How to PhD: Perspectives from three ECE Professors

1. How to PhD: Perspectives from three ECE Professors Jan Allebach allebach@purdue.edu Electrical and Computer Engineering Purdue University

2. Is a Ph.D. right for you? • Hard work • Major commitment • Major rewards • Helps to be passionate about what you do

3. So you’ve decided to get a Ph.D.What do you do next? • Identify a graduate area, i.e. AC, BME, CE, CNSIP, MN, ESS, VLSI • What do you find exciting? • What courses do you like? • What do your fellow students have to say? • Choose a major professor • What kind of research do they do? • What is their style for working with students? • Where have their advisees gone after graduation? • What do your fellow students have to say? • Do they having funding for you?

4. Factors that influence choice ofdissertation topic • If research is sponsored, may depend on type of funding • Government • Industry • Style of your Major Professor • Open-ended • More prescribed

5. Characteristics of dissertation research • Must meet standards for good scientific practice • Fully documented • Reproducible • Should address an important problem, not just an interesting problem • Should be conducted in the context of the current state-of-the-art in the your area • Should be substantially novel and demonstrate a significant advance to the current state-of-the-art

6. Some other thoughts about dissertation research • Your dissertation need not be a monolithic entity – it can be a series of relatively independent substantive projects • Don’t be afraid to fail – but if you are going to fail, don’t take too long to do it • Don’t reinvent the wheel – borrow freely from others, but only with permission and attribution

7. Communications –“Good enough” is not “good enough” • Applies to all areas of professional communications • Presentations • Papers • Even e-mail • Learn to be your own worst critic • Read, revise, re-read, revise …. • Dot the i’s and cross the t’s • What are you trying to say? • It is clear? • It is concise? • Take every opportunity to improve your English language skills

8. Be a sponge • Use on-line databases to scour the literature related to your chosen research problems • Follow the leading journals in your area • Read the papers written by your fellow students in your research group • Attend preliminary examinations and final defenses in areas related to your research problem • If you have the opportunity to attend a conference, get as much out of it as possible • Talk to your professors and fellow students

9. Be a squeaky wheel • “My graduate students are my most important resource” • It is in my own best interest for them to be as effective as possible • Ask for what you need • Don’t wait for your Major Professor to request a meeting with you

10. Build a network • This is one of the most important outcomes of your graduate school experience • It is not only what you know, but also who you know • If you attend a conference, meet as many people as possible • Socialize with all your fellow students – not just those of your own nationality • Stay in touch

11. Graduate school can be… • Stressful • Scary • Demanding • Frustrating

12. But overall, it should be fun!