Success as a DRE Student

ESC 720Dan SimonFall 2014

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• Difference between DRE and PhD– Traditionally, application vs. theory– CSU’s DRE program began around 1974– Practically, no difference– CSU’s goal is to convert the DRE to a PhD program

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Outline1. DRE Program Requirements2. Positioning Yourself for Success3. Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

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• Non-ABE Course Requirements (includes master’s)– 6 CH Advanced math: ESC 702, 704, 706, etc.– 6 CH Non-engineering courses• Must count toward a degree of the offering department

– 3 CH ESC 720 or alternate writing course– 12 CH Specialization core courses– 12 CH Specialization electives– 21 CH Flexible credits– 20 CH xxx 899 (Doctoral Dissertation)– 10 CH xxx 895 (Doctoral Research) or xxx 899

• Total = 90 credit hours minimum

Note: CH = credit hour

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• Plan of Study forms• DRE Procedures• Proposal Approval Form

Forms, FAQs, procedures, etc., available at DRE web site: www.csuohio.edu/engineering/academics/doctorate.html

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If you want an exception to the Plan of Study requirements:• Work with your advisor• Submit a petition to the Graduate Affairs

Committee (GAC)– Chemical/Biomedical: Jorge Gatica– Civil/Environmental: Walt Kocher– Electrical/Computer: Nigamanth Sridhar– Mechanical: Ton van den Bogert– Doctoral Program Director: Dan Simon– Two student representatives

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Typical DRE Timeline• Year 1: Courses, advisor, qualifying exam• Year 2: Courses, research– Form your committee (think long-term …)– Dissertation proposal approval form– Candidacy exam (two chances)– Plan of study form

• Year 3: Research, journal paper submissions• Year 4: Dissertation, oral defense

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Outline1. DRE Program Requirements2. Positioning Yourself for Success3. Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

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Publication• Write conference papers before journal papers– Conference travel; aim for one per year; great networking

opportunities– Expand class projects into technical papers

• Journal papers– Find a good match for your paper (impact factor)– Open access is often a much faster publishing option– Your advisor’s help is critical here– At least one submission required for graduation

• One accepted paper required for ECE students• One acceptance and one submission will eventually be required

for all doctoral students

• Don’t be discouraged by rejection

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After you dissertation defense, or shortly before:• Get your advisor’s help with job applications

and job offers– Cover letter– CV– Statement of teaching philosophy– Statement of research objectives– Negotiations– Etc.

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• Write, publish, and give presentations• Network– Volunteer • Committees• Student organizations• Paper reviews• Etc.

– Help other students– Position yourself to get good reference letters

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Outline1. DRE Program Requirements2. Positioning Yourself for Success3. Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?

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Industry, Academia, or Postdoc?• Most PhDs want academic careers• Most PhDs work in industry – about 80% (?)• Postdoc positions are becoming more

important for academic careers– In 1975 there were 16,000 postdocs– In 1995 there were 35,000 postdocs– In 2010 there were 50,000 postdocs

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Academia• Tenure-track: Get tenure or get fired• Tenure is based on research, teaching, service• It typically takes 5 or 6 years to get tenure• Research requirement for tenure– The main component at research institutions– Typical requirements are 1 or 2 journal papers per year,

$200K total grant funding; large variation in requirements, depending on the university

• Teaching requirement for tenure– The main component at non-research schools– Continual improvement is important– Mentoring students is important (theses)

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Academia (cont’d.)• Service requirement for tenure– University committees

• Curriculum Committees, Admissions and Standards Committee, Petition Committees, …

– Conference and journal paper reviewing• I typically review 20 or 30 papers per year

– Conference and journal editorial boards (later …)• Non-tenure-track positions are growing– Research professors: no teaching– Lecturers: no research– Faculty: Typically higher teaching load, less research– Year-to-year contract

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Industry• Large variety of options• Most industry positions include less variety than in

academia• Less freedom, less independence than academia• Better chance to see applications and results• More practical, results-oriented research• Greater need to adapt to change• Faster time scale for results• Pay scale is generally higher than academia

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Industry (cont’d.)• Less chance to interact with other experts• Less chance to mentor young engineers• Less stability compared to tenured position– Less opportunity to take risks

• More brand loyalty required• Less time pressure than academia; family-friendly• More time constraints on your daily schedule• Summary: You can have an interesting and rewarding

career in either academic or industry

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Postdoctoral Work• Usually a two-year or three-year position• Supervised by successful professor• May lead to a faculty position– See what academic life is like– Write additional publications – Write grant proposals

• Provides increased breadth in your research• Provides additional training• Requires mentoring / advising students• Often doesn’t pay much

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Postdoctoral Work (cont’d.)• A postdoc can be academic, industry, or

government• You need the right mentor: a balance of

careful supervision and independence• Volunteer to teach a course

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How to get a postdoc position• Publish while you’re still a student (now!)• Start applying several months before you

graduate (same for faculty positions)• Network (conferences) – talk to someone who

knows someone – drop names– Most positions are not advertised

• Contact a lot of people in your field (email) but be selective enough to not waste time

• Interview carefully – talk with the mentor’s previous PhD students and postdocs

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How to get a postdoc position (cont’d).• In your application:– Mention that you plan to apply for funding– Why do you want to work for this professor?– Be enthusiastic about the position you’re seeking– See the “Job Applications” lecture in this course

for other tips

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Industry vs. Academia Resources• http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1000388 • http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/women-faculty/industry.html • http://greatresearch.org/2013/08/30/industry-or-academia-a-counterpoint • http://www.pgbovine.net/academia-vs-industry.htm • http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2006/08/26/working-in-industry-vs-working-1 • http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2009/12/23/academia-vs-industry-an-update • http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/tools_tips/outreach• http://chronicle.com/article/What-I-Tell-My-Graduate/126615

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Postdoc Resources• http://www.bu.edu/agep/resources/career-resources/resources-for-prospective-postdocs • http://web.mit.edu/mitpostdocs/resources.html• https://icc.ucdavis.edu/files/FindingPostdocPosition.ppt• http://www.weizmann.ac.il/YoungPI• http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/postdoctoral-affairs/finding-position.html • http://chem.virginia.edu/graduate-studies/test-links-pg/finding-a-postdoctoral-position • http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/postdoc.aspx • http://bitesizebio.com/8015/how-to-land-a-postdoc-position • http://individual.utoronto.ca/shamighosh/postdoc.htm • http://karldcollins.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/how-to-get-that-postdoc • http://icanewsletter.com/2013/05/01 • http://postdoctraining.com