I think this is a much, much larger undertaking than just having a few broad subcategories in the canonical question. You will receive mail with link to set new password. I have been forced to have 3 supervisors already. I struggled in the first year of a PhD in computer science but I succeeded at the end and gained a scholarship. A clear sign of a lack of supervision is if one does not have regular meetings with a PhD supervisor (e.g. No. "What we found in the literature is that when your supervisor just monitors your progress, and is willing to make time for you when you really need help, that is really all that is needed for students to succeed.". One comment: In many departments, if you have another advisor lined up, there is very little your former advisor can do to keep you from switching. After two years, I have lost interest in my work and the passion has gone. But perhaps something roughly like: "Please consider carefully whether these canonical answers consult a question before using this canonical question as a duplicate target.". Do you want to successfully complete your PhD? Be honest with them and don't worry if they may end up not taking you. Should we have a canonical question about changing fields after PhD? Is there a canonical answer about selecting a journal for publication? So like Andy Putman suggested you need to talk to your supervisor. 2. In this case, the financing is independent from the supervisor. But now These professors want revenge. I think you should speak to your advisor. Advising offices have different processes for changing advisors. How do I fit an e-hub motor axle that is too big? He may disagree with your decision and not see your concerns as a problem worth leaving for, or he may surprise you by agreeing that leaving is the best course of action. Changing PhD supervisor 18 months into 4 year PhD [closed] Ask Question Asked 5 years, 3 . Make sure your new adviser can support you. rev2023.3.1.43269. Transition from PhD to postdoc with an intent to change field. There are a few challenges I think you will face: Given what you wrote, I believe switching advisers would be a good move. I imagine the title would be something like: "(How) Can I switch from field X to field Y after getting my PhD?" In this way, you work in a field you already know at a moderate pace, while you develop new skills. Some universities or graduate schools have formal proceedings for an exchange of supervisors anchored in their PhD regulations (or elsewhere) which are publicly available. Dont rush it, but eventually try to arrive at a decision, after carefully balancing the pros and cons. My supervisor openly claims that he is a great researcher and expects students to worship him. Changing PhD advisor over the course of your degree, although quite rare, is a lot more common than people might think. 70h/week including week-ends and holidays). The presentation is a bit of an overkill, but if you have one, you can ask if they would like to look at it. The road ahead may be long, and your journey will be unique, but you are not alone. For one good example that sets out clear guidelines, see Griffith Universitys (2019) Code of Practice for the Supervision of Higher Degree Research Candidates. Use paper as masters thesis or sign up to a direct PhD program (and use the paper for this)? Advisers may want to publish as many papers as possible so that they can win more grants and move their research programs forward. math <-> CS), between somewhat related disciplines (STEM-STEM, humanities-humanities), and completely different disciplines. Maybe they were made fun of in school for being nerds. I guess my question is whether others on this site (PhD students or PhD supervisors) have had a similar experience or have any advice regarding this situation? For a few years, I did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering. 68 for suggestions on how to pick the perfect co-supervisor. It would be a good idea to take a vacation before. Ackermann Function without Recursion or Stack. All I do is push myself because I need to graduate. 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). Changing Careers: Becoming a Professional Mathematician. Is it possible to change the application area of research while looking for a postdoc position after PhD? Is it wise to change my supervisor in the late stages of my PhD? I'd be open to leaving placeholders for practitioners to add field-specific advice, but I suspect most of these placeholders would long remain empty. 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. The Bully It seems like some professors were picked on a little too much when they were kids. Is there any field-specific advice (about changing fields post-PhD) that we would want to preserve / curate / generate / leave placeholders for? Once youve begun taking steps to find a new advisor, break the news to your current advisor. But if that's the only thing you take into consideration, you could wind up having a terrible experience in graduate school. Another PhD candidate had to help their supervisor move to another university and establish a new lab from scratch. We went through a lot of conflicts as boss/employee and I dont find it motivating to work with her. The study underscores a fundamental disconnect between the interests of advisers and advisees, Shibayama says. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have. But given how much faculty-member production differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions weren't given out on merit alone. as in example? Youll stay up-to-date with our podcasts, webinars, workshops, downloadables, and more, delivered to your inbox every fortnight. It's critical to find "someone you can relate to, who is going to be supportive in a personal way," Dericks says. Was Galileo expecting to see so many stars. We have a very high number of questions about switching fields after PhD. Violation of these commonly accepted principles often constitutes a reason for a change of supervisor. Now I have no interest in further continuing this association. Supervisors may also be relieved that they can end a supervisory relationship with a PhD candidate they knew was unhappy with their guidance, and are glad that a colleague will take over. 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science. In another case, the science just didnt work out early in the program. 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. But after graduation, researchers who were advised by professors who weren't so hands-on went on to be more productive. He seems to have had a chat with my supervisor and suddenly I am offered more freedom. by answers? We should consider adding such a reminder/warning to all of our canonical questions. During that time, the PhD candidate could barely run experiments for her PhD project, since practically nothing in the lab was working, causing a huge delay in her PhD process. If a law is new but its interpretation is vague, can the courts directly ask the drafters the intent and official interpretation of their law? My second year, however, didn't improve despite making another breakthrough. It's also important to figure out whether your working style is compatible with your prospective adviser's style, says Anna Sverdlik, a psychology postdoc at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada, who studies conditions that promote the success and well-being of Ph.D. students, and co-authored a review article on the topic published in September 2018. A PhD is time to train to do research, which is difficult if you do not focus; afterwards, you have a lot more freedom to branch out and change topics, and even more freedom if you continue in academia and secure a long-term research position. You are e.g. 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. This argument can certainly be made for physics and mathematics, where changing subfield can feel like trying to move a mountain. 3 Academic Advisors To Avoid 1. How much does the problem with your supervisor affect your ability to work, and your potential to do excellent research? 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. Harassment, discrimination, or abuse, even in milder forms, constitute a breach of good scientific practice. 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. Someone really knowledgable in your subject and fitting your character? One year has turned into several and recently I decided that from this point on I simply couldn't ask to come back. You should choose your future adviser from the faculty he cannot influence. You seem to be already burnt out. The team measured student satisfaction by asking the survey participants to rate the degree to which words such as "good," "happy," "terrible," and "disappointing" described their overall Ph.D. experience. How this would apply to various other people would be dependent on their interests, but it shows that it can be done, and to that extent, is a 'positive story'. If this field-specific advice already exists in an answer somewhere, please link to it. @Damodar You don't need to bad mouth him. This question does not appear to be about research level mathematics within the scope defined in the help center. I don't know of any examples where someone transferred from one university to another and used prior work towards a thesis, but transfers between universities are rare for PhDs in general. With all due respect to certain other PhD advice columnists out there, we think that lying or concealing your true intentions from your advisor is a recipe for disaster. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. You'll have doubts about yourselfabout your research ideas, about many things." Thanks for reply! Any disadvantages of having a PhD supervisor who is working only part-time at the institution? But in a PhD program, your schedule becomes "whenever you find time to get your work done." 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. Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. I dont want to scare you, but if you are a similar situation you have to be prepared. You would graduate later. 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. Talk to Your Bad Academic Advisor. This will be released on the 15th of November. There's a project I want to work on for maybe year, but have pretty much no interest in working on after that. Many Higher Education Institutions, funding agencies, or governmental bodies have developed codes of good scientific practice (see e.g. But on paper, I am progressing well because my supervisor had his way with me. Sign up for our feature-packed newsletter today to ensure you get the latest expert help and advice to level up your lab work. Now you have get to get your passion back. In an ideal world we'd have the canonical question. 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). This is not novel or ground breaking but it is good to keep repeating it. Sometimes things just go wrong - either in the circumstances that led to a change of supervision, or in the way this change was handled by the advisor and/or the department. I like that! If that is a clear yes, then a change of supervisor is on the agenda. My main supervisor only accepts those ppl under his wing who are yes men. I can say this because I have interacted with very good and humble professors from top universities and seen the depth in their knowledge. The most you should say about your adviser is that your working styles clash, and you would need a little more freedom to chose methods and explore your own ideas. Many incidents can bring you over the tipping point in deciding to switch PhD advisors, and when your relationship with your advisor has deteriorated to the point where going to lab feels unbearable, deciding to leave can be easy. Don't deny the suggestions in a disrespectful or unprofessional way. In a stereotypical "9-to-5" job, when the workday is over or the weekend arrives, you can generally forget about your work. Research team didn't take internship announcement well. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. They may be leaving research and be unmotivated You may have personal circumstances or mental health issues that must take precedence - you may need to take a break and change program or institute. I know of several people who changed PhD advisors for a variety of reasons: loss of advisor's funding, advisor moving to a different university, unexpected inability of an advisor to continue advising (illness, death, etc), personal conflict. hyper-organised and your supervisor is the chaotic one, coming up with new ideas for your research in every meeting, dwarfing any of your attempts to maintain focus. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. Changing advisers is common in some fields of study and less so in others. Maybe it was when she changed your project for the sixth time in six months, though your thesis proposal deadline was rapidly approaching and you had nothing to present. 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. Now I do exclusively software engineering. Forces me to publish in conferences which his friends or colleagues organize, even if they are not good. Can I switch fields?, How do I switch fields?, Is it a good idea to switch fields?, When to switch fields?, or all of these? How to know if somebody else is also working on your problem? Should we have a canonical question for "should I quit my PhD"? rev2023.3.1.43269. A PhD is time to train to do research, which is difficult if you do not focus; afterwards, you have a lot more freedom to branch out and change topics, and even more freedom if you continue in academia and secure a long-term research position. If you are facing similar issues, I hope this will help you will feel less alone. In one case the P.I. According to the researchers' findings, switching from an adviser who was strongly unsupportive to one that was highly supportive would be expected to increase the Ph.D. satisfaction score . But it's possible that we need several different questions: intra-field, STEM to STEM, STEM to humanities, humanities to humanities, etc. You may see it as not wrong, but I reiterate to you that it seems quite rude to me. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack . But advisees are best served if they are given the space to make mistakes and develop into capable, independent scientistsa process that can take time, and that is more likely to pay off after a student has left an adviser's lab. Many arrangements are possible, and depending on the reasons for the change, the parties can also determine what is and is not made public. Dot product of vector with camera's local positive x-axis? While it may be easy to dismiss your relationship with your advisor as unsalvageable and ignore this advice, keep in mind that since youre both researchers at the same school, youre likely to continue to interact on some level, and your advisor may be asked his opinion about why you left the lab. Regardless of your advisors response, youll look back on this and remember it as something you handled as well as you could, or if not, as a learning experience in how not to handle conflict in the future. The role of my primary supervisor has been substantially reduced. There are plenty of reasons why a PhD student wants or has to exchange an advisor. 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. When you visit the office, ask what you need to do to start the change process. If you need to switch to a very different field, you should expect another 2-3 years as a beginner. Be part of an amazing group of academics from all over the world! Therefore I conclude it is possible to make agreements. Or maybe it was when he screamed at you for not updating the lab Facebook page, even when he told you that morning to work on your experiments instead. Help News from Science publish trustworthy, high-impact stories about research and the people who shape it. 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. 1. I see that the question has been created and tagged with a new tag. Academia Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. Thoughts of an academic career are completely beside the point. With all this in mind, I decided recently that I will leave the PhD and do something else (I actually have no idea what yet). Is email scraping still a thing for spammers. 1) When choosing advisor When you apply for your project, make sure you enquire about your prospective advisor. Do any fields have fundamentally different considerations than others? I also fear that many askers are looking for a seamless and easy way to transition. Question about changing university policy. UniWiND 2015, UCL 2018, National Health and Medical Research Council Australia 2019, University of Edinburgh 2021). In some labs, graduate students are "treated like laborlike robots in a factoryrather than independent scientists," he says. I myself have occasionally fallen into reflexively flagging to close a question that is "close enough" to a canonical duplicate. It only takes a minute to sign up. The number of distinct words in a sentence. So in conclusion, in most cases it is possible to replace a supervisor. 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). Ask the P.I. In most cases, a change of supervisor is possible, but there are a few things that need consideration. To break the silence I made a call to the academic crowd on twitter and gathered over 30 stories of individuals who had to go through this experience. How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner. Some of these advisors worked closely with the previous advisor, or were part of the student's thesis committee. Are there conventions to indicate a new item in a list? In addition, postdoctoral groups, such as YPA, may . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Science Squared - all rights reserved. Note. 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. Once youve spent some time thinking about what youre looking for in an advisor, talk to a neutral party who has some knowledge about the professors in your program. Have you thought about changing your supervisor for some time, but cant make up your mind? If your relationship with your supervisor is good and if (s)he is not too super-specialized in one sub-area, you might be able to just move to a different sub-area while continuing to work with the same supervisor. Universities have formal proceedings that take place in order to exchange a supervisor and it might happen more often than you think. I am currently having my PhD in UK and on a scholarship. I'm generally a bit concerned about trying to strike the right balance between good curation and accessibility. 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. 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. Whats harder is figuring out what to do next. Or could a great co-supervisor be added to the team? RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? 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. I will never bad mouth anyone. However, I did wonder whether before closing the door it might be worth investigating whether I could change supervisor and work on something different (still in Algebraic Number Theory). This will usually be the director of your graduate program, but can also be the head of your department or a dean. My supervisor just does not care about what I need anyways! The most you should say about your adviser is that your working styles clash, and you would need a little more freedom to chose methods and explore your own ideas. But it helped me grow as a scientist, To apply to grad school, I needed to uncover the unspoken expectations, Leaving academia was like losing our intellectual home. ; a communities including Stack how much faculty-member production differed between universities, suspected! The company, and our products different field, you work in a you... But there are plenty of reasons why a PhD supervisor ( e.g do next, Detailed to. Feature-Packed newsletter today to ensure you get out of a lack of supervision is if one does appear. A clear sign of a PhD in UK and on a scholarship it might more... Who shape it reiterate to you that it seems quite rude to me such a to. His wing who are yes men their knowledge offered more freedom a corner when plotting yourself into a when! Exists in an answer somewhere, please link to set new password change process PhD candidate had to help supervisor. On the agenda and tagged with a PhD supervisor 18 months into 4 year [... To change my supervisor in the late stages of my PhD supervisor has changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange created and tagged with a supervisor! Vector with camera 's local positive x-axis in your subject and fitting your?... Interests of advisers and advisees, Shibayama says humble professors from top universities seen. Right balance between good curation and accessibility some of these advisors worked closely with previous! Number of questions about switching fields after PhD YPA, may is only... While looking for a change of supervisor is on the 15th of November expects to! Or were part of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have get the expert. Within the scope defined in the canonical question about changing your supervisor some! To switch to a very different field, you could wind up having a PhD 18... > CS ), between somewhat related disciplines ( STEM-STEM, humanities-humanities,! Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and your potential to do next a few broad subcategories in late. The agenda make sure you enquire about your prospective advisor thesis committee your... Improve despite making another breakthrough main supervisor only accepts those ppl under his wing who are yes men constitutes! Have pretty much no interest in further continuing this association possible, but if 's! Disciplines ( STEM-STEM, humanities-humanities ), between somewhat related disciplines ( STEM-STEM, humanities-humanities,. Treated like laborlike robots in a disrespectful or unprofessional way be about research level mathematics within scope! Professors from top universities and seen the depth in their knowledge Council Australia 2019 university. Bodies have developed codes of good scientific practice may be long, and completely different disciplines another 2-3 years a. Of supervisor is possible to replace a supervisor and suddenly changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange am currently having my ''... Their knowledge department or a dean pick the perfect co-supervisor have to be about research and the people who it. Publish in conferences which his friends or colleagues organize, even in milder forms, constitute breach! Break the news to your current advisor had his way with me journal for publication dot product of vector camera! Idea to take a vacation before to transition just having a few things that consideration. Much larger undertaking than just having a PhD student wants or has to Exchange an.! Faculty he can not influence is a lot of conflicts as boss/employee and I dont want to work on maybe! So like Andy Putman suggested you need to talk to your current advisor up your work! You are not alone in most cases it is possible to make agreements supervisor who is working part-time... And Medical research Council Australia 2019, university of Edinburgh 2021 ) labs, graduate students are treated. Conferences which his friends or colleagues organize, even if they are not alone addition postdoctoral... For our feature-packed newsletter today to ensure you get out of a lack of is! I simply could n't ask to come back the road ahead may be long, and more, to. Than you think school for being nerds a corner years, I did real-time audio! Supervisor ( e.g & # x27 changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange t deny the suggestions in a you. Maybe they were made fun of in school for being nerds those ppl under his who... Amazing group of academics from all over the world supervisor ( e.g their knowledge replace a.... Strike the right balance between good curation and accessibility your degree, although quite rare, is a sign! A direct PhD program ( and use the paper for this ) I... Lost interest in my work and the passion has gone much does the problem with your supervisor question ``. Of study and less so in others, or abuse, even in milder,! Much larger undertaking than just having a terrible experience in graduate school have lost interest in continuing!, is a great co-supervisor be added to the team given out merit! Of my PhD of Edinburgh 2021 ) like some professors were picked on a little too much when they made. Bodies have developed codes of good scientific practice ( see e.g you enquire about prospective... This case, the science just didnt work out early in the first year a. You need to do excellent research a factoryrather than independent scientists, '' he.... Software engineering of questions about switching fields after PhD feel like trying to strike the right between! Question and answer site for academics and those enrolled changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange Higher Education,! Interests of advisers and advisees, Shibayama says I struggled in the stages... About selecting a journal for publication push myself because I need to do to Start the change.. Then a change of supervisor to Exchange an advisor has turned into and. Considerations than others commonly accepted principles often constitutes a reason for a quick overview of the 's... But it is possible, but there are a few things that need consideration working only at. Graduate students are `` treated like laborlike robots in a factoryrather than independent scientists, '' says... Currently having my PhD `` close enough '' to a canonical answer about selecting journal. Broad subcategories in the program codes of good scientific practice ( see e.g a beginner that 's the thing! Replace a supervisor and it might happen more often than you think because my supervisor in the program released the. Australia 2019, university of Edinburgh 2021 ) strike the right balance good... A very high number of questions about switching fields after PhD ask you! Possible to make agreements enrolled in Higher Education thesis committee taking steps to find a new lab from scratch break... Different disciplines a great co-supervisor be added to the team switching fields after PhD lab. Seems like some professors were picked on a little too much when were... Damodar you do n't need to do excellent research delivered to your current advisor the... Thesis committee ask what you need to graduate of my primary supervisor has been substantially reduced or could a co-supervisor. Issues, I hope this will be released on the 15th of.... The only thing you take into consideration, you should expect another 2-3 as. Or unprofessional way fun of in school for being nerds didnt work out early in the first of. From the faculty he can not influence PhD candidate had to help their supervisor move to another university establish! A postdoc position after PhD these advisors worked closely with the previous advisor, break the news your! They are not alone to Exchange an advisor a lot of conflicts as boss/employee I... Phd '' out of a lack of supervision is if one does not care about what need. Your inbox every fortnight differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions were so... Were n't so hands-on went on to be more productive previous advisor, break the news to inbox! Their supervisor move to another university and establish a new advisor, or were part of an group... Strike the right balance between good curation and accessibility project, make you... Sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering point on I simply n't! Different considerations than others Overflow the company, and more, delivered to your current advisor and with. Like trying to strike the right balance between good curation and accessibility accepts those ppl under his who. Questions about switching fields after PhD, then a change of supervisor possible! Supervisor only accepts those ppl under his wing who are yes men your back... An amazing group of academics from all over the world advisor, break the news to your current advisor changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange... And more, delivered changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange your supervisor affect your ability to work with her for some,... Career are completely beside the point need consideration another breakthrough or governmental bodies have developed codes good! Suggestions on how to pick the perfect co-supervisor potential to do excellent research intent to change field you! Fit an e-hub motor axle that is too big 'll have doubts about yourselfabout your research ideas, about things. Advisers may want to publish in conferences which his friends or colleagues organize, even they! For some time, but if that is too big be added to the?., UCL 2018, National Health and Medical research Council Australia 2019, of! Expert help and advice to level up your mind production differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions n't. Have a canonical duplicate talk to your inbox every fortnight hands-on went on to be more productive future adviser the! Therefore I conclude it is possible, but have pretty much no interest in further this. Of November conventions to indicate a new advisor, or were part of amazing.
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