Success as a DRE Student

1. Success as a DRE Student ESC 720 Dan Simon Fall 2014

2. Difference between DRE and PhD • Traditionally, application vs. theory • CSU’s DRE program began around 1974 • Practically, no difference • CSU’s goal is to convert the DRE to a PhD program

3. Outline • DRE Program Requirements • Positioning Yourself for Success • Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

4. Non-ABE Course Requirements (includes master’s) • 6 CH Advanced math: ESC 702, 704, 706, etc. • 6 CH Non-engineering courses • Must count toward a degree of the offering department • 3 CH ESC 720 or alternate writing course • 12 CH Specialization core courses • 12 CH Specialization electives • 21 CH Flexible credits • 20 CH xxx 899 (Doctoral Dissertation) • 10 CH xxx 895 (Doctoral Research) or xxx 899 • Total = 90 credit hours minimum Note: CH = credit hour

5. Plan of Study forms • DRE Procedures • Proposal Approval Form Forms, FAQs, procedures, etc., available at DRE web site: www.csuohio.edu/engineering/academics/doctorate.html

6. If you want an exception to the Plan of Study requirements: • Work with your advisor • Submit a petition to the Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) • Chemical/Biomedical: Jorge Gatica • Civil/Environmental: Walt Kocher • Electrical/Computer: Nigamanth Sridhar • Mechanical: Ton van den Bogert • Doctoral Program Director: Dan Simon • Two student representatives

7. Typical DRE Timeline • Year 1: Courses, advisor, qualifying exam • Year 2: Courses, research • Form your committee (think long-term …) • Dissertation proposal approval form • Candidacy exam (two chances) • Plan of study form • Year 3: Research, journal paper submissions • Year 4: Dissertation, oral defense

8. Outline • DRE Program Requirements • Positioning Yourself for Success • Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

9. Publication • Write conference papers before journal papers • Conference travel; aim for one per year; great networking opportunities • Expand class projects into technical papers • Journal papers • Find a good match for your paper (impact factor) • Open access is often a much faster publishing option • Your advisor’s help is critical here • At least one submission required for graduation • One accepted paper required for ECE students • One acceptance and one submission will eventually be required for all doctoral students • Don’t be discouraged by rejection

10. After you dissertation defense, or shortly before: • Get your advisor’s help with job applications and job offers • Cover letter • CV • Statement of teaching philosophy • Statement of research objectives • Negotiations • Etc.

11. Write, publish, and give presentations • Network • Volunteer • Committees • Student organizations • Paper reviews • Etc. • Help other students • Position yourself to get good reference letters

12. Outline • DRE Program Requirements • Positioning Yourself for Success • Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

13. Industry, Academia, or Postdoc? • Most PhDs want academic careers • Most PhDs work in industry – about 80% (?) • Postdoc positions are becoming more important for academic careers • In 1975 there were 16,000 postdocs • In 1995 there were 35,000 postdocs • In 2010 there were 50,000 postdocs

14. Academia • Tenure-track: Get tenure or get fired • Tenure is based on research, teaching, service • It typically takes 5 or 6 years to get tenure • Research requirement for tenure • The main component at research institutions • Typical requirements are 1 or 2 journal papers per year, $200K total grant funding; large variation in requirements, depending on the university • Teaching requirement for tenure • The main component at non-research schools • Continual improvement is important • Mentoring students is important (theses)

15. Academia (cont’d.) • Service requirement for tenure • University committees • Curriculum Committees, Admissions and Standards Committee, Petition Committees, … • Conference and journal paper reviewing • I typically review 20 or 30 papers per year • Conference and journal editorial boards (later …) • Non-tenure-track positions are growing • Research professors: no teaching • Lecturers: no research • Faculty: Typically higher teaching load, less research • Year-to-year contract

16. Industry • Large variety of options • Most industry positions include less variety than in academia • Less freedom, less independence than academia • Better chance to see applications and results • More practical, results-oriented research • Greater need to adapt to change • Faster time scale for results • Pay scale is generally higher than academia

17. Industry (cont’d.) • Less chance to interact with other experts • Less chance to mentor young engineers • Less stability compared to tenured position • Less opportunity to take risks • More brand loyalty required • Less time pressure than academia; family-friendly • More time constraints on your daily schedule • Summary: You can have an interesting and rewarding career in either academic or industry

18. Postdoctoral Work • Usually a two-year or three-year position • Supervised by successful professor • May lead to a faculty position • See what academic life is like • Write additional publications • Write grant proposals • Provides increased breadth in your research • Provides additional training • Requires mentoring / advising students • Often doesn’t pay much

19. Postdoctoral Work (cont’d.) • A postdoc can be academic, industry, or government • You need the right mentor: a balance of careful supervision and independence • Volunteer to teach a course

20. How to get a postdoc position • Publish while you’re still a student (now!) • Start applying several months before you graduate (same for faculty positions) • Network (conferences) – talk to someone who knows someone – drop names • Most positions are not advertised • Contact a lot of people in your field (email) but be selective enough to not waste time • Interview carefully – talk with the mentor’s previous PhD students and postdocs

21. How to get a postdoc position (cont’d). • In your application: • Mention that you plan to apply for funding • Why do you want to work for this professor? • Be enthusiastic about the position you’re seeking • See the “Job Applications” lecture in this course for other tips

22. Industry vs. Academia Resources • http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1000388 • http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/women-faculty/industry.html • http://greatresearch.org/2013/08/30/industry-or-academia-a-counterpoint • http://www.pgbovine.net/academia-vs-industry.htm • http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2006/08/26/working-in-industry-vs-working-1 • http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2009/12/23/academia-vs-industry-an-update • http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/tools_tips/outreach • http://chronicle.com/article/What-I-Tell-My-Graduate/126615

23. Postdoc Resources • http://www.bu.edu/agep/resources/career-resources/resources-for-prospective-postdocs • http://web.mit.edu/mitpostdocs/resources.html • https://icc.ucdavis.edu/files/FindingPostdocPosition.ppt • http://www.weizmann.ac.il/YoungPI • http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/postdoctoral-affairs/finding-position.html • http://chem.virginia.edu/graduate-studies/test-links-pg/finding-a-postdoctoral-position • http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/postdoc.aspx • http://bitesizebio.com/8015/how-to-land-a-postdoc-position • http://individual.utoronto.ca/shamighosh/postdoc.htm • http://karldcollins.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/how-to-get-that-postdoc • http://icanewsletter.com/2013/05/01 • http://postdoctraining.com