IT Research and Publication: My Experience Hsinchun Chen

1. IT Research and Publication: My Experience Hsinchun Chen

2. My Background: St. Ignatious Catholic High School, Taipei, 1977 BS NCTU Management Science, 1981 MBA SUNY Buffalo Finance, MS, MIS Ph.D. NYU Information System, Minor: CS, 1989 Dissertation: “An AI Approach to the Design Of Online Information Retrieval Systems” Assistant/Associate/Full/Chair Professor, University of Arizona, MIS Department, 1989- Scientific Counselor, National Library of Medicine USA), National Library of China, Academia Sinica IEEE Fellow

3. My Background: Founder/Director, Artificial Intelligent Lab, 1990- Founder/Director, Hoffman E-Commerce Lab, 2000- Director, NSF COPLINK Center, 2002- Founder, Knowledge Computing Corporation, 2000- PIs: NSF CISE DLI-1 DLI-2, NSDL, DG, DARPA, NIJ, NIH, CIA, DHS Received 80+ grants, $20M+ in federal funding AI Lab with 40+ researchers, Ph.D. students, and MS/BS students UA professor since 1989; UA MIS ranked top-five by US News and World Report for the past 17 years Chen ranked #8 in MIS research (CAIS 2005) COPLINK system revolutionalized public safety IT; adopted by 150 police and intelligence agencies – Google for Cops (NYT, Newsweek)

4. My Background: Associate Editors for major journals: JASIST, DSS, ACM TOIS, IEEE SMC, IEEE ITS IEEE ITSS and SMCS Technical Committee chair (in homeland security research) Conference/program Co-hairs: ICADL 1998-2005, China DL 2002/2004, ACM/IEEE JCDL 2004, IEEE NSF/NIJ/CIA/DHS ISI 2003-2006 Pioneer in Digital Library research; fostering Asian digital library community building (ICADL steering committee chair); Chen ranked #1 in digital library research (IP&M 2005) Pioneer in Biomedical Informatics research; author of acclaimed “Medical Informatics” book, Springer 2005. Pioneer in Intelligence and Security Informatics research; fostering ISI research and development (IEEE ISI chair and TC chair); author of acclaimed “Intelligence and Security Informatics” book, Springer 2005 Industry Consulting: HP, IBM, AT&T, SGI, Microsoft, SAP

5. High School and Before College Pursuing an Advanced Degree Abroad MS Degree Ph.D. Degree Getting an Academic Job Junior Faculty Senior Faculty Getting Funding Professional Activities and AEs Making an Impact Making a Contribution Outline

6. Establish reading habit Curiosity and asking questions Maintain interest in English and math Extracurricular activities and leadership Making friends Get into top colleges and good departments High School and Before

7. Select the right major (of interest) Do well in math classes, especially statistics Interests and practices in English Leadership and extracurricular activities: learn time management Presentation skills, debate, public speeches For IT career: strong background in Java programming + SQL DBMS skill (both hands-on) Exposure in “soft” subjects, e.g., sociology, psychology, marketing, economics, etc. Maintain 3.3+ GPA and top-10 in class College

8. Prepare TOFEL, GRE, and GMAT during junior year: need to be top-20% for good schools; prepare well and take multiple times Target at top schools based on ranking, reputation and fit Study each school and faculty Personal appeal (email and faculty reference) to faculty with funding Seeking own faculty contacts and recommendations UA MIS (top 5 for 17 consecutive years) welcome Taiwan applicants! Pursuing an Advanced Degree

9. A good time to identify/confirm research interest and to improve grade (GPA 3.7+, GMAT, GRE) MS often requires self funding UA MIS MS students typically receive TA funding at the second year ($12,000/year)! Important IT courses: Java programming + SQL DBMS + advanced research courses (to identify research interests) Establish professional relationships with selected faculty mentors (e.g., thesis, project) Identify target schools and programs for Ph.D. MS Degree

10. Need excellent GPA (3.5+), GMAT/GRE (top 5%) Pursue advanced research interest Pursue top schools and programs Pursue research-active faculty as advisor and mentor Ph.D. student is often funded via TA or RA: $16,000/year, 4-5 years Ph.D. Degree

11. First Year, Core Exam: Core courses only Second Year, Written Exam: Research project, publication, and presentation Third Year, Minor Exam: Minor courses only Fourth Year, Oral-Preliminary Exam: Major and minor faculty; research proposal + course Q/A Fifth Year, Final Oral Defense: Major only; Complete dissertation Need to conduct research persistently for 4-5 years. Target 1-2 journal papers per year. Teach 1-2 courses in 3rd or 4th year. 1-2 conference presentation opportunities Ph.D. Degree

12. Prepare an excellent application packet Good teaching record (4.2+ out of 5) 2-3 journal papers already (published or forthcoming); 1-2 papers under review Target and study top schools and faculty MIS job conferences: AIS (August), DSI (November), ICIS (December) Prepare, practice, and polish job talk Aim high but accept reality! Relax. Enjoy the process! Getting an Academic Job

13. Publish, publish, publish! Work like crazy in the first 6 years! Focus on top journals, not conferences. Time management: teaching (20%), research (80%) Seek collaboration and mentoring from selected productive senior faculty. Collaborate with junior colleagues and graduate students. Year 2: 3-4 journal papers; Year 4: 6-8 journal papers; Year 6: 12-18 journal papers  Good enough for tenure in top MIS programs! Junior Faculty

14. What’s life after tenure? Sea urchin in ocean? Continue research momentum? Administration? Consulting? Start-up company? Need to be a recognized scholar or researcher in the world to be promoted to full professor. Need to be an exceptional scholar or researcher and make significant contribution to be bestowed chair professorship. Getting funding to establish lab/center Becoming leaders in professional activities and AEs Senior Faculty

15. Need to conduct advanced, cutting-edge, and high-impact research US funding acceptance rate: 5-10% Know the funding programs and program managers; seek advice and consultation Become a reviewer Attend workshops and conferences to identify new, emerging research opportunities Explore research applications and partners Start with small funding with senior collaborators ($100K) Getting Funding

16. Establish research excellence in sub-areas: best 3-5 in the world Develop sustainable programs and partnerships with target agencies NSF: peer review, CISE/IIS, program managers, science and engineering focus NIH/NLM: study session, informatics, partnership DOD, DOJ, CIA, DHS: security focus, partnership Getting Funding

17. Establish lab and project teams, and supervise research staff and students Intellectual merit: innovation and publication! (Science, Nature, PNAS) Broader impact: user adoption and success story! (NYT, USA Today) Getting Funding

18. Be a good reviewer for senior colleagues. Begin with journal special issues. AE opportunities: Publish in the selected journals and know the key personnel (EIC and senior AE); Volunteer through proper introduction (senior faculty and close colleagues) Professional activities and services: Volunteer through proper introduction (senior faculty and close colleagues) Many opportunities with IEEE, ACM, AIS Be a professional AE! Professional Activities

19. Participate in selected professional meetings consistently. Volunteer with proper introduction. Begin with Program Committee. Volunteer in workshop, symposium, and sub-committee. Be professional and reliable. Plan and volunteer for major conferences – PC chair, conference chair. Have a team! Plan and build a community – be a pioneer and cultivate the field. Professional Activities

20. Select new, high-impact research topics, e.g., bioinformatics, medical informatics, security informatics, etc. Build partnership with domain experts and communities. Know the community problems and cure their pain – what can I do for you? Be patient! 50% Research + 50% Impact Build a team and execute – algorithm, system, database, HCI, user study, organization study. Making an Impact

21. Making an impact on society! Educating and influencing young students! Serving the needs of under-privileged communities! Making a contribution to local communities, e.g., Tucson, Hualien! Making a contribution to Taiwan! When do you retire? (No mandatory retirement age in US!) Making a Contribution