy and in part due to me losing my own motivation. There was also a project which changed direction halfway through, into the exact opposite of what I wanted. I had told them ahead of time, that the one thing I refused to do was work ...
0
Business casual. If you assume 20 students, you'll have 1 that wears a suit (or even just a tie) and look oddly out of place. Probably 5 that wear jeans. And look fine, but maybe a little undergrad-y. The rest in business casual. Given the economics, probably not even that fancy of a business casual.
My rec (for a man, don't know women's attire): ...
0
I wore khaki's, dress shirt, tie, and sport coat when I was in your position. The professor remarked that he was impressed that I took the occasion serious enough to look sharp. However, I would agree with others here that a tie is probably not necessary. Chinos, a dress shirt and a nice blazer/sport coat looks really sharp without looking overdressed in ...
-3
I would call the university and ask if they have any particular preference. However, let’s assume that they do not, I highly suggest that you wear the type of clothing that makes you feel the most confident. Mind you, you need to balance that notion with the fact that you are going to be at a university. But the underlying idea is that if you believe that ...
13
Math professors tend to be pretty casual dressers compared to those in other disciplines. Wearing khaki pants and a collared shirt (polo or button down) would put one towards the dressier end of the spectrum at most places, and jeans and a t-shirt / hoody are usually unlikely to cause one to stand out.
I think that if you were to wear a suit and tie to ...
0
Normal ? regrettably I would consider this semi normal.
A good situation ? absolutely not.
Is the situation likely to get any better? from your description definitely not.
As you say that you only started 1.5 years ago, and you are in a bad situation, change groups, and if that isn't possible leave or change university.
0
First of all, it depends on the University, so the best answer is probably to ask someone there, if you are already in personal contact with any Professors or graduate students there.
That being said, I would be extremely surprised if anyone expected you to wear a suit or even a tie. Many professors I visited with on my visits (Computer Science, U.S.) were ...
9
Is it common to just email and ask for the source code or would that be considered somehow inappropriate?
It's not improper to ask. Consider some core values of the scientific world:
Reproducibility: for research to be truly valid, others should be able to reproduce it. This is why publishing source code is encouraged.
Standing on the shoulders of giants: ...
27
Whether common or not, it is acceptable to ask. Ask the main professor, who may pass on the request to a co-author.
I'd suggest that you only give a small amount of detail in the initial request but offer to say more if you like. But don't flood the professor in the initial request. Mention that you have a draft, but don't send it. And you can certainly ...
2
In many countries (Germany being a well known example, and I know this is the case in the Netherlands as well) the use of the "Dr." title is protected by law. Using the title without having obtained the appropriate degree is an offense it these jurisdictions and can be prosecuted. In other jurisdictions it can be less spelled out, but generally it would ...
5
Engineering, like business, is an extremely popular major because it has good employment prospects. It's also well-funded relative to more academic disciplines, because it's easier to get funding from both private and public sources for "useful" research.
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Obligatory disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
In Germany, using a Dr. title without having earned it is illegal, and it is punished with imprisonment up to one year or with a monetary fine (this is a link to the relevant law in German).
The mechanism available to denounce this is to report the offending person to the police. ...
1
Many people have quitted PhD studies before, some of them have asked about it on this site.
If the situation is as bad as you describe it, it is probably best for you to to try to switch to a different advisor, either at your university or at a different one. Maybe you can talk with the people in the other lab you worked. If you did well there, they might ...
0
Perhaps it matters less than you think. Some people are absolutely driven to work in a very specialized domain. Others, at the other end of the scale, are just attracted to academia. I was somewhere in between. I knew I wanted to be an educator and I knew I wanted to work in mathematics, but, beyond that, I wasn't especially committed to any one thing.
The ...
0
If you read random papers on arXiv without having research experience or knowing how to choose, your chance to find something that awakens your interest is very little. Normally, this problem is solved by doing some research during your Master's program. You say that there are very few research opportunities for students at your university, so become active ...
4
I guess I don't understand your dilemma. You have an offer. If it seems better than your current situation overall, you should consider taking it. Your age is not material to such questions. You will eventually be 50 and then 70, if you are lucky, no matter what your choice is now.
If you've been misused in the past, don't let it color your decisions.
...
1
It is common to include award values for research grants, including training fellowships, in a CV. Done with tact, I would see this as a positive and unlikely to be taken as arrogant.
3
This is a common problem which is very hard to solve.
I suggest telling your supervisor that they need to set a timeline for completion of the project. If the supervisor sets the deadlines for themselves, they might be more likely to stick to the deadlines. If you do this, be sure you meet the deadlines set for you.
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Unfortunately, your description sounds familiar and is not umcommon. PhD advisors often have more tasks they can manage in their limited time, so they have to set priorities which means that some things are done and others more or less forgotten (new things keep pouring in...). So if you desperately want or need the feedback you have to make sure to rise in ...
-1
Your supervisor has acted with hipocrisy, has no interpersonal skills and should resign himself right away to supervise you. This might be just a supervisor's strategy to avoid problems in their publication goals and an attempt of gaslighting you and the department managers. Take your work with you (if any), estimate whether you should ask for a supervisor ...
-2
Write to your supervisor asking for clarifications on the writing process and how is the supervisor input supposed to be. Suggest to your supervisor that the authorship is under risk if you are the only contributor, that you are not going to waste your time with the paper (which can have an effect in the future) or that you might get interested in your own ...
2
My supervisor seemed understanding, telling me I was 'one of the strongest students' he'd taught, and not to worry as sometimes life gets in the way, and I should take a study break if necessary.
Taking a break seems a great idea, I think your supervisor said good things here.
I therefore took a year off, and came off the medication.
It is great to know ...
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