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CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshop“Getting Started in the Lab: Tips for Surviving
the First Two Years” (L-track)
June 4-5, 2011, San Jose, California
A.J. Brush, Microsoft ResearchEvi Dube, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
Raquel Romano, Google
You bring a solid foundation to build skills and experience
• Utilize this foundation as you begin to build the layers of your career
University Connections
Post Doc Experience
IndustryCollaborations
New/Fresh Perspective
Think in terms of building blocks for success
Get a mentor
Learn about your environment
Network
Deliver
Understand Stakeholders
Give Talks
Publish
DeliverDeliver
Prioritize based on the long term view
• Use the building blocks as guides• Deliver high quality work • You are the Champion of your work
Largest % time …..... Smallest % time
A.J. Brush
Software Developer at Tripos1998 - 1999
Senior Researcher, MicrosoftHuman-Computer Interaction (HCI)2004 - present
B.A. in Computer Science from Williams1992- 1996
Ph.D. in computer science from UW1996 – 1998, 1999 – 2002
PostDoc, UrbanSim project at UW2002 - 2004
I thrive on finding ways for computers to help people solve everyday problems
Microsoft Research
Established in 1991More than 850 researchers, 55 areas of research
To advance the state of the art in computing through a combination of basic and applied research.
MSR is a small part of Microsoft ( < 1% of employees)
A.J. Brush
How do I spend my time?
We are evaluated on:• Research impact• Product impact• Patents
Changes week to week
Things I do:• Research Projects• Go to meetings/answer email• Consult to product groups• Service (Internal/External)
A.J. Brush
How do I spend my time?
5040
10
Last Summer
ProductResearchService
10
4050
Last Week
20
70
10
This Summer
A.J. Brush
I develop tools for people to extract useful information from massive amounts of data
BA, Math, Harvard, 1992
MS/PhD, MIT, 1995/2002
Postdoc, Computing Research Divison,
2004-2007
Software Engineer, OCR/Crisis Response
(2007-present)
Raquel Romano
How do I spend my time?
• LBNL: investigate application of machine learning to scientific data analysis
• Google OCR Team: research, build, & train scalable text detection and multi-language recognition systems
• Google Crisis Response: find accurate, relevant information from many data sources during emergency events
Raquel Romano
I juggle several diverse projects in two key roles
Technical LeadershipProject Management
Energy Prog. Models HPCSISCR
Deputy
Ops Manager Evi Dube
LLNL Researchers use HPC to answer difficult problems
High performance computing accelerates innovation
American Competitiveness• Energy• Manufacturing• Science
Evi Dube
Life at a Government Lab
• Basic or applied research• Soft money, block grants, budgeted
funds• Flexibility: can set your own hours• Managed environment
May be harder to develop your own research program vs. working on an existing program
• Taxpayer money: limit on daily perks!
Applied Research
• Team projects Junior researchers are generally members of a
team Team will most likely have some
goals/deliverables that are not exclusively research
The research will frequently be a team effort as well
• Setting research agenda Usually requires some time at lab Must be relevant to lab’s strategic mission
Industry Labs
• Wide range of opportunities PARC, Microsoft, IBM, AT&T, Nokia, Motorola,
Google, Amazon, Intel ….• Dimensions they differ
Research flexibility: Do you choose your own projects or get direction from product groups?
Funding models (e.g. separate division, sponsored by product teams)
Participation in research community (e.g. publishing)
Team/Research group structure
Pro’s/Risks
• Pro’s: Funding “taken” care of Typically well-resourced (travel, etc.) Ability to have direct impact on
products/people Relatively easy to adjust research direction/try
new areas• Risks:
Labs can change (e.g. Intel Research labs closed spring 2011)
Companies sensitive to economic climate
Starting Out: Mentors
• Find mentors You may or may not have a formal mentor Different mentors for different activities
(research, program activities, lab politics, etc.). Include someone outside your reporting chain! “1/2 hour of your time” Ask for advice, tips, introductions, stories.
• Participate in research community Labs can be insular Go to conferences, give talks
Starting Out: Visibility
• Working in many different areas can have benefits But do not become so fragmented you can’t do
your best on each task.• Establish a reputation at your lab. Be visible.• Establish your area of expertise and find your
community.• Find what conferences you want to publish in.• Community service (program committees,
reviewing) are not rewarded as much as in academia, but necessary for your growth as researcher.
Starting Out: Publish
• “Publish or perish” is not just for academic researchers
• Some non-academic institutions may not put much emphasis on publishing, but research community as a whole does.
• Career options are severely limited if publications stop.
Getting Known Inside the Lab• Produce great work and make it known
Write papers/technical reports Give talks within the lab. If your lab has an education or
outreach office, get to know them. Your manager(s) should be praising you to others. Make
it easy for them by providing updates, slides, demos. Share appropriate credit with your collaborators. Seek collaborators. Start reading groups and invite colleagues. May find
future collaborators.• External recognition will usually come before
internal recognition Make sure management hears about it!
Getting Known Outside the Lab
• Write workshop papers and posters, in addition to conference and journal articles.
• Talk tours Self-invitation (“I’ll be in the area”)
• Proposal review panels, journal refereeing, conference program committees: volunteer yourself.
• Invite others to visit and give talks.
How do you decide what to work on?
• You may be assigned to a project initially• If you’re free to choose, think about your
criteria for choosing a project, e.g., one best aligned with your research interests? one that will teach you the most? one best aligned with the lab mission? one led by a PI you want to work under? one with a team you would enjoy working with?
• Initial project: you are on probation, so make a good impression
Research Independence
• When is the right time to take the initiative, to launch new projects, or to take on a leadership role? Senior collaborators see opportunities
and give you leads Acquire your own funding Visibility and accomplishments give you
the necessary credibility
Things I’m glad I did
• Internally: Worked on projects with different people Learned the culture Got mentors for specific situations Organized the MSR Women’s group with Lucy
Vanderwende, intern talk series • Externally:
Publishing/Workshops/Visibility/Networking “Volunteer” for Program Committees SIGCHI VP for Membership Picked some smaller conference to “focus on”
A.J. Brush
Things I wish I had done
• Meet and greet with lots of people right after I started
• A little bit more coherence/plan with projects around clear theme
• Valued my time, weighed opportunities, killed things sooner
• Figured out sooner when to say “No” (I’m getting better at this )
• Aggressively avoid meetings
A.J. Brush
Things I’m glad I did
• Pursued my intellectual and personal passions, both during and after graduate school.
• Changed course when the time was right in spite of uncertainty.
• Used each new experience as a learning opportunity for the next.
• Found a way to network without “networking” via social groups and volunteer activities at work
Raquel Romano
Things I wish I had done
• Shared work in progress before it was complete or polished, e.g. at team weeklies or with people outside my immediate group.
• Joined team projects rather than working too independently.
• Figured out when to shift gears on a project earlier rather than later.
• Found and used more mentors.
Raquel Romano
Things I’m glad I did
• Took risks to go into new areas not typical for computer scientists
• Delivered in everything asked to do• Active in assignments• Spent some time in Washington D.C.
on assignment”• Pursued the Ph.D. and the PMP
Evi Dube