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The PhD journey: how to choose a good supervisor |
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Your supervisor will be a mentor, friend, confidante, adviser and also a voice of reason, so make sure it's a voice you'll want to hear. Link (New Scientist, 02/2008) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Preparing for Your Post-Ph.D. Career |
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Among the most difficult decisions during your Ph.D. is what to do when you're finished. You're probably familiar with the "typical" career track: Ph.D., postdoc, then a climb through the academic ranks of assistant, associate, and full professorship. Link (Science Careers, 02/2008) |
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A Doctor of Philosophy degree, abbreviated Ph.D., is the highest academic degree anyone can earn. Because earning a Ph.D. requires extended study and intense intellectual effort, less than one percent of the population attains the degree. Society shows respect for a person who holds a Ph.D. by addressing them with the title ``Doctor''. To earn a Ph.D., one must accomplish two things. First, one must master a specific subject completely. Second, one must extend the body of knowledge about that subject. Link (D.E. Comer, Purdue) |
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In developing the WDPD series of publications we have responded to requests from our stakeholder groups; national organisations, universities, employers and researchers, for more information on who postgraduate researchers are, where they go after graduating and the contribution they make to the UK economy. Link (UK GRAD Programme) Download the latest trend report, 2007 (PDF, 1.8 MB) |
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Science Careers Poll Results: A Realistic Readership |
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Our respondents were mostly graduate students and postdocs--a nearly even split--with a remaining few percent split among undergraduates, faculty members, and research associates. In response to the question, "How do you feel about your long-term professional prospects?" more than half--54.6%, to be precise--described themselves as "Somewhat hopeful." A large minority, though--30.2%--chose the "Not very hopeful" option, which carried the explanatory note, "It seems unlikely that I'll have the career I've been hoping for." Link (Science Careers, 10/2008) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Better Communication With Your Supervisor |
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Is poor communication with your supervisor getting in the way of your progress in the lab? Perhaps you’ve reached an impasse in your research and can’t see a way through. Or maybe it seems that--from your supervisor’s point of view--nothing you do is good enough. Link (Science Careers, 06/2008) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Countdown to Your Thesis Defence |
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For a couple of years, you have been doing research, research, and more research. But now the final deadline for your Ph.D. is in sight, and it's time to transfer your research results into a thesis. Where do you even begin? Link (Science Careers, 11/2007) |
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Why you'd want to pursue a doctoral degree (Ph.D.)? |
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Lots of articles from inside writers, addressing the question why or why not to pursue a PhD. Link (at Helium.com) |
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What makes a good PhD student? |
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Some tips for PhD students. Doing a PhD should be fun and rewarding, because you can spend all your working time discovering things and pursuing ideas — and getting paid for it, without any administrative responsibilities. Those who stick with a career in science do so because, despite the relatively poor pay, long hours and lack of security, it is all we want to do. Unfortunately most new PhD students are ill-prepared, and as a consequence very few will fulfil their aspirations to be independent scientists. Link (Nature Jobs, 05/2006) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Defending Your Thesis With Flair |
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You're nearly ready for the final act. After several years of research and the hard slog of writing up your results, you have submitted your magnum opus to your thesis committee and now face the final step. Ready or not, it's time to put yourself and your work in the critical spotlight. Link (Science Careers, 07/2008) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Starting Off on the Right Foot |
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Fall is a time of new beginnings, in academia at least. The long, languid days of summer are gone, and the change in weather marks the beginning of a new term and, hopefully, a period of renewed energy and ambition. Link (Science Careers, 10/2007) |
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Graduate Special: Success |
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Fame, fortune and happiness await those who are successful in life. But you're a scientist, so can you really expect the same rewards? The answer is yes, and we're here to show you how. Link (New Scientist, 05/2008) |
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Mastering Your Ph.D.: Dealing With Difficult Colleagues |
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In an ideal world, your lab would contain only bright, capable people working harmoniously together in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. If this describes your lab, count yourself lucky, because most scientists work in close quarters with at least one person who tries your patience or is difficult to get along with. Link (Science Careers, 01/2008) |
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Special Feature: Getting Published in Scientific Journals |
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Without good publications, you stand little chance of winning the fellowship, research grant, faculty job, or other scientific prize you're competing for. Link (Science Careers, 06/2007) |
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PhD in Europe: More Than a Long Holiday? |
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When I told my parents I had decided to do a PhD in the Netherlands, they fell silent. After a little while they expressed their worries about my decision to leave Mexico, where I was born and had spent all my life. "Don't you think there are easier ways to go on holidays in Europe?" was my mother's only question. Link (Science Careers, 2004) |
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