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How to find your PhD Research Advisor?

Congratulations!

You have been admitted as a PhD student to the Data Science Program (DS) at WPI. Now you must be busy getting oriented to all kinds of new things around the campus, such as living, food, language, culture, working as a Teaching Assistant (TA), etc.

But remember that you also have a long-term goal here, getting your PhD within the next few years. It is best to start as early as possible working on your plan and initial steps for your PhD degree.

Frequently Asked Question:
Q: I was assigned an advisor in my first semester in the Data Science Program. Do I still need to find a PhD research advisor? 

A: Yes, you still need to find a PhD research advisor.
Your faculty advisor, assigned by the DS program, is your academic advisor who gives you advice and direction on which academic courses to take and when.
Your PhD research advisor will work with you on your research projects.

 

PhD90 or PhD60?

First of all, there are two different tracks for PhD students, PhD90 and PhD60, which have different requirements for the PhD degree in Data Science.
Here is how to discover which track you belong to.

PhD90 students: If you DO NOT hold a master's degree in a data science-related major, such as computer science, mathematical sciences, or business, it means (for example, if you have just finished your undergraduate degree and have entered the PhD program without having earned an MS degree). In this case, you are a PhD 90 student, so you need to earn 90 more credits or 30 more courses to earn your PhD degree. It also means that you will need to work on your master's thesis before working on your PhD thesis.

PhD60 students: If you DO have a master's degree in a data science-related major, such as computer science, mathematical sciences, or business, before beginning your PhD program at WPI, it means that you are a PhD 60 student. This means that you need to earn 60 more credits or 20 more courses to earn your PhD degree. It also means that you do NOT need to work on your master's thesis before working on your PhD thesis.

Timing: 

It is best to choose a research advisor as soon as possible in the early years of your PhD study.
This is an important decision to make, so it may take from one semester to even one year to make your final choice.

TIPS:
Here are some 'simple' tips on how to choose the perfect PhD research advisor for you.  

1: Align yours and their research interests.
2: Seek out trusted sources to give you unbiased opinions about your choice of the research advisor.
3: Expectations, expectations, expectations. Be sure you and the advisor have clear and concise expectations of one another.
4: It takes two to tango. You need to work in synchrony with the research advisor or you will trip and fall.
5: Workstyle compatibility. Know how you work best and be sure the research advisor's work style supports yours. Some people are morning people. Some people are night people and etc.
6: Be sure to meet current students. Students in the lab associated with the advisor will give you some good indication of how it is to work with this faculty. Are they happy? Productive?
7: Also try to meet past students. They can give you excellent input on how it was working with this particular faculty.


Goal:

1. Choose a research advisor

The right research advisor will provide you with mentorship, feedback, and support to help you succeed in your research. That’s why it’s so important to spend time finding a research advisor for your PhD who will be a great fit for you and your career plans. The role of a PhD research advisor is to use their own experience, expertise, and connections to help guide and support you through your research projects. A good research advisor will show interest in your project and will provide you with regular critiques of your work. While it is expected that you will meet with your advisor regularly, this might mean weekly for some, and monthly for others. Your research advisor will evaluate your work at the end of the PhD journey.  It is important to make sure both your expectations and your advisor’s expectations Links to an external site. align so that you can receive the best possible support. A research advisor who is a good fit for you and your interest can speed up your research progress significantly and lead to a better PhD experience. 

IMPORTANT: Choose your PhD research advisor from the list of Data Science (DS) core faculties

As a DS PhD student, you are required to choose a research advisor from the list of DS core faculties DS-affiliated faculties listed here, or in rare cases, someone from the list of DS-Affiliated faculty. The core faculty are listed under the faculty section of the DS webpage and if you scroll down the Affiliate Faculty are also listed by name and discipline.

The PhD research advisor is expected to be a tenure-track professor with the title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor.
The research advisor may not be a teaching professor with the title of Assistant Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, or Teaching Professor.

If you choose a DS-affiliated faculty as your PhD research advisor, remember that after 2-3 years when you form your PhD Dissertation Committee, you will be required to request a waiver from the DS Steering Committee allowing this affiliated faculty to serve as your PhD Dissertation Committee Chair.

You will find the instructions on how to do so on this page. 

Please Note: It will be harder for you to receive/renew any teaching assistant (TA) funding from the DS program if you choose a DS-affiliated faculty as your PhD research advisor. 
Also, you will need to ask your research advisor to support you as a research assistant (RA) until the completion of your studies, or you will need to support yourself through self-funding.

Steps:

  1. Identify what you intend to research and align your research interests with those of the advisor. In an ideal world, you will have a specific idea, passion, or proposal ready to research before you find a PhD research advisor.
    If you are having a hard time coming up with a good research topic, make a list of less-specific topics you’re interested in, then think of ways to gradually zero in on your area of specialty. For instance, you might go from data science to data mining, data mining to mining of graph data, and graph data to mining of graph data using neural network methods.
    Then you look specifically for a data mining researcher or a graph mining researcher as your advisor.
    If you are interested in natural language processing and you apply to study with a professor specializing in computer vision, you will probably not be accepted as a student in their research group or you will ultimately be disappointed. Even if it's an amazing professor and even if you are accepted, the advisor will be of little use in your PhD career without the background you need.
  1. Seek trusted sources and check faculty bios/webpage. Once you narrow down your research interest, look for a professor with knowledge of the topic. The WPI Data Science Program offers brief biographies and homepages of faculties which usually state what the professor’s research interests are and their research URLs are often available. You will eventually find faculty with interests that align with yours and whose area of research specialization could help you develop an original topic. 
    If your research area is more related to CS, look through the CS Rankings website Links to an external site. to find suitable faculties to act as your research advisor.
  2. Look closely at individual publications. Look at the publication list of your potential advisor and download some recently published papers. You may not be able to understand the technical details, but the topics and techniques discussed will probably be similar to what you would research in the lab. Also, check Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/)  for recent publications of faculties you’re interested in working with on your PhD.
    Do not pretend to have read a potential advisor’s publications if you have not.
    A good advisor will publish a steady stream of original research papers.
  3. Contact other graduate students. It's a good idea to chat with existing PhD students in the lab to get an idea about your potential advisor. Faculty usually list their PhD students on their webpage so if you want more information about a specific advisor, email some of these students and ask about their experience working with the proposed advisor. Different advisors have different working styles, personalities, and requirements for PhD students so find out as much as you can from existing PhD students and avoid making a choice you will later regret.
  4. Evaluate each potential research advisor’s personality. The relationship between the PhD advisor and the student is vital for student success. Determine if you are looking for a laid-back advisor or someone to keep you on track. Do you require constructive criticism or if you are sensitive to negative feedback? Aim to find a research advisor who meets your needs.
    If you’ve already met the potential advisor to discuss research topics, you could reflect on that meeting to judge their personality.
    Meeting your potential research advisor is also a good idea because it lets you find out more about the university. You can only find out so much online. In person, you can ask questions about the other faculty, graduate students, campus life, funding opportunities, and grants.
  5. Take their classes. It is a good idea to take the classes that this faculty teaches. The topic of their graduate course is often aligned well with the advisor's research interest, especially SP or special topics courses. It is also a good way to learn the fundamental knowledge of the research area. Also, you will observe their teaching style and have more chances to interact with your potential research advisor.
  6. Attend research seminars. If your potential research advisor organizes a research seminar for their PhD students, it is a great idea to join the meeting and try to learn about the research topics ongoing in that research lab. Although every PhD student will likely be working on a different/unique topic, the overall area is usually the same for all PhDs working with the same advisor.

For more details,  visit this page Links to an external site..

2. Contact the potential PhD research advisor

Send your top choice research advisor an email and ask if they have experience and research projects ongoing in the area you have chosen to research.
Identify yourself as a PhD student, or potential PhD student as the case may be, and indicate that you are looking at research topics and problems in their field.
Wait to hear a response from your first choice before moving on and emailing your second choice. It may take time to find an available faculty research advisor.

  • Here is a sample email:
    Dear Prof. Xiangnan Kong,
    Your research and published papers on the topic of graph data using neural network methods     is the area I plan to study for my PhD in Data Science.
    I am in my first year as a PhD 60 student and I do have some research experience in neural network methods and have done course projects on the related topics of ___________.     
    My hope is to be exposed to research projects and to potentially work with you as my PhD Research Advisor; I am ready to take on the challenges of research for the PhD and to continue my motivation.
    If you are amenable to this suggestion, I would sincerely like to meet and talk with you about my ideas and with luck, come to a positive decision.
    I wait expectantly for your response.
    Sincerely,    Student Name and WPI ID
    I have attached my CV for your convenience

  • If the professor responds enthusiastically to your proposal, you’re in business.
  • If they do not, they might suggest alternate topics that you might be interested in exploring.
  • If possible, meet the faculty member face-to-face to ask your questions and discuss your ideas.
    Professors are generally happy to dispense advice.

3. Submit a "Change/Update Advisor" petition in the DS Graduate system

Once you have a DS faculty member who agrees to work with you as your research advisor, please update your 'advisor' information in the DS graduate system. 
Submit a "Change/Update Advisor" petition in the DS graduate system.
Once the petition is approved, your advisor information is updated in the Data Science Program.

 

What's Next?

Good job!
Now that you have settled on a PhD research advisor who has agreed to work with you, as soon as possible begin your scheduled research meetings. 
Now is the time to start on your first research project/paper working with your PhD research advisor: you will need this paper in order to pass your next PhD milestone.

PhD90 students: Your next PhD milestone is MS Thesis Proposal. 

PhD60 students: Your next PhD milestone is PhD Research Qualifying Exam. 

You've got this!

 

 

Reference:

[1] https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-PhD-Advisor Links to an external site.

[2] https://www.findaphd.com/guides/choosing-phd-supervisor Links to an external site.