Bieber et al., NJIT ©2009 - Slide 1
Excelling as a Ph.D. Student
Michael BieberInformation Systems DepartmentCollege of Computing Sciences
New Jersey Institute of Technologyhttp://web.njit.edu/~bieber
Bieber et al., NJIT ©2009 - Slide 2
References
• Various presentations on IS Ph.D. Web pages, including:
– How to have a Bad Career in Research / Academia (Dr. David Patterson, UC Berkley)
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Utilize Your Committee• Replace “your advisor” in these slides with
– Your committee members– The IS faculty
• Your advisor is on your side. Keep him or her up to date on your progress.
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Know the Faculty• They are on your side
• Have other opportunities for research – Also can write recommendations
• Read their web sites
• Visit during office hours
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Build a Support Structure– Support fellow students (peers)
• Not just those in your research group or your advisor’s
• Give thoughtful feedback to their presentations• Review peers’ papers before submission• Attend all defenses and other talks• Help out their research & experiments• And they will support you• Spend time with them
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Build a Support Structure– Be on campus most of the week– Know Ph.D. students at other universities
• Part of your peer group
– Don’t neglect family and friends
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Establish Reputation• Do good research• Publish• Pursue grants• Review papers well• Attend conferences• Communicate well • Post thoughtfully on e-forums• Join relevant online communities
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Read• Read broadly in your field
– Know classic papers– Know models– Know SOTA
• Ask advisor, peers for readings
• Diversify to consider new approaches
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Learn Research Methods• Learn a broad set of research methods
– Especially those for your research– Others for future use
• Find classes– Other departments, Rutgers, UMDNJ– Sometimes can sit in on these or audit– Also for interesting classes besides research methods
• Volunteer to help peers (and faculty)– in experiments– in data analysis
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Get Grant Experience• Looks great on CV
– Requirement for promotion later
• Could help fund your Ph.D. research– NSF: Graduate Research Fellowship Program– Look at other agencies– Graduate Studies: other fellowships
• Volunteer to help advisor write proposals• Volunteer to review advisor’s proposals
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Publish Early and Often• Requirement for employment• Helps in getting recognized
• Find faculty or student co-authors• Start with conferences, refine for journals• Special issues
– Often a bit easier for acceptance– You could (co-)edit a special issue
• If your own paper is included, use external reviewers
• Ask advisor and peers to review before submission
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Review• Volunteer to review
– With editors for conferences and journals
• Ask to help your advisor on his/her reviewing
• Ask your advisor to look over your reviews
• Offer to review papers peers submit
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Attend Conferences• Get introduced at conferences
– By advisor, peers, people you know– “so and so introduced us”– (and introduce others)
• Introduce yourself– Including senior people in the field
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Always prepare a question…• Always to go conferences /meetings with an
interesting question about a research problem you’re facing– Your mission: ask as many well-known people as you
can (& take notes)
• Have a research answer to “how are you?”– Pretty busy, and isn’t the weather lousy… (versus)– I’m doing well. I’m working on a really interesting
research project… (your elevator statement)
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Elevator Statement• ALWAYS have your elevator statement ready
(for conferences & NJIT )– My research is about… – It addresses this interesting issue…– 30-45 seconds– Practice this with peers, in front of mirror
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Communicate Well• Need to express your ideas effectively
– Orally and Written!– Use Strunk & White, The Elements of Style– Join toastmasters (at NJIT or externally)– Review papers, presentations, proposals– Present regularly
• To research group, IS Seminar, outside NJIT• Practice with peers and your advisor
– Take ESL classes– Advisors get frustrated when advisees don’t write well…
• Consider paying a professional editor
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Excel as a Teacher• You’ll feel good about yourself
• Student evaluations in your CV, hiring
• Get a mentor for your teaching– Advisor, course coordinator, other good profs
• Attend teaching seminars
• Improve your English at ESL classes
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Manage your time• Guard your time jealously
– Don’t over-commit; learn to say “no”
• Set time to read and research• e.g., 3 hours each morning before reading email• 8-10 p.m. each day• Specific times
• Set aside specific sanity time– Save time for your family (or yourself)
• e.g., 2 nights a week and all day Saturday• Don’t even check email at those times
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Let us know about Problems• Research Problems:
– Don’t waste too much time if you hit a big problem
– Talk to your advisor and peers– Not impossible to change topics
• Though it may really slow you down
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Let us know about Problems• Personal / at home / with family
• With your advisor
• With your classes
• At work (especially for part-time students)
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Excelling as a Ph.D. Student• Build a support structure & be on campus• Establish Reputation• Read widely & research well• Publish & pursue grants• Review well• Attend conferences• Communicate well • Teach well• Manage your time & let us know about problems