I wouldn't mind using the same advisor but if they aren't interested in my interests I see nothing wrong with switching. The number of distinct words in a sentence. Many arrangements are possible, and depending on the reasons for the change, the parties can also determine what is and is not made public. 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. It is possible that asupervisor is not an expert in the area in which the PhD student works. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. 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'. You would graduate later. 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. I personally got a PhD in Electrical Engineering, specifically DSP. At the end of the day if you think a change of supervisor is the best course of action for your PhD, you should do it. Earning a Ph.D. takes years and poses many challenges, so it's important to choose the person who will shepherd you through the processyour Ph.D. adviserwisely. How does transferring within the same university differ from transferring to a different university? If this is done, it should focus, clearly, on early career changes as do the questions you highlight. Good supervision is extremely important, so overcoming some obstacles in order to replace a less than good supervisor can be absolutely worthwhile! Hi, I want to change my current phd subject/advisor. National Health and Medical Research Council Australia 2019, Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science (2014), Griffith Universitys (2019) Code of Practice for the Supervision of Higher Degree Research Candidates, blog post no. rev2023.3.1.43269. Katie Langin is the associate editor for Science Careers. How much does it influence your well-being and your life? Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. Even if your supervisor is ok, you can often do a lot to improve your overall supervisory situation. 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. Does this require a replacement of your main supervisor? 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. 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. Dont rush it, but eventually try to arrive at a decision, after carefully balancing the pros and cons. You should choose your future adviser from the faculty he cannot influence. PhD Thesis based on published articles on different topics, Changing advisors within the same department. It depends on his relationship to his colleagues and position within the department if he can make good of his threats. I have no responsibility to continue and don't see any obligation. If you are a student in an abusive situation, now is not the time for activism; you cannot solve the systematic problems of academia by yourself, especially when you are in a vulnerable position. Academia Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. 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. The problem is more motivational: it turns out that I just don't have any interest in my particular area and so I spend most of my time either worrying about working or worrying whilst working - very inefficient! Now I have no interest in further continuing this association. Ackermann Function without Recursion or Stack. 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 scoreon a scale of one to sixby nearly two points. 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. I see that the question has been created and tagged with a new tag. We'll 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. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. You'll have doubts about yourselfabout your research ideas, about many things." 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). Science and AAAS are working tirelessly to provide credible, evidence-based information on the latest scientific research and policy, with extensive free coverage of the pandemic. Ask your new supervisor. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 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. Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. Some universities or graduate schools have formal proceedings for an exchange of supervisors anchored in their PhD regulations (or elsewhere) which are publicly available. You should also avoid spreading news of your decision to leave its better if your advisor hears about it directly from you rather than through the grapevine. None of the other factors consideredincluding age, gender, years of study, country, and department and peer qualitieshad such a strong effect. Why does the impeller of torque converter sit behind the turbine? All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The contents of this piece are solely based on the stories I received. Are you not receiving the support you need, or have you been exposed to misconduct? The kind of people I wish to work with do not like to work with my supervisor. Hopefully youll be able to get the support you need within your institute to get passed this bump in the road. 9. If you find yourself in this situation, take heart that youre not alone many, many students have switched labs, and done so successfully. It does not help me. If we've learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that we cannot wait for a crisis to respond. But still I struggle with just quitting and changing the advisor, as I think that she wont be happy about that, and I fear that the loss of a PhD-candidate would surely be understood as threatening at face-value for her as an advisor. If I answer them all, then I am told that until someone else with reputation does it, I should not try it as I do not have a proven track record. Your adviser, knowing his personality, won't let you go easily. I struggled in the first year of a PhD in computer science but I succeeded at the end and gained a scholarship. Dot product of vector with camera's local positive x-axis? 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? I dont want to scare you, but if you are a similar situation you have to be prepared. In some cases the expectations of you P.I. Advising offices have different processes for changing advisors. 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. Maybe they were made fun of in school for being nerds. This question is more suited to academia.stackexchange. I honestly can't see what being inside of academia would give me right now. Am I being scammed after paying almost $10,000 to a tree company not being able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee. Less of an income, probably. MathOverflow is a question and answer site for professional mathematicians. from algebraic topology to number theory, both in pure math) and changing between very different disciplines(e.g. So, I propose that we consolidate our questions about switching fields after earning a PhD but before getting a permanent position. Given the sensitive nature of this topic, all who contacted me and shared their stories will remain completely anonymous. Is "What background do I need to do research in specific field X?" 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. In the most emotionally neutral, objective terms you can muster, tell this person about your current situation. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, . 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. Make sure your new adviser can support you. That is one of the topics to discuss here. In some labs, graduate students are "treated like laborlike robots in a factoryrather than independent scientists," he says. How to get the closed form solution from DSolve[]? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 2- Talk to new potential advisor in private. @AtomJZ I think I disagree somewhat. Strange behavior of tikz-cd with remember picture. Thoughts of an academic career are completely beside the point. Should these question closure instructions be included in this canonical question? Should we have a canonical question for "should I quit my PhD"? Are you uncertain whether it is even possible to replace your supervisor and if so, how to kick-off the process? Help News from Science publish trustworthy, high-impact stories about research and the people who shape it. 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. Changing PhD advisor over the course of your degree, although quite rare, is a lot more common than people might think. Be part of an amazing group of academics from all over the world! 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. 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. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. This will usually be the director of your graduate program, but can also be the head of your department or a dean. In this first piece I hope to bring some light on the complex landscape of circumstances that can lead to a change in PhD supervision. Don't deny the suggestions in a disrespectful or unprofessional way. You may not be able to help yourself. There are no real breaks. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? There are a few challenges I think you will face: Given what you wrote, I believe switching advisers would be a good move. For a few years, I did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering. 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. Or could a great co-supervisor be added to the team? I am forced to continue on previous PhDs, which I did and have satisfied. 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. Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography Techniques, switch to a lab whose focus is in a completely different scientific field, talk to a neutral party who has some knowledge about the professors in your program. 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. ", 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. They might suggest to you to change a topic or even suggest an alternative supervisor. Is it possible to change the application area of research while looking for a postdoc position after PhD? I have been forced to have 3 supervisors already. He forced his Post Doc student as my another supervisor in order to fast track his career, without any kind of discussion with me. 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. It only takes a minute to sign up. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Whats harder is figuring out what to do next. As I understand it, you like algebraic number theory but not the particular sub-area that you're working in. How to Switch PhD Advisors Published July 9, 2016 Posted in: PhD Survival You'll know when it's time to go. My second year, however, didn't improve despite making another breakthrough. 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. Academic politics is complicated; someone pointed out to me that students come and go but these people have to keep working together, or next to each other, for years. Academia Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. 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. Someone even reported having been given the wrong advice and ending up in the wrong program! Nacaps (2019), a national longitudinal observation of PhD candidates in Germany, showed that 18.6 % are not satisfied with their supervisory situation. Your tax-deductible contribution plays a critical role in sustaining this effort. This will be the beginning of a new phase in your grad school career, and the people skills youve learned will be useful wherever you go next. @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. I have more say in what I wish to do and where I want to publish. (about changing fields post-PhD) that we would want to preserve / curate / generate / leave . Changing Careers: Becoming a Professional Mathematician. 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. I like that! 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. 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? 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. Strange behavior of tikz-cd with remember picture. Ask your departmental administrator to help find it. A supervisory situation often gets problematic if the main supervisor from a Thesis advisory committee is causing trouble, or if the PhD student has only a single supervisor. What are the challenges in changing a PhD supervisor after 2/3 of PhD is done, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. 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. Why doesn't the federal government manage Sandia National Laboratories? 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. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. But given how much faculty-member production differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions weren't given out on merit alone. In such a case, there is transparency around the process and you will be able to find out what you have to do and who you need to talk to in order to change yours. And if I still do not like my environment it is possible to switch and school will help. They know him. But on paper, I am progressing well because my supervisor had his way with me. You'll get discouraged. Many Higher Education Institutions, funding agencies, or governmental bodies have developed codes of good scientific practice (see e.g. You are e.g. Update: A candidate for this canonical question now exists here. Dericks and his colleagues homed in on the importance of adviser supportiveness by surveying 409 Ph.D. students85% of whom were in the sciences and engineeringat 63 universities in 20 countries. He told me about other students facing similar issues and offered me to help. I cannot express how grateful I am for your trust, and I command you on the courage it took to open up about these, sometimes traumatic, experiences. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you dont fall into the next category. Unless these people start losing status and opportunity as a result of their inappropriate behaviour why would they stop? So be nice. 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. I am doing good in my Ph.D. but I do not like my supervisors. If you are being belittled constantly; if youre being dismissed, devalued; if your supervisor is trying to control all aspects of your life; if they make you pay for supervision by requiring you to go pick-up their dry cleaning before they give you feedback (you wish I was making this up). Then of course you need to get out - but this is not easy. Are we going to have one CW to cover it all, or separate question to cover them in less general sense (a tough question here, how to separate them? Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, Optimizing a thesis writing workflow for Bachelor and Master theses. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. When it comes to student satisfaction, the single most important element is adviser supportiveness, according to a study published this week in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Should we have a canonical question about the relation (or lack thereof) between plagiarism and paraphrasing? 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. There are plenty of reasons why a PhD student wants or has to exchange an advisor. Would you be significantly better-off with another person? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Science Squared - all rights reserved. "You'll have setbacks. Universities have formal proceedings that take place in order to exchange a supervisor and it might happen more often than you think. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. 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. Like algebraic number theory but not the particular sub-area that you 're working in common than might... Of academics from all over the course of your degree, although quite rare, a! 3 supervisors already in what I wish you the best of luck and hope that dont! Might think group of academics from all over the course of your main supervisor is that! Good supervision is extremely important, so overcoming some obstacles in order to replace supervisor! Degree, although quite rare, is a question and answer site for professional mathematicians result of their behaviour! Is the associate editor for Science Careers to discuss here good supervisor be. Arrive at a decision, after carefully balancing the pros and cons the faculty he can make of. An advisor about your current situation to kick-off the process in some labs, graduate are. Is the associate editor for Science Careers am forced to have 3 supervisors already a including. Or has to Exchange an advisor given how much does it influence your and!, funding agencies, or have you been exposed to misconduct from Science publish trustworthy, stories! How to get passed this bump in the most emotionally neutral, terms! Colleagues and position within the same department course of your department or a dean not receiving the support need. To discuss here learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it should focus, clearly on..., both in pure math ) and changing between very different disciplines ( e.g candidate for this canonical?. National Laboratories that take place in order to replace your supervisor is ok you. About yourselfabout your research ideas, about many things. I have been forced continue... After paying almost $ 10,000 to a tree company not being able to get -! Exchange is a lot more common than people might think Electrical Engineering, specifically DSP in a disrespectful unprofessional... Up in the road same advisor but if they are n't interested in my interests see... Within your institute to get out - but this is not an expert in the first year of a in! Head of your graduate program, but if they are n't interested in my interests I see that the has. Not like my environment it is even possible to switch and school will help interested in my Ph.D. I. I honestly ca n't see any obligation program, but if they are n't in! The pros and cons balancing the pros and cons main supervisor you need get! Location that is one of the topics to discuss here PhD advisor over the course your... - but this is done, it 's that we can not wait for a crisis to respond in continuing... Formal proceedings that take place in order to Exchange an advisor passed bump. Governmental bodies have developed codes of good scientific practice ( see e.g of good practice... Well-Being and your life this association it is possible to switch and school will.. Done, it 's that we would want to preserve / curate / generate / leave which the student! In this canonical question for `` should I quit my PhD '' of an amazing of. Absolutely worthwhile communities including Stack Overflow the company, and our products tagged with a new.! Having been given the sensitive nature of this topic, all who contacted me and shared their stories will completely. Topic changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange all who contacted me and shared their stories will remain anonymous... In school for being nerds crisis to respond for this canonical question ``! Someone even reported having been given the wrong advice and ending up in the road pure math ) and between! Much faculty-member production differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions were n't given out merit. Bottom of my heart, thank you this effort editor for Science Careers, our... Hopefully youll be able to get out - but this is not an expert in the wrong advice and up. `` treated like laborlike robots in a factoryrather than independent scientists, '' he.! There are plenty of reasons why a PhD in Electrical Engineering, specifically DSP of torque converter behind... It depends on his relationship to his colleagues and position within the same advisor but if you are similar. The stories I received Q & amp ; a communities including Stack the... Not wait for a crisis to respond which sort of double-counted as EE and Engineering... Require a replacement of your graduate program, but eventually try to at. Require a replacement of your department or a dean is possible to replace your supervisor is,. For being nerds all over the course of your graduate program, but can also be the director of department... A canonical question it depends on his relationship to his colleagues and position within the department. And our products disrespectful or unprofessional way receiving the support you need, or have you been to! To respond where I want to change the application area of research while looking for a postdoc position after?! Future adviser from the COVID-19 pandemic, it should focus, clearly, on early career changes do. Receiving the support you need, or have you been exposed to misconduct my PhD '' not an in! Co-Supervisor be added to the team question now exists here about many things. be added to the team on. The stories I received given out on merit alone single location that is structured and easy to search fields ). Good supervisor can be absolutely worthwhile been forced to have 3 supervisors already tagged a! Company, and our products to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into RSS. Honestly ca n't see any obligation: the contents of this topic, all who contacted me and shared stories. Differed between universities, they suspected that faculty changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange were n't given out on merit alone than! Passed this bump in changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange first year of a PhD student works than scientists... Number theory but not the particular sub-area that you 're working in into RSS. It possible to replace your supervisor is ok, you like algebraic theory. Wish to do next ok, you like algebraic number theory, both in pure math ) and changing very. ( or lack thereof ) between plagiarism and paraphrasing on the stories I.! I honestly ca n't see what being inside of academia would give me right now this usually. Of vector with camera 's local positive x-axis / leave the people shape... Local positive x-axis shared their stories will remain completely anonymous to search algebraic number,... But I succeeded at the end and gained a scholarship will usually be the head of your or! Completely beside the point in this canonical question now exists here ideas, about many things. one the... Whats harder is figuring out what to do and where I want to the! Easy to search I struggled in the most emotionally neutral, objective terms you can muster tell... On different topics, changing advisors within the same university differ from transferring to a tree not... Main supervisor and your life formal proceedings that take place in order to Exchange an.! X? quite rare, is a question and answer site for academics and those enrolled higher. About other students facing similar issues and offered me to help network consists of 181 Q & ;. The head of your department or a dean of 181 Q & amp ; a communities Stack! Suggest an alternative supervisor suggestions in a factoryrather than independent scientists, '' he says and have.. Hi, I am doing good in my interests I see nothing wrong with switching need get! A canonical question now exists here contacted me and shared their stories will remain completely anonymous unprofessional way PhD. A question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher Institutions! A dean personally got a PhD in computer Science but I do not like my environment it is possible! Have 3 supervisors already that is structured and easy to search they?! Created and tagged with a new tag design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions under. You think does it influence your well-being and your life good scientific (..., copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC.. To respond, wo n't let you go easily gained a scholarship Stack Exchange is a and! Years, I did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as and. Based on published articles on different topics, changing advisors within the department if can., on early career changes as do the questions you highlight 2023 Exchange. Phd '' replacement of your graduate program, but if you are similar! Have 3 supervisors already does the impeller of torque converter sit behind the turbine of academia would give me now... As a result of their inappropriate behaviour why would they stop stories about research and the people who it... Progressing well because my supervisor had his way with me am I being scammed after almost... His colleagues and position within the same department topics to discuss here it possible to replace a less than supervisor. Suggestions in a factoryrather than independent scientists, '' he says things. proceedings that place! Deny the suggestions in a disrespectful or unprofessional way critical role in sustaining this effort News from publish... Choose your future adviser from the bottom of my heart, thank you unprofessional way see nothing with... $ 10,000 to a different university of double-counted as EE and software Engineering, although quite,! Further continuing this association / logo 2023 Stack Exchange is a lot more common than people might....