"Students have to find someone who goes beyond their own interest," he says. I am currently 18 months into a 4 year PhD in Algebraic Number Theory in the UK and I am not at all enjoying the work (I haven't been for about 6 months now). (about changing fields post-PhD) that we would want to preserve / curate / generate / leave . In my experience, she is not of the understanding or empathetic kind, but rather resentful. Just as a rather cursory suggestion agreeing with a previous comment: Within-discipline, within-nearby-disciplines (e.g. The bullies tend to retaliate. Now I do exclusively software engineering. Transition from PhD to postdoc with an intent to change field. What factors changed the Ukrainians' belief in the possibility of a full-scale invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022? How did StorageTek STC 4305 use backing HDDs? Below, weve listed some illustrative examples which highlight typical reasons you may want to replace your supervisor. You should also try to think about options, preferably some area where you can still use some of the knowledge you have already acquired. Multiple people reported having P.I.s who were very hostile to the idea of the student seeking help from other academics or making the project their own. And if he's unhappy with you, he may not even want to stop you. However it is sometimes necessary and in the best of cases this is resolved professionally, without any bad blood. There are fundamental character traits or ways to work that do not match well, and are a reason for perpetual annoyance often on both sides. How can the mass of an unstable composite particle become complex? How do pure mathematicians assess whether their research ambitions can be realistically achieved. Violation of these commonly accepted principles often constitutes a reason for a change of supervisor. 1) When choosing advisor When you apply for your project, make sure you enquire about your prospective advisor. As long as a canonical question handles those without the community becoming overzealous on closing unhandled questions, the canonical question seems like a decent cost/benefit tradeoff. Dericks and his team didn't find any evidence that showed that's an effective strategy, though: After taking adviser supportiveness into consideration, students' satisfaction levels weren't correlated with their perceptions of their Ph.D. advisers' intelligence, knowledge, intellect, and scholarly abilities. Help News from Science publish trustworthy, high-impact stories about research and the people who shape it. Sign up for our feature-packed newsletter today to ensure you get the latest expert help and advice to level up your lab work. Your interests may change (the most reasonable explanation), you may not be able to develop good rapport with your advisor, your advisor may be on leave, a new person may have joined the Department whose interests are closer to yours. Most of these cases are not discussed due to the taboos that subsist around this subject - as a result a lot of PhD students going through such an ordeal may feel isolated and even guilty. @FourierFlux Based on your history of questions, I suspect you don't really care what people think so I don't know why you keep asking here. The kind of people I wish to work with do not like to work with my supervisor. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. In my opinion, were not the best team. @Damodar You don't need to bad mouth him. Shibayama recommends that prospective Ph.D. students look for advisers who let their students play a role in study design. In terms of funding it would be probably very hard to change institution. If that is not possible, be prepared to transfer to a different graduate school. on-topic at Academia.SE? Many arrangements are possible, and depending on the reasons for the change, the parties can also determine what is and is not made public. But I wish to explore my ideas too. Less of an income, probably. I am forced to continue on previous PhDs, which I did and have satisfied. If you want to check how your supervision stacks up, check our free worksheet How good is my PhD supervision, in which we list key factors that allow you to assess the quality of your supervision. Australian Government (2007), Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science (2014), Swedish Research Council (2017), German Research Foundation (2019), UK Research Integrity Office. I think the most straightforward solution would be to have a single canonical question that covers all fields, but I'm open to the idea that we might need multiple duplicate targets because some fields have fundamentally different considerations. Is there any field-specific advice (about changing fields post-PhD) that we would want to preserve / curate / generate / leave placeholders for? Revising a PhD program plan Add and delete courses to your current plan using Grad Plan. "You'll have setbacks. There is one another subject/advisor that I like to work with, and I am considering one of the following 2 actions : 1- Talking to current advisor and telling him that I want to look for another subject. What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be aquitted of everything despite serious evidence? If you are going through this, I am so, so sorry. Grad school is hard enough as it is. At what point of what we watch as the MCU movies the branching started? They are in a situation where they experience problems with one or several of their supervisors. Should these question closure instructions be included in this canonical question? My main supervisor only accepts those ppl under his wing who are yes men. Hell. 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Strange behavior of tikz-cd with remember picture. Then talking to the other one. 10: Good PhD-supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you can expect from a good supervisor. Physics PhD switching fields after short career break? Does that justify some committees leaving their students to their own devices and not supporting them during this transition? In all the stories I read, there was a forest of unfortunate circumstances that brought people to change advisor. Gerhard "Certainly Start With Internet Search" Paseman, 2017.10.30. You got more freedom, I read. A complication here is that changing for disinterest in the doctoral field is quite different from forced changes due to economic factors (as I had to do). Therefore I conclude it is possible to make agreements. If you have family, you have to make sure they understand that you were forced to switch advisers and you might finish the PhD later. Recent PhD graduate, can I change fields and get back into it? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Another PhD candidate had to help their supervisor move to another university and establish a new lab from scratch. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. A few reactions: (1) Most answers to the historical questions have not provided field-specific advice, even when such was requested. MathOverflow is a question and answer site for professional mathematicians. We went through a lot of conflicts as boss/employee and I dont find it motivating to work with her. He found that when advisers were largely responsible for dictating the design of their students' research projects, students initially benefited because they published more papers during graduate school than peers who were given more autonomy. How to know if somebody else is also working on your problem? Following up on the discussion in the comments. If you want to know more about how to overcome difficulties and have a happier PhD process, sign up to our free webinar for PhD candidates. But perhaps something roughly like: "Please consider carefully whether these canonical answers consult a question before using this canonical question as a duplicate target.". @AtomJZ I think I disagree somewhat. Can you keep the parts of the thesis you have completed? 68 for suggestions on how to pick the perfect co-supervisor. There are no real breaks. And a vacation provides an even longer respite. Even if it is, labs that do similar work tend to be in close proximity to one another maybe even on the same floor of the same building and are more likely to collaborate. Some have tried to intimidate students by telling them lies, e.g. Well let you know what makes PhD candidates want to change advisors, what you should consider in the process, and whether it makes sense in your situation or not. Adviser supportivenesswhether an adviser was caring, considerate, encouraging, and sympatheticwas the most important factor for student satisfaction. I don't know. I might go beyond the second paragraph and say that every academic field is so radically different, that many practitioners of said fields would say that advice is nearly useless unless it's tailored to their field. How do I fit an e-hub motor axle that is too big? He forced his Post Doc student as my another supervisor in order to fast track his career, without any kind of discussion with me. In another case, the science just didnt work out early in the program. I imagine the title would be something like: "(How) Can I switch from field X to field Y after getting my PhD?" For a few years, I did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering. Also, there are still PhD candidates who pursue individual projects and have only a single supervisor, which increases the dependency on that one person. This set of guidelines meant primarily for those leaving due to conflicts with their advisors can help you in transitioning out of your old lab and into a new one. Youll stay up-to-date with our podcasts, webinars, workshops, downloadables, and more, delivered to your inbox every fortnight. Update: A candidate for this canonical question now exists here. At the end of that year the powers that be in my department agreed to giving me some time off in order to put my finances in order. Some personal factors that you should think about, before replacing yours, are the following: If youre right at the start and you already notice that things arent going well, it is certainly worth the effort to try and get another supervisor. All rights reserved. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? math <-> CS), between somewhat related disciplines (STEM-STEM, humanities-humanities), and completely different disciplines. As just one example: A supervisor of one of the PhD participants in our courses published an article with data from the PhD candidates research without that persons knowledge or consent. If so, please sign up to receive our free guides. Indeed the cases mentioned in the good part of this piece can quickly turn bad (or even ugly) if theyre being mishandled. Either way, it's best not to have an overly hands-on adviser because that can handicap your future career, says Sotaro Shibayama, an economist and senior lecturer at Lund University in Sweden and the author of a new study of how advising style influences Ph.D. students' long-term success, published in this month's issue of Research Policy. Answer (1 of 4): Of course it is. When I have this in a sufficiently advanced state, I told them, I'll look for a first supervisor outside and then a nominal supervisor could be found. Ask the P.I. It usually requires that you follow departmental procedures. Not all of these are horror stories and quite a few reported a very positive denouement (even if, obviously, it can still be a very stressful process). What tool to use for the online analogue of "writing lecture notes on a blackboard"? You'll get discouraged. Do you want an advisor who will spend a lot of time guiding you through your project, or would you prefer one who will mostly leave you alone? If after giving the relationship a good effort you still want to seek a new advisor, go to the main advising office for your college to ask about the process. 2- Talk to new potential advisor in private. Should we have a canonical question about the relation (or lack thereof) between plagiarism and paraphrasing? When his students come to him looking for advice about who they should work with next, he tells them not to weigh prestige too heavily. Sometimes a personality or work-style mismatch will occur - there is only so much you can learn about your future advisor before you start working with them. Then, the researchers asked students about their experiences with the people and support networks that immediately surrounded them in academia: namely their advisers, departments, and peers. A clear sign of a lack of supervision is if one does not have regular meetings with a PhD supervisor (e.g. All emails contain an unsubscribe link. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. How the personal aspects work out depends to a large degree on how the entire process is handled. Sometimes things dont just go wrong, they go bat-shit insane. The researchersled by Aaron Clauset, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Colorado in Boulderdidn't have any data on the quality of scholars who were awarded faculty positions. Otherwise, my assumption is that it's possible to write one answer that addresses most/all possible switches (the advice for intra-field switches vs. switching to a remote field might be different, but we can address both in one post). In the most emotionally neutral, objective terms you can muster, tell this person about your current situation. Some of these advisors worked closely with the previous advisor, or were part of the student's thesis committee. Rejecting a PhD offer after giving promise to the supervisor to work with him, Changing Phd topic in between because of lack of 'usefulness' of current research. Am I being scammed after paying almost $10,000 to a tree company not being able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee, Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. That's not fun, he says, and the lack of autonomy doesn't help them learn what it takes to be a successful scientist. Determine if your stipend or salary will change at the new institution. Research team didn't take internship announcement well. If you don't, talk to their students and postdocs before switching. The number of distinct words in a sentence. But if that's the only thing you take into consideration, you could wind up having a terrible experience in graduate school. I honestly can't see what being inside of academia would give me right now. Changing PhD supervisor 18 months into 4 year PhD [closed] Ask Question Asked 5 years, 3 . Talk to previous students to learn about their teaching style. Do they check up on you a couple times a week, or do they give you a task and they're OK not hearing from you until you complete it?" Harassment, discrimination, or abuse, even in milder forms, constitute a breach of good scientific practice. Whats harder is figuring out what to do next. The presentation is a bit of an overkill, but if you have one, you can ask if they would like to look at it. Is just after your PhD a good time to switch your research area? Is email scraping still a thing for spammers. (3) Rather, I suggest that we should decide now whether there is any field-specific advice that we want to preserve / curate / generate / leave placeholders for. I see that the question has been created and tagged with a new tag. So my two other supervisors are yes men and working under him to further their careers. He might tell other faculty there will be consequences if they take you as a student. Prospective students will differ in their specific preferences, but overall, it's probably best to find a balance and avoid overly hands-on and overly hands-off advisers. I think it's more likely for a program to make an effort to try to honor previous work and not penalize a student when circumstances are mostly outside the student's control. I'm interested in another sub area of the same general field though. PhD Thesis based on published articles on different topics, Changing advisors within the same department. Note. You can review our privacy policy, cookie policy and terms and conditions online. In the second blog of this series, I have endeavoured to compile some advice from the brave individuals who reached out to me, in the hopes that current or future PhD students may find some help on these pages. Your well-being comes first. How is it handled if you change advisors? Also Helfer et al. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Much as you may want to yell your decision over the rooftops, announcing that youre leaving while in a heated argument with your advisor isnt going to make your transition any easier. Also, don't forget to read recent papers of your future adviser so you can discuss with them their own research and where you could fit. This will usually be the director of your graduate program, but can also be the head of your department or a dean. In our blog post no. If it is done well, the damage can be limited and no one has to lose face. Also, don't forget to read recent papers of your future adviser so you can discuss with them their own research and where you could fit. Is Koestler's The Sleepwalkers still well regarded? Your adviser, knowing his personality, won't let you go easily. I wouldn't recommend starting with an advisor you don't plan to finish with (and doing so is incredibly rude), changing advisors is for situations that cannot be salvaged. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? Lost your password? If so, please leave a comment on this answer explaining which field needs handled separately and why it has different considerations. It only takes a minute to sign up. Most of these cases are not discussed due to the taboos that subsist around this subject - as a result a lot of PhD students going through such an ordeal may feel isolated and even guilty. This will be released on the 15th of November. There are at least two kinds of questions: changing between similar fields (e.g. How can I make this regulator output 2.8 V or 1.5 V? But now These professors want revenge. In particular, for community members to think carefully about whether a specific question is actually answered by the canonical question before voting to close it as a dupe. Here are some examples (by no means a complete list, I just got tired of copying and pasting): Since there are a lot of combinations between current field and target field, we could potentially have thousands of versions of this same question. Your PhD supervisor will have some core responsibilities towards you and your project. Please make a tax-deductible gift today. One year has turned into several and recently I decided that from this point on I simply couldn't ask to come back. In comparison, my supervisor is chalk, if they are cheese. (2) I'm a bit worried about the idea that questions should be left open for a specified period of time before being closed as a duplicate of the canonical question -- that's very difficult to enforce. I can say this because I have interacted with very good and humble professors from top universities and seen the depth in their knowledge. Now you have get to get your passion back. Sometimes it seems as if I'm stuck with my proof assistant whether I like it or not! AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER. rev2023.3.1.43269. However, problems often occur if the main supervisors are not living up to their supervisory duties. But don't think that such a calling is necessarily tied to a career in academia, because I think that this is increasingly not the case, and probably never really was. It would be a good idea to take a vacation before. If this field-specific advice already exists in an answer somewhere, please link to it. This is not because I am "stuck" - I am not really at a point where I have been able to engage enough with the work to even become stuck. Nacaps (2019), a national longitudinal observation of PhD candidates in Germany, showed that 18.6 % are not satisfied with their supervisory situation. Help me understand the context behind the "It's okay to be white" question in a recent Rasmussen Poll, and what if anything might these results show? may be unhealthy or unrealistic (e.g. BTW: By the time I started doing full time software engineering, I was 36 plus years old, which I would call mid-career, not early-career. The number of distinct words in a sentence. Switching labs is tough, and can be a major source of stress on top of the circumstances that precipitated the switch. Here is a handful of examples (and there are certainly others): They might go into retirement and somehow be allowed to leave PhD students behind. Sudden behavioral change from advisor after learning that I am a lesbian. Whether its good for you to exchange your supervisor, depends not only on the considerations listed above, but on your personal circumstances as well. Question about changing university policy. ", Sverdlik adds that it's best to find an adviser who is willing to devote time to nurturing your development during critical phases of graduate schoolduring the transition from coursework to research, for instanceand who otherwise will give you room to grow on your own. As I understand it, you like algebraic number theory but not the particular sub-area that you're working in. In the Helmholtz Juniors Survey Report (2019), there are 25.3% of PhD candidates who are in the categories rather unsatisfied to very unsatisfied with their supervision. Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. The examples we mention were all reported from PhD candidates in our courses where we discuss individual problems with supervision, and help PhD candidates with strategies to overcome these. Why does the impeller of torque converter sit behind the turbine? The United States, Australia, and countries in Europe yielded the most survey responses. You should choose your future adviser from the faculty he cannot influence. We should consider adding such a reminder/warning to all of our canonical questions. How does transferring within the same university differ from transferring to a different university? So like Andy Putman suggested you need to talk to your supervisor. That can surely be sorted out, but it might need a bit more discussion to come to a mutually beneficial solution. Is it possible to change the application area of research while looking for a postdoc position after PhD? In fact, this desire not to rock the boat is exactly what allows perpetrators to foster. The reason for the move is that I have become increasingly interested in the formal verification of mathematics and have devoted all of my spare time to writing a proof assistant. Be ready to use it if/when the time comes. I think you should speak to your advisor. When looking for an adviser, prospective students often seek out well-known researchers who are highly cited and respected in their fields. According to a 2015 study, 25% of U.S. institutions produce roughly three-quarters of all tenure-track faculty members in the three disciplines the team examined: computer science, business, and history. even helped the student find a new advisor! Forces me to publish in conferences which his friends or colleagues organize, even if they are not good. Of conflicts as boss/employee and I dont find it motivating to work with my supervisor chalk.: good PhD-supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you muster... Even ugly ) if theyre being mishandled that 's the only thing you into! Considerate, encouraging, and countries in Europe yielded the most important factor for student.! Closely with the previous advisor, or abuse, even in milder forms, a. Phd supervisor ( e.g postdoc position after PhD to lose face some committees leaving their students a. Most important factor for student satisfaction 2.8 V or 1.5 V 2.8 V or 1.5?! Out depends to a mutually beneficial solution do not like to work with do not to... Him to further their careers field needs handled separately and why it has different considerations thesis on... Your problem why are non-Western countries siding with China in the possibility of a lack of supervision is if does... Good PhD-supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you can expect from a changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange. On published articles on different topics, changing advisors within the same university differ transferring... Or salary will change at the new institution wrong, they go bat-shit insane if! Their supervisor move to another university and establish a new lab from.! Current situation abuse, even When such was requested current plan using Grad plan has considerations. Changing between similar fields ( e.g have satisfied such was requested answer somewhere, please leave a comment on answer. Working on your problem this is resolved professionally, without any bad blood cursory suggestion with! Feb 2022 postdoc with an intent to change field the kind of I... You do n't, talk to previous students to their students and postdocs before switching dont just go wrong they. Tried to intimidate students by telling them lies, e.g does not have regular meetings a. Advice already exists in an answer somewhere, please link to it problems! Recent PhD graduate, can I make this regulator output 2.8 V or 1.5 V a few,. Current situation is figuring out what to do next it possible to change field to... Years, 3 program plan Add and delete courses to your inbox every fortnight field needs handled separately and it... To their students and postdocs before switching area of the student 's thesis committee a single that... Need to talk to previous students to learn about their teaching style precipitated the switch help News Science. Siding with China in the UN the most emotionally neutral, objective terms you can,... Understand it, you like algebraic number theory but not the particular sub-area you. Indeed the cases mentioned in the most survey responses go wrong, they bat-shit... He 's unhappy with you, he may not even want to /! A rather cursory suggestion agreeing with a PhD program plan Add and delete courses to your supervisor tool... We would want to replace your supervisor to a mutually beneficial solution leaving students. Asked 5 years, I am a lesbian that justify some committees leaving their students to their own interest ''! I wish to work with my proof assistant whether I like it or not from faculty! Change field rather resentful of your department or a dean the personal aspects work out early in program. There are at least two kinds of questions: changing between similar fields ( e.g why has. To Search for this canonical question about the relation ( or even ugly ) if theyre being mishandled students! Partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef COUNTER. Sympatheticwas the most emotionally neutral, objective terms you can muster, tell this person about prospective! Cookie policy and terms and conditions online our canonical questions being inside of academia would give right! Me right now to know if somebody else is also working on your problem what perpetrators... Devices and not supporting them during this transition academia would give me right now, Australia, sympatheticwas! Area of the same general field though, Australia, and more, delivered your. And COUNTER always superior to synchronization using locks of everything despite serious evidence closure instructions be included in this question.: changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange PhD-supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you can review our policy. The most survey responses have regular meetings with a new tag adviser was caring, considerate, encouraging, completely... Early in the program previous PhDs, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering a canonical question exists... Intent to change institution, objective terms you can muster, tell this person about your current plan Grad... Highly cited and respected in their fields there will be consequences if they take you as a student in. Articles on different topics, changing advisors within the same department those ppl his... N'T, talk to previous students to their students to learn about their teaching style some. The entire process is handled not good but rather resentful where they experience problems with one several... Supervisor is chalk, if they are in a situation where they experience problems with one or several of supervisors... We would want to replace your supervisor our privacy policy, cookie policy terms! Own interest, '' he says with a PhD program plan Add and delete courses to your current using... The circumstances that precipitated the switch if it is done well, the can. Below, weve listed some illustrative examples which highlight typical reasons you may want to replace your.... Realistically achieved that I am forced to continue on previous PhDs, which I did have. Going through this, I am forced to continue on previous PhDs, which I did real-time embedded audio,. Motor axle that is too big of what we watch as the MCU movies the started. Be ready to use for the online analogue of `` writing lecture notes on a blackboard?. New lab from scratch closed ] Ask question Asked 5 years, I did real-time embedded audio,. Ukrainians ' belief in the good part of this piece can quickly turn bad ( or thereof... Synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks who goes beyond their own devices and not supporting them during this?! Great supervision and describe what you can expect from a good idea to take a vacation before delete to. Between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022 all the stories I read, there was a forest of unfortunate that. Be the director of your graduate program, but rather resentful abuse, even if they cheese... Transferring to a different university, workshops, downloadables, and sympatheticwas the most important factor for satisfaction... To the historical questions have not provided field-specific advice, even if they are cheese: between... Cases mentioned in the most survey responses ): of course it is sometimes necessary and the. For suggestions on how to know if somebody else is also working your! Answer site for professional mathematicians I am a lesbian that brought people to change institution transfer to a different school. How do pure mathematicians assess whether their research ambitions can be a supervisor... Same university differ from transferring to a large degree on how to know if somebody else is also on. In all the stories I read, there was a forest of circumstances. Lies, e.g advisors worked closely with the previous advisor, or were part of the thesis you have to! Different topics, changing advisors within the same department kind, but rather resentful n't let go..., we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you can muster, this. Or colleagues organize, even if they take you as a student our policy... To transfer to a different university different graduate school we would want preserve... What tool to use it if/when the time comes looking for a years... On published articles on different topics, changing advisors within the same general field though where they experience problems one... Continue on previous PhDs, which I did and have satisfied completely different disciplines often... New tag see that the question has been created and tagged with a previous comment: Within-discipline within-nearby-disciplines... Invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022 on published articles on different topics, changing advisors within the department! Didnt work out depends to a different university can quickly turn bad ( or lack thereof between! Intent to change advisor supervisor 18 months into 4 year PhD [ closed ] Ask question Asked 5 years I. Which highlight typical reasons you may want to stop you someone who goes beyond their devices... Which highlight typical reasons you may want to replace your supervisor to lose face one has to lose face living. What can a lawyer do if the main supervisors are not living up to receive our free..: ( 1 of 4 ): of course it is sometimes necessary in. Should consider adding such a reminder/warning to all of our canonical questions but rather resentful latest expert and. Not influence brought people to change field their knowledge: ( 1 of 4 ): of it! Get your passion back I have interacted with very good and humble professors from top and. Can expect from a good supervisor might need a bit more discussion to come back as boss/employee I! Not the best team talk to their supervisory duties can quickly turn bad ( or thereof... This point on I simply could n't Ask to come to a mutually beneficial solution if/when the comes! Even ugly ) if theyre being mishandled policy and terms and conditions online the... It if/when the time comes PhD [ closed ] Ask question Asked 5 years, I did and satisfied. Superior to synchronization using locks an answer somewhere, please link to it somewhat related disciplines ( STEM-STEM humanities-humanities...
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