12:18:39 PM Apr 10, 2022
What I did in Ph.D. and what is my job now? (My story)
My Ph.D. work focuses on developing a fully-automated X-ray data collection platform that enables routine dynamic structural study of macromolecules. (It requires experiences from biology, chemistry, physics and computer engineering)
I am a research associate at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, developing ML solutions for data reduction pipelines at Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). Primary applications are single particle imaging (SPI) and serial femtosecond crystallography.
What you can get out of Ph.D.? (My take on being a Ph.D.)
You have an opportunity to explore a specific filed, where you can push the boundary of knowledge.
Learn a systematic approach of doing research.
What is the important problem to address?
What has been done previously, and what are challenges now (be exact)?
What is your proposed approach?
What experiments you can do to show the validity of your approach?
You will get to know, peer or senior, experts in a field or multiple fields, try to learn from them.
Join a research community, which can exapnds your view in research. One man team can only do that much.
What you need to know before commiting to Ph.D.? (Align your options with your interests and personalities.)
Ph.D. doesn’t mean a lifetime commitment to academia.
Choosing "academia VS industry" is a preference, and you can develop your own preferences over the course of your Ph.D..
Ph.D. takes time, so you have plenty to develop your transferable skills across academia and industry.
What’s the exit strategy? (Don’t commit blindly.)
Even when you are enrolled in a Ph.D. program, your journey of self-discovery might still be underway. Moreover, just like in industry, academia faces a lot of issues too, like funding problem, poor peer review system, bad incentives, etc. Knowing a few exit strategies is to ensure you will not be overwhelmed by your losses in time and confidence.
What people choose to do after Ph.D.? (Industry scientist/engineer, postdoc, teaching faculty, research faculty, business sectors, MBA, etc)
Ph.D. experiences vary markedly across fields.
Experimental lab, like biochemistry, often requires you to plan ahead and optimize your workflow. This is also an invaluable skill required in many industry jobs, like chip industry.
Theoretical lab might demand less on workflows, but still try to know what the day-to-day job is like. (E.g., you might expect to do proofs of theorems on a regular basis in math or statistics, do you like that?)
Citations vary significantly from field to field. Try to understand what it is like in your field of interest?
Dig a bit more in the fields you might be interested in.
Is this an emerging field or a traditional field? Emerging field might require more interdisciplinary skills. With that said, some researchers in traditional fields are also trying to keep it strong with better solutions.
How do researchers communicate typically? If they are open to use multiple channels, like conferences, podcast, or social media for communication, they might be more open-minded and inclusive.
What do researchers like the most about their fields? What do they dislike the most about their fields?
Intern in a lab might be the most straightforward way to assess whether it aligns with your interests and personality. It is usually not free, so try to seek support for doing that (people are always willing to help, so give it a try).