PHYSICS CAREER
Physics Today, 46, April 2001
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
ACADEMIC CAREER
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8‘.
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Undergraduate: Bachelor‘s (3-4 yrs)
Graduate: Master‘s or Diploma (1-2)
Graduate: PhD (3-8)
Postdoc (2-3)
Postdoc (2-3)
Assistant Professor--tenure track (3-5)
Associate Professor—tenure (1--)
Univeristy Professor, Full Professor (1--)
Chaired Professor, Distinguished Professor
Professor Emeritus--retired
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
GRADUATE STUDIES
US style
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TOEFL and GRE exams
1-2 years of advanced courses
Preliminary comprehensive exam
Advancement exam
Supervised research
PhD defense
Role of adviser
Role of field of research
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
TOEFL
Test of English as a Foreign Language
www.toefl.org
GRE
Graduate Record Examinations
www.gre.org
General
Subject
•Analytical
•Verbal
•Quantitative
•Physics
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Choosing graduate school
ranking
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
SCHOOL
NAME
OVERALL
RANK
SOLID
STATE
SPACE
PHYSICS
ATOMIC/
MOLECULAR
NUCLEAR
ELEMENTARY
PARTICLE
CHAOS
NON-LINEAR
Caltech
1
13
1
10
6
5
Nr
Harvard
1
5
3
4
22
1
12
MIT
1
2
8
2
1
6
4
Cornell
4
3
7
nr
20
8
5
Princeton
4
8
2
14
17
4
5
Stanford
4
4
nr
3
nr
3
nr
UC—Berkeley
4
5
4
5
8
2
8
U Chicago
8
9
5
12
nr
7
3
Uf Illinois--UrbanaChampain
9
1
20
nr
9
18
11
Yale
10
nr
nr
11
7
14
nr
Columbia
11
nr
20
nr
12
11
nr
U of Texas—Austin
11
23
9
12
nr
9
1
University of
California--Santa
Barbara
13
7
nr
nr
nr
16
8
U of Maryland-College Park
14
10
14
nr
11
19
2
U of Michigan--Ann
Arbor
14
16
16
7
22
9
nr
University of
Washington
14
20
nr
5
2
20
nr
SUNY--Stony Brook
17
nr
nr
nr
5
13
nr
UC--Los Angeles
17
13
20
nr
nr
nr
nr
UC--San Diego
17
12
nr
nr
nr
nr
8
UPennsylvania
17
nr
18
nr
17
17
nr
U Wisconsin—
Madison
17
nr
13
nr
15
12
nr
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
choosing advisor
adapted freely from
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How to do Research At the MIT AI Lab
How much direction you want?
How much contact you want?
How much pressure you want (can handle)?
How much emotional support you need?
How seriously you want to take your advisor?
What kind of research group there is?
Do you want to be part of a large project?
Will the advisor fight for you?
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
choosing advisor cont.
ƒ Will the advisor promote your work and give you just
credit?
ƒ Read recent papers of the advisor and make sure he or
she is active and working in a field in which there is
substantial interest
ƒ Work with the advisor for a summer project to see if
you like it. If you do not like it, go elsewhere!
ƒ Choose the topic AND the advisor. Not just the topic
and then pick whoever wants to supervise you.
ƒ Good lecturer is NOT necessarily a good researcher,
and vice versa.
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Rabbit, PhD
In a forest a fox bumps into a little rabbit, and says, "Hi rab, what’s up?"
"I'm writing a PhD Thesis on how rabbits eat foxes,“ said the rabbit.
“Sure, I can eat you right now! What scientific methods you use?"
“Just follow me to my office"
They go into the rabbit's burrow and after a while the rabbit emerges
alone and happy.
Comes along a wolf. "Hello, what are we doing these days?"
"I'm writing the second chapter of my thesis, on how rabbits eat wolves."
"Are you crazy? Where is your academic honesty? I could eat you now!"
"Come with me and I'll show you that I am right"
As before, the rabbit comes out with a satisfied look and a Thesis in his
paw.
After a minute a mean-looking lion comes out.
The moral: It's not the contents of your thesis that are important -- it's
your PhD advisor that really counts.
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
WRITING Thesis:
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/thesis.html
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Applying for student stipends
Paul-Urban Stipendienstiftung der KFUG
Heinrich-Jorg Stiftung
Grazer Universitatsbund
Forschungstipendien
FWF: Fonds zur Forderung der Wissen.
Forschung (www.fwf.ac.at)
ƒ OAW: Osterr. Akademie der Wissenschaften
(www.oeaw.ac.at)
ƒ EU (www.oead.ac.at)
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J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
ACADEMIC JOBS
based on
J. A. Dantzig:
Landing an Academic Job
http://quattro.me.uiuc.edu/~jon/ACAJOB/academic_job.html
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
STEPS
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ads and networking
Application (cover letter, cv)
Request for transcripts and references
Interview
Offer
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Etc.
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
DOB possibly in Europe
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Publications, Conferences, References
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
M. Anderson, Physics Today, page 51,April 2001
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
WHAT DO PHYSICISTS DO?
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Proper referencing
Acknowledging ideas of others
Respecting competitors
Unbiased recommendations for positions,
invited talks, seminars
ƒ Fair grant evaluations
ƒ Honest reporting of research methods,
approximations, results
ƒ Honest reporting on accomplishments
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J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
web resources
ƒ http://careers.aps.org
ƒ http://tiptop.iop.org
ƒ http://jobs.uni.hd.de/logf/
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results
Some useful phrases in communicating research
"It has long been known..."
= I didn't look up the original references
"A definite trend is evident..."
= This data is practically meaningless
"Of great theoretical and practical importance...“
= Interesting to me
"While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to these questions..."
= An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published
"Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study..."
= The results of the others didn't make any sense
"Typical results are shown..."
= The best results are shown
"These results will be shown in a subsequent report..."
= I might get around to this if I'm pushed
"The most reliable results are those obtained by Jones..."
= He was my graduate assistant
"It is believed that..."
= I think
"It is generally believed that..."
= A couple of other guys think so, too
"It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding of the phenomenon occurs..."
= I don't understand it
"Correct within an order of magnitude..."
= Wrong
"It is hoped that this study will stimulate further investigation in this field..."
= This is a lousy paper, but so are all the others on this miserable topic
"A careful analysis of obtainable data..."
= Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over my beer
"Reasonable order of magnitude..."
= Wild guess
"Non-trivial problem..."
=It doesn't work, but if we throw enough money at it, something's bound to happen
"Within the current state of the art..."
= Maybe we can do it
"On the leading edge of technology..."
= It ought to be possible - send more money!
"Given a reasonable preventive maintenance program...“
= Buy our service contract
“Our results confirm and extend previous conclusions”
= We find nothing new
”I thank Joe Blotz for assistance with the experiment and Cindy Adams for valuable discussions“
= Joe Blotz did the experiment and Cindy Adams explained it to me
J. F. Presentation of Scientific Results