Professor Acram Taji

1. PhD- How do I get one? Professor Acram Taji

2. What will I cover? • Some background • Global picture • The Australian situation • QUT status • What is a PhD? • Why do we do a PhD? • Skills required to do a PhD • What makes a PhD student successful • Skills to be developed during PhD • Supervisor’s role • The changing nature of PhD • Questions to reflect on

3. Our place under the sun

4. Background Brisbane • Australia’s fastest growing city with a population of 2million • 26% of residents born overseas • Over 15% speak a language other than English QUT • in the top 10 universities in Australia

5. Global picture • China is world leader in producing PhDs- surpassed US in 2008 • In US >1.35 million PhDs produced between 1920 to 2000. 62% in STEM • Asian giant have awarded >240,000 PhDs in the past 30 years • Brazil doubled the number of doctoral students in the decade to 2010 • Number of science doctorate in OECD member countries increased by 40% in the decade to 2010 • Egypt PhD enrolments doubled in the decade to 2010 • Zimbabwe wants every university lecturer to have a PhD by 2015 • Malaysia has a target of 60,000 PhDs by 2023 • India’s plan is to graduate 20,000 PhDs per year • EU plans to create 1,000,000 research jobs by 2020 • Sri Lankan Status?

6. The Australian situation • 1970s Australia had 11 universities and ~500 PhD students • Today >25000 PhD students in Australian universities • Last year >7500 PhD graduated from Australian universities • Federal government largely controls the number of PhDs via available scholarships- e.g. APA

7. International students in OECD countries The percentage of all tertiary students in Australia who are international students is one of the highest among OECD and G20 countries with available data (2010). (OECD average = 6.9%)

8. % of HDR graduates The percentage of today's young people expected to graduate from advanced research programs in Australia ranks as one of the highest among OECD and G20 countries with available data. (2%, rank 9/36)

9. HDR load as a proportion of total student load

10. Higher degree research students at QUT over the years

11. HDR enrolments at QUT Top countries for enrolments in 2012 are: China (84), Malaysia (57), Saudi (49), Sri Lanka (42), Iran (39)

12. HDR completions at QUT • Highest number of completions are in Science and Engineering • For 2008 to 2012 the top 5 countries (other than Australia) are: China (119), India (54), Taiwan (49), England (40), Malaysia (39)

13. QUT status At present 721 IHDR students are enrolled at QUT

14. % IHDR Completion to total HDR in 2012 Across QUT 37% of all HDR completions in 2012 came from IHDR

15. Sri Lankan HDR statistics • As at 16/11/2013 • The highest number of enrolment (55) is in Science and Engineering Faculty

16. Status of Sri Lankan applicants for QUT scholarships • Total number of applicants has increased but % of success has declined • More applications from other countries • Number of scholarships remained the same

17. The changing nature of PhD? • PhD remains the pinnacle of formal academic qualification- its “elite” status is being eroded • Changes in research environment- greater emphasis on large scale interdisciplinary research managed to achieve outcomes identified in advance- as distinct from research whose major aim is to advance knowledge • Mismatch between supply and demand- too many STEM PhDs for the available jobs

18. So what is a PhD?

19. Imagine a circle that contains all human knowledge

20. By the time we finish primary school, we know a little bit

21. By the time we finish high school, we know a little bit more

22. With a Bachelor degree, we gain a specialty

23. A Master or an Honours degree, deepens our specialty

24. We start our PhD by reading research papers, which takes us to the edge of human knowledge

25. Once we are at the boundary, we focus

26. We push at the boundary for a few years

27. Until one day, the boundary gives in

28. And, that dent we have made is called a PhD

29. The world now looks different to us

30. But we must not forget the bigger picture

31. Why do we do a PhD? Some of the reasons are: • We want to learn a lot about a given topic and become a scholar • We are passionate about inquiry and intellectual discovery • We have an interest in actively shaping knowledge and a fascination in new leading edge knowledge that unites teaching with research • We want to become analytical and strategic thinkers • To help us with credibility in our work environment • To enhance our career opportunities • We like the title of Doctor…

32. Sigmund Freud said Scholars are people who give up power, riches and romance for the pursuit of knowledge- through which they may gain power, riches and romance

33. The PhD Process

34. Understanding the PhD form • Background theory • Gained through undertaking a critical evaluation of the literature in the field • Focal theory • What we are researching and why. Establishing the nature of our problem and set about analysing it • Data theory • Appropriateness and reliability of our data sources. In sciences it will entail the establishment of a theory supported by evidence and justifications of the experimental approach used • Contribution • The importance of our thesis to the development of the field of studies

35. know yourself Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI) • There are 16 personality types. • Take time to do a test to find your personality type. Then work on the weaknesses of your character. http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp I am an ESJF: • Observant • Cooperative • Informative • Expressive By becoming more self-aware, we can become more comfortable with who we are and the changes that are taking place in us and around us.

36. Skill audit- How can I assess my skills? • Undertake a SWOT analysis- strength/ weakness/ opportunities / threats • Check the following website- Key skills for PhDs: • http://www.portlandpress.com/pp/books/online/fyos/083/0105/0830105.pdf

37. Top 6 key skills for successfully completing a PhD • Intellectual curiosity • The ability to work independently and as member of a team • Organisation/ time management • Communication • Academic skills • IT skills • Numeracy skills • Statistical abilities • E-literacy skills • Belief in ourselves • Tenacity • Persistence

38. What makes a PhD student successful? • Perseverance- PhD is full of: • Uncertainty • Rejection • Frustration • Tenacity- thick skin • Cogency • Ability to clearly and forcefully articulate our ideas- PhD is about the science of discovery and the art of persuasion • Balance between clarity and precision • Your supervisor • Understanding one’s supervisor • Their goals • Their skills • Their likes and dislikes • Their inadequacies

39. What students expect from their supervisors? • Strength in relevant content and disciplinary domains • Understanding methodology and data analysis relevant to the field • Open-minded about different perspectives • Communicate with student openlyand frequently with sensitivity and respect • Avoid derogatory comments • Avoid meaningless statements-e.g. Rephrase this • Good listeners • Criticallyevaluate student’s work not the student as a person • Supervisors are their collaborators

40. Setting expectations but expect the unexpected too • Important to set the expectations as early as possible in candidature • Expectations about milestones • Expectations of each other • Expectations about the nature of research • Expectations about writing and turn around time • Expectations about meetings • Expectations about communication • Expectations about the extent of support • Expectations about publications/ authorship/ IP

41. Supervisor roles and attitudes • An effective supervisor serves many roles: • Director (determining topic and methods, providing ideas) • Facilitator (providing access to resources or expertise, arranging field work) • Advisor (helping to resolve technical problems, suggesting alternatives) • Teacher (showing research techniques) • Guide (suggesting timetable for writing up, giving feedback on progress, identifying critical path for data collection) • Freedom giver (authorises scholar to make decisions, supports scholar’s decisions) • Friend (extends interest and concern to non-academic aspects of scholar’s life) • Manager (checks progress regularly, monitors study, give systematic feedback, help plan work)

42. The four ‘I’s of success • Imagination • Innovation • Improvisation • Imitation

43. Skills to be developed during PhD • Research skills and techniques • Research management and leadership • Personal effectiveness • The ability to communicate with public- art of explaining our complex work to a friend • Networking and team working nationally and internationally • Negotiation • Career management • Cultural understanding • Dealing with and understanding political circumstances

44. Questions to reflect on • What is your interpretation of a PhD? • Why do YOU want to do a PhD? • What are the characteristics and skills you have right now that will help you succeed in your PhD? • What characteristics and skills you would need to develop further along your PhD journey?

45. Thank you for your attention Professor (Mrs) Acram Taji Queensland University of Technology GPO Box 2434 Brisbane, Qld., 4001, AUSTRALIA Phone: +61-7-3138 6800 Email: acram.taji@qut.edu.au CRICOS No. 00213J