Research Career Development – What Happens in Grad School – Actually Being There!

1. Research Career Development –What Happens inGrad School –Actually Being There! Gail P. Taylor, Ph.D. Spring 2012 01/09/2012

2. Beyond the Beakers: SMART Advice for Entering Graduate Programs in the Sciences and Engineering. Gayle R. Slaughter, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine/National Science Foundation. 2005 Iris Lindberg – How to succeed in Graduate School – 2007 - http://thelindberglab.com/files.html Survival Skills and Ethics Program: Beth Fischer Michael Zigmond www.pitt.edu/~survival Graduate Study in the Computer and Mathematical Sciences: http://www.cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/gradstudy.html Acknowledgements:

3. Standard Ph.D. Training Path 1-2 Yrs Post Bacc Research 3 - 6 Yrs Academics Academic Postdoc 4 - 7 Yrs Government Postdoc UG – BiologicalChemistry Government Doctoral Studies Industry Postdoc UG – Engineering Industry Continue Education M.S. Degree Other Career Other Engineering Work

4. How to Succeed in Graduate School, Once You’re there… Overall…You Must Take Charge of Your Own Training!

5. What is Success in Grad School? • Learning what you need to know to succeed in your next step, in a reasonable amount of time. • Postdoc? • Career? • Building the best credentials possible…

6. Succeeding in GS • Complete required coursework • Complete Exams and Tests • Create the Products of Science • Perform the Activities of Science • Develop various Skills • Develop personally • Confidence, etc. • Develop additional credentials/skills

7. Characteristics of Successful Students Iris Lindberg - http://thelindberglab.com/papers/grad%20school.pdf • Qualities more important than brilliance or academic strength: • Passion for science • Enjoyment of intellectual challenge • View bench science as “fun” • CURIOSITY • DRIVE - Tenacity/persistence/Desire to finish • VISION – Can work for a long-term goal • Positive outlook

8. Basic (Common) Success Iris Lindberg - http://thelindberglab.com/papers/grad%20school.pdf • One good publication, in a specialty journal • 3.0 GPA in graduate school • Mastery of bench science • Mastering specific techniques in your field and peripheral but related fields • Experimental design-some independence and some analytical skills • Ability to communicate: write proposals and papers, give talks • Acquisition of people resources (network) and information resources • Two good recommendations from faculty familiar with your work

9. Excellent Success Iris Lindberg - http://thelindberglab.com/papers/grad%20school.pdf • Three good publications (on important topics, in widely-read, higher impact journals) • Complete mastery of bench science • Independence at the bench; ability to design new projects from the literature • Complete mastery of a field • Excellent ability to communicate: to write proposals and papers, give talks, work with others • Honors-grants, awards etc • Stellar recommendations (top 5%) from three or more faculty familiar with your work

10. How to Succeed – Develop a Plan • Look at least one step beyond - where you want to go… • Make a list of what you must accomplish • Courses • Exams/qualifiers • Research • Post-doc contacts • Make a list of what you’d like to accomplish • Fellowships proposals • Additional knowledge • Make a timetable (with milestones) • Consult plan every 6 months and re-evaluate

11. Why You Must Take Charge… • You’re the only one thinking of mainly You! • Mentor is busy with many responsibilities • Committee is busy with many responsibilities • Department/Doctoral Studies Committee is very busy • Your family often doesn’t really know what you’re doing…

12. Mainly through experience, from your Research Advisor/Mentor… Through other Mentors Increasingly through classes… Where do you learn necessary skills?

13. Life of a Grad Student • Overall, less structured (especially later on) • Requires focus, to progress • Often more responsibilities to balance • Fewer classes (9 credits) • Take “Make up” courses early on • Take core courses • Which are on qualifying exam? • Eventually will take seminars and doctoral research credit • Higher expectations (no C’s)

14. First year Coursework Lab rotations Select lab Second year Finish coursework Continue to work in lab Set up committee(s) Exam committee Thesis/Dissertation committee Take examinations Comprehensive Defend Thesis Proposal “Advance to candidacy” Apply for personal funding Years 3 - ? (av. 5+) Set up/meet w Committee Work on research Take seminars/special topics/dissertation research courses Develop your credentials Pubs Presentations Teaching Mentoring Techniques “Special” skills Network Set up future Postdoc positions Write and Defend Dissertation! Grad School Timeline/Activities

15. The most important person- your major or research advisor: • An advisor should give you: • Advice • Can be a mentor… • Second-hand reputation • Knowledge of professional activities • Possible financial support/assistance • Role model • Introductions/networking • Letters of recommendation • Respect http://bower-lab.org

16. Choosing a Research Advisor • Need to have compatible: • Research interests • Reputation – you’ll carry it • Personality • Grant support • Publications • Active/dynamic research group • Going to stay at University • Track record with students • Graduation • Duration • Reputation • Mentoring (or not) style • Some Grad students need more attention than others • Cultural sensitivity

17. Your responsibilities to your advisor and lab • A laboratory is an extended family! • Your best effort • Show up when you say you will! • Honesty • Productivity • Assistance- Teamwork • Feedback/communication • Respect/Loyalty

18. Your Research Topic • Often a small part of a Advisor’s grant (advisable) • Best if local support for topic/technique is available • Choosing own topic may delay graduation • Thesis Proposal • You essentially write a small grant • Contains several specific aims • Contains a multi-year plan for research • Committee agrees what you must do for degree • Subject should be timely • Poised for job market • May be “scooped” • Subject should interest you! • Must want to do to lab! • Will have ups and downs and dead ends • Availability of a “secret weapon” • What is unique in the lab or environment? • Methodology • Insights • Preliminary data • Resources/equipment

19. Selecting a Research Problem: additional considerations • Determining how many Problems/Specific Aims • more than one • less than four • Developing hypotheses • Integrate early res. Into spec aims • Work collaboratively • When do you start, publish, quit? • Will receive assistance from Dissertation Committee… • Try to include research that you’ve already completed, during second year…

20. Progressing Efficiently in the Lab • Make a daily to-do list • Prioritize: do the most important things first • Multitask • Do many experiments (Maximize luck…) • Plan for the tomorrow’s work before you leave • Work on at least one weekend day (this will save you months!) • Read literature mostly at night • Put a date on EVERYTHING! It’s a locator device. • Watch out for inefficient computer use or texting From Iris Lindberg - http://thelindberglab.com/papers/grad%20school.pdf

21. Think about Experiments! • Design to minimize error and ambiguity • Is my methodology accepted in field? • What will eventual Figure look like? • What should my “n” be? • What are appropriate controls and standards? • Run all appropriate controls and standards with samples • Could this result be an Artifact!? • Do NOT quickly disqualify a data point

22. Thinking II • Must balance Thinking and Doing… • Remember to critique your own experiments! • locate possible sources of artifact and error • compare your results to published data (remember units!) • Get background by reading! • Approach reading critically! • It still doesn’t work? Get advice and change something! • Change protocols if needed (confer with PI!)

23. How to Impress Your Mentor • Set your own deadlines and meet them • Projects • Papers • Grant applications • Exams • Committee meetings • Read the literature on your own • Think critically about experiments • Participate fully in lab meetings • Work hard…

24. What is a Dissertation Committee? • Varies slightly w institution • “Chair” generally your research P.I. • ~5 faculty with possibly one external • Okay a contract for work/proposal • Meet annually or more to assess progress • Assess presentation/content of thesis, and confer Ph.D.

25. Choosing a Committee • Always in collaboration with your mentor • Good reputations • Letters • Assistance • Mentoring or advice • Reasonable people

26. Qualifying Exams • Format varies with school/committees • Test knowledge in various aspects of your field • May be oral and/or written • Generally require a thesis proposal with defense and written exam • Know what components will be required • Written • One large exam: requires extensive study time outside of class\ • Many small exams: easier, taken with coursework • Can be very stressful • Usually can fail once…then retake • When complete QEs, you “advance to candidacy” • Doctoral Candidate vs Doctoral Student

27. Perform the Activities of Science • Research • Presentations • Invited Lectures • Mentoring Students • Service on Committees • Teaching • Grant writing

28. Create the Products of Science • Publications • Abstracts • Peer reviewed journal articles • Review articles • Books • Patents • Techniques or reagents

29. Life as a Research Assistant or Fellow • Probably no teaching requirement • Usually work on your own research • Fellow – own funding • Research Assistant – usually mentor’s or program’s funding

30. Life as a Teaching Assistant • Usually instruct one or more sections of a lab course • Required on some stipends (money arrangements) • May be required by program, for teaching experience • May slow down research progress

31. Your Development I • Early on- • Little independence/control • Project direction usually determined • Guided in reading • Little contribution to knowledge, etc • Farther on- • Getting more independent • More questions “Why” • Can usually set direction of own work each week • Ideas still mostly from advisor • Begin your own literature work http://www.cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/node8.html

32. Your Development II • “Adolescent”: • Student is growing up • Reads and questions papers critically • Given more responsibility • Writing papers • Mentoring younger students • Advanced activities (evaluating papers, etc) • Conflicts can arise - Advisor “interfering” • dependence is resented, and frustration can run high. • Adulthood: • Advisor and student redefine relationship • Student transforms into colleague • Future contact based on mutual respect, gratitude, pride in student’s development http://www.cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/node8.html

33. Friendships Inside and outside of school Support group Sounding board Other Mentors/Faculty Provide perspective/advice Foundations Solid ideas of why you are there Faith or philosophy helps Family/Perspective Family and others outside school can help ground you Fitness Don’t give up exercise Maintain your health Fun Try to have balanced life Don’t give up all hobbies Practical Advice - Develop

34. Opportunities • Set yourself up for the future! • Always look for opportunities • Extra training • Networking • Travel • Funding (more next week!) • Independence

35. Writing your Thesis • Product worthy of publication • Usually, two-three research papers with deep introduction and conclusion • Will take multiple drafts • Needs to be thorough (references, etc) • Often happens in a rush at the end • Best if publish papers as you go!

36. HIGHS Can be fun! All new field Get to play in lab Learning critical skills Great colleagues Find new things Become an expert Sets you up for future career! LOWS Can be Stressful! Tedium can set in Apprenticeship Learn by doing Fish out of water Feel Incompetent Mentor Issues Money issues Balancing family Will I find a job I want?? Highs and Lows of Grad School

37. Problems that may occur:Your advisor... • has different priorities from yours • does not provide much feedback • leaves the institution • feels you are not working hard enough • does not get along with others in department • does not get along with you • behaves in a way you find irresponsible

38. Problems that may occur:You... • Have a major life change • Want to change advisors • change your research interests • change your career objectives • become overwhelmed • become under-whelmed

39. When Things Get Tough… • Grad school has very stressful times • Generally have a “burn out” time • Try to stick it out! • Get counseling if needed • Keep your eye on the prize! • You will evolve; you must become a colleague to your mentor, as you develop as a scientist…

40. In Summary… • A little knowledge and planning at the beginning will assist you in progressing efficiently through your training and launching into a career…