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@njit.edu

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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