Life after Ph D

Dr S G Deshmukh

ABV-Indian Institute of Information

Technology & Management, Gwalior

Outline

• Expectations from Ph D

• My career path

• Observations and Insights

• Changing nature of Research

• Recent trends and Observations

• Concluding remarks

"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.“

- Chinese proverb

Life evolves (or matures !!)

• Being a doctoral student is like becoming all

of the Seven Dwarves. In the beginning

you're Dopey and Bashful. In the middle, you

are usually sick (Sneezy), tired (Sleepy), and

irritable (Grumpy). But at the end, they call

you Doc, and then you're Happy."

Objectives of Ph D Programme at

IITB • The broad objectives of the

Ph.D. programme is not only to keep pace with the expanding frontiers of knowledge but also to provide research training relevant to the present social and economic objectives of the country.

• The academic programme leading to the Ph.D. degree is broad based and involves a minimum course credit requirement and research thesis.

Expectations at Doctoral level

(QAA, 2001)

• Creation and interpretation of new knowledge

– Through original research, or other advanced scholarship

– Of a quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication

• Systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial

body of knowledge

• At the forefront of an academic discipline or area of

professional practice

• Conceptualise, design and implement a project for the

generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding

• Detailed understanding of applicable techniques for

research and advanced academic enquiry

Why Phd: Ground reality

• Cosmetics !

• Promotion & Career Advancement

• Build, “Think Tank”

• Academic Recognition & Team building

• R&D in Industry

• Promotion of Science & Technology

• Problem Solving

• Export of Expertise

• Learning to work out to minimize efforts to do a

task/job

Driving forces & Sources of Ideas

Driving Forces behind

Ph D

• Interest

• Market forces

• Status

• Recognition

• Dream

• Fire & Spark !!

Sources of Ideas

• Lab

• Library

• Computer

• Internet

• Industry

• Mistakes done in past

Skills developed during Ph D at

IITB • Ph D in Industrial Engineering & OR :

Interdisciplinary programme

• Technical skills : Subject matter

(Optimization)

• Ability to ask questions

• Ability to work independently

• Soft skills: Communication, team work,

perseverance , tenacity

Passport to life after Ph D

certificate

Insights

• Ph D is a prima facie evidence that now you can

do research on your own !

Prof Kripa Shanker, My Ph D examiner

– 20 Mar 1989

Ph.D. is the beginning, not the culmination, of

your career. Don't worry about making it your

magnum opus. Get out sooner, rather than

later.

Enabling agents during Ph D

• Role of supervisor (My supervisor : Prof A Subash Babu) : Extremely important : Friend , Philosopher & Guide !

• Role of the peers : Provide technical and emotional support system , act as buffer

• Role of the Institute (IITB) : Enabling environment, Research driven culture, spirit of inquiry

• Role of family: Much beyond that is written in “Acknowledgement” of the thesis: Acts as motivator, source of inspiration, and catalyst

Life spent after Ph D

• In academics

• At various institutes : IGIDR, IITD, IITB,

IIITM

– IGIDR : Economics Research institute

– IITD/IITB : Teaching, Research and

Consulting

– IIITM: IT institute synergizing IT &

Management

My career

• B Tech (1982) and M Tech (1984) at IITB

• Ph.D. IIT Bombay 1989 • Thesis : Evaluation of Effectiveness of a Class of Integrated

Procurement-Production Systems ( IIT Bombay)

• Joined Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai 1988-1990 as Assistant Professor

• Joined IIT Delhi as Assistant Professor in 1990

• At IIT Bombay during 1996-97 on lien from IITD in SOM

• Professor at IIT Delhi since 2000

• At ABV-IIITM Gwalior as Director from 2008- till date

How my career has evolved ?

• Beginning: – Optimization and search algorithms for integrated procurement-

production system

• Later: – Logical reasoning, mathematical and numerical solutions for

wide range of large scale problems (Power grid, large scale Supply chain models, systems etc.)

• Now: – trend continues, but now with integration with emphasis on more

“managing people” activities as well

• Still spend 30% of my time defining and solving models/algorithms/defining & refining processes

• By choice

• –The fun part: using mathematical models to find answers that people actually care about : IT as an enabler !

Life after Ph D : Teaching

• Designed and developed various courses

at UG and PG level

• Rich experience in teaching IIT students :

Keeping you on toes !

• Developed pedagogy based on IT (multi-

media, web enabled courses), developed

courses in NPTEL

Insights

• Teaching is dead ! Long live teaching !!

• Learning is important !!

• Getting attention of Y-generation students

–A challenge

• Participative and involved teaching

Emerging Research Paradigm • Easy availability of computational power

• Accessibility to software tools

• Interdisciplinary character of research

• More emphasis on funded research (agencies

like DST, DIT, CSIR etc.)

• Demanding industry needs

• Enhanced Institute-industry interaction

• Networking of institutes /R&D labs enabled by

web

• Collaborative research

Teaching-Research–Consulting-

Training Cycle

Teaching

Training

Consulting

Research

Sponsored Research &

Consultancy

• An opportunity for technology transfer

– Example: CAFIMS(Computer Aided Factory

Integration Management System): A

collaborative project between IITD, IITB,

ECIL,and Sumeet (Sponsored by DIT)

– Lean Management System (Sponsored by

DST) with industry partners : a ground for

learning and consolidation

Consulting

• Optimization Problem : Integration of

Regional electricity grids (World Bank):

INGRID Model (based on GAMS)

• Capacity Expansion Problem : (Bhrati

Telecom)

• Integrated Procurement –Production-

Distribution Problem (Apollo Tyres)

• 3-D cutting stock Problem (Nucleus

software )

Insights : Consulting

• Migration from problem phase to solution

phase to implementation phase : an

interesting journey

• Conceptual, Analytical and Design skills

• Language barrier !

• Problems are just problems- Without any

labels: Ph d helps you in developing a

particular perspective to look at them!!

Consulting assignment :Existing Supply

Chain of XYZ

F01 ……. F04

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 2 30 47 60 80 98

Fig 1(a) : Existing Distribution network model of XYZ

Plants

RDC’s

DO’s

Proposed SC based on

TRANSHIPMENT model

F01 ……. F04

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 30 47 60 80 98

Plants

RDC’s

DO’s

Fig 1(b) : Proposed distribution network model of XYZ

Challenges faced

• Dealing with a very progressive and professionally managed groups : demanding client !

• Tight time lines and Great degree of coordination and interfacing required

• Creativity/innovation and out-of-the-box thinking required in implementing solutions !

• Research driven by industry needs !

• Problem solving led to development of new algorithms and solution procedures

Teaching & Research

:Outcomes

Career Insights

• Prepare: learn your subject deeply

–Learn how to train yourself; keep learning; be open to suggestions and ideas

• Practice communication and teamwork

• Use IT in as an enabler , collaborate and network (web sites, …)

• For corporate: understand the business (es)

• Career paths (IITD and IIITM G)

–Technical (keep teaching, research and consulting)

–Project leader (management as well as technical)

–Manager (manage Processes, Projects and People)

What I did ?

• Learned my subject

• Discovered that I loved it

• Took a few risks

– Joined IGIDR (a Development Economics Institute) in

its inception stages

– Did large scale modeling and policy studies

– Experience at IITD (well established system) in its

maturity stage

– Experience at SOM (1996-97) in its inception stages

– Experience at IIITM (2008-) in its growing stage !

What I might have done differently

• My beginnings: appalling naivety–Should

have found more professional contacts at

start at IITB/IGIDR

• Could have used /developed more

background in–Commercialization of

inventions–; patenting know-how –Project

management/ teamwork

Satisfying part ?

• First paper: IIIE conference in Kolkata in 1984

(based on M Tech thesis)

• First paper rejected by International J of

Production Economics : 1985

• First international journal paper published in

PPC: 1987

• First consultancy assignment completed: 1993

• First Ph D student (Dr K V S Rao) : 1994

• First second generation Ph D (Ph d of my Ph d

student) : 1999

• First book published : 2001

Today’s Reality :

Technology driven flat world !

• Single location

• Single utility

• Any location

• Not only telephone,

but a device to

connect to the

world

Trend 1: Shelf life

• Interconnected world: Millions of ideas

getting generated, developed and

disseminated

• Faster publishing cycle

• Web enabled submission, review and

publication process

Trend 2: Digitization of research

outcome

Research Impact: Web of

Knowledge

Quality of Research based on Citation

Report : Scopus /web of science

• Total citations: 784

• Average citations :4.87

• H-Index: 15

Authors Title Journal Total citation Average Citations Per year

Suresh Pvs, Rao PV,

Deshmukh SG

A Genetic Algorithmic Approach

for Optimization of Surface

Roughness Prediction Model

International

Journal Of Machine

Tools &

Manufacture 42(6)

, 675-680, 2002

67 7.44

Trend 3: Collaboration ! • Sharing of information

• Institutional

collaboration

• Professional networks

• Social networks

Observations…

• Ideas are not limiting factor: usually time is !

• Avoid Tunnel Vision Plan for long-term, beyond immediate

research area

• It takes considerable time to design a research program

• Envision Outcomes – Difference that research can make,

– significant papers produced,

– credited with solution to important problem

Guide to Ph.D. Students :IITian Style !!

When you don’t know what you are doing,

do it neatly. Experience is directly proportional to the

quantity of equipment ruined or destroyed. In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.

Don’t believe in miracles, rely on them.

Teamwork is essential, it allows you

to blame someone else.

Suggestion !

•Always remember that

the secret of success is

passion.

•Always think big. Spread

love & joy.

•You'll have blissful years

ahead

• Always remember that the secret of good

professionalism is passion.

• Always think big. You'll have blissful years

of research ahead

Research is the path you choose, the

road you build and destination you set.

Motivator

• Greetings received

from students

• Marriage/birthday

invitations from

students

Research

- Sponsored

- Student Guidance

Consulting

Extension

Outreach

Teaching

Life After Ph D

Thank you

very much ! sgdeshmukh2003@yahoo.co.in

Credits

• Prof S P Sukhatme

• Prof Subash Babu

• Prof Kirit Parikh

• Prof Prem Vrat

• Prof R P Mohanty

• Dr M N Buch KV S Rao, Dixit Garg,

Murlidhar, R K Singh, R Shanker

G Dangayach, R Dalu, Arshinder,

Vipul, Jitesh, Tripta, Jyoti, Amik

and others