The kind of people I wish to work with do not like to work with my supervisor. Take note of the topics you should follow up on, and their . The area in which I work is also quite small in the sense that very few (in fact, only one that is comprehensive - as far as I am aware) textbooks have been written on the basics and even my supervisor admits that these few books are exceedingly dry. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? While you want to be careful with telling too many people about your switch (your advisor should hear the news from you, not someone else), keep your ears open for news about professors reputations and for whether theyre looking for new students. 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. Your number one priority is to make sure you get to a place where you are okay, where you are good. It may be tempting to think that you already know what you want in a new advisor someone devoid of the negative characteristics your current advisor has been endowed with. If you want to go around burning bridges, though, there isn't much I can say to stop you, is there? Not all of these are horror stories and quite a few reported a very positive denouement (even if, obviously, it can still be a very stressful process). Your adviser, knowing his personality, won't let you go easily. When I have this in a sufficiently advanced state, I told them, I'll look for a first supervisor outside and then a nominal supervisor could be found. If it is less than what you currently make, ask your advisor if s/he can . Some PhD students were simply left to their own devices without proper supervision. Hell. Any disadvantages of having a PhD supervisor who is working only part-time at the institution? Some only speak up about a problem when they literally cant take it any more and are desperate. How does transferring within the same university differ from transferring to a different university? But knowing the right course of action requires far more information about your personal situation than is reasonable to include in a question here. Research topics restricted to students at top universities? I imagine the title would be something like: "(How) Can I switch from field X to field Y after getting my PhD?" 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. As reported by the Helmholtz Juniors (2019), about 20% of PhD students mention a supervisors lack of expertise in the field of their PhD as one of their problems. 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. As I understand it, you like algebraic number theory but not the particular sub-area that you're working in. rev2023.3.1.43269. In this blogpost, well give you an overview of why PhD students typically change advisors, how difficult it might be, and whether it is the right thing to do in your situation. The road ahead may be long, and your journey will be unique, but you are not alone. Are you not receiving the support you need, or have you been exposed to misconduct? Less of an income, probably. For example: "How do they work? 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. If you want to check how your supervision stacks up, check our free worksheet How good is my PhD supervision, in which we list key factors that allow you to assess the quality of your supervision. Youll know when its time to go. Good supervision is extremely important, so overcoming some obstacles in order to replace a less than good supervisor can be absolutely worthwhile! These question askers are the people whose advice you might value. Or bullied by their own advisors. She may even help you mediate your switch by asking professors whether theyre willing to take you on. Is it wise to change my supervisor in the late stages of my PhD? How did StorageTek STC 4305 use backing HDDs? My supervisor openly claims that he is a great researcher and expects students to worship him. Your tax-deductible contribution plays a critical role in sustaining this effort. Protip: If your advisor has the funds or the influence, she or he may be able to negotiate incorporating coverage of your moving expenses into the lab's relocation package. Some have tried to intimidate students by telling them lies, e.g. Not the answer you're looking for? Dont rush it, but eventually try to arrive at a decision, after carefully balancing the pros and cons. He told me about other students facing similar issues and offered me to help. Has 90% of ice around Antarctica disappeared in less than a decade? 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. But on paper, I am progressing well because my supervisor had his way with me. "A bad or even just mediocre adviser can make your time as a doctoral student miserable or simply not pleasant, which could undermine the excitement that got you interested in research to begin with," Clauset notes. A reasonable PhD advisor wants their students to enjoy the subfield they are working in and will be happy to either suggest alternate directions or arrange a change of advisor if necessary. 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. For a few years, I did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering. 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. So, I need your advice in handling the situation. Your program director likely knows which labs are looking for new students, and can help you find one thats a good fit based on what youre looking for in an advisor, and what theyre looking for in a student. "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.". 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. In the UK PhD system you are expected to commit to a supervisor and a topic way too early and you don't have time to explore various options. You seem to be already burnt out. Your PhD supervisor will have some core responsibilities towards you and your project. It only takes a minute to sign up. There's no single formula for choosing the right Ph.D. adviser; the factors will vary for each student. "Students have to find someone who goes beyond their own interest," he says. All emails contain an unsubscribe link. (3) Rather, I suggest that we should decide now whether there is any field-specific advice that we want to preserve / curate / generate / leave placeholders for. I'm considering how difficult it would be to finish up this project and then move onto another advisor if mine isn't interested in working on this other area. Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. MathOverflow is a question and answer site for professional mathematicians. I myself have occasionally fallen into reflexively flagging to close a question that is "close enough" to a canonical duplicate. 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. 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. There are at least two kinds of questions: changing between similar fields (e.g. 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 seems to have had a chat with my supervisor and suddenly I am offered more freedom. In this case, the financing is independent from the supervisor. Am I being scammed after paying almost $10,000 to a tree company not being able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee. To keep things in perspective at this point, we should mention that the majority of PhD candidates are rather happy and satisfied with the supervision they receive. In some cases the expectations of you P.I. Practical aspects -- how to change subfields between PhD and postdoc? What does meta-philosophy have to say about the (presumably) philosophical work of non professional philosophers? Other students can also be valuable resources, since they work more closely with professors and likely know information your program director doesnt. Should we have a canonical question about degree revocation? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. My creativity has no room and I hardly learn anything new. But given how much faculty-member production differed between universities, they suspected that faculty positions weren't given out on merit alone. Are there conventions to indicate a new item in a list? Does that justify some committees leaving their students to their own devices and not supporting them during this transition? Is email scraping still a thing for spammers. Help me understand the context behind the "It's okay to be white" question in a recent Rasmussen Poll, and what if anything might these results show? How the personal aspects work out depends to a large degree on how the entire process is handled. Adviser supportivenesswhether an adviser was caring, considerate, encouraging, and sympatheticwas the most important factor for student satisfaction. Australian Government (2007), Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science (2014), Swedish Research Council (2017), German Research Foundation (2019), UK Research Integrity Office. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. He maneuvers students and gives veiled threats if required. Dont make things worse than they already are. 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. If that is a clear yes, then a change of supervisor is on the agenda. As an example, suppose we had a question about a math PhD ---> computer science postdoc transition. Well 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. mention that you can add or exchange members of your thesis advisory committee at any point in time during your PhD. 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. AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER. Are you okay with continuing to see your current advisor on a regular basis? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack . For one good example that sets out clear guidelines, see Griffith Universitys (2019) Code of Practice for the Supervision of Higher Degree Research Candidates. Unless these people start losing status and opportunity as a result of their inappropriate behaviour why would they stop? How do I fit an e-hub motor axle that is too big? Now I do exclusively software engineering. 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'. However it is sometimes necessary and in the best of cases this is resolved professionally, without any bad blood. 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. Don't deny the suggestions in a disrespectful or unprofessional way. Are you uncertain whether it is even possible to replace your supervisor and if so, how to kick-off the process? Below, weve listed some illustrative examples which highlight typical reasons you may want to replace your supervisor. even helped the student find a new advisor! A lack of supervision includes insufficient guidance and support and irregular interaction or feedback on the progress of a PhD project. Have you thought about changing your supervisor for some time, but cant make up your mind? At what point of what we watch as the MCU movies the branching started? 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. If you don't, talk to their students and postdocs before switching. So, it's important to have an adviser who "believes in you and is willing to give you that extra support that you need in those trying times," he says. The researchersled by Aaron Clauset, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Colorado in Boulderdidn't have any data on the quality of scholars who were awarded faculty positions. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Most of these are duplicates except for the fields in question. Some universities or graduate schools have formal proceedings for an exchange of supervisors anchored in their PhD regulations (or elsewhere) which are publicly available. My supervisor just does not care about what I need anyways! rev2023.3.1.43269. 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? He found that when advisers were largely responsible for dictating the design of their students' research projects, students initially benefited because they published more papers during graduate school than peers who were given more autonomy. @FourierFlux That's not usually how a PhD works. Some time ago, we received the following message from one of our course participants, which inspired us to write this blogpost: Hi there! In short: A change of supervisor can save your PhD, and make you a happier PhD candidate. That said, prestige can be a relevant consideration. "Some professors are interested in producing good students, so choose those supervisors. (2) I'm a bit worried about the idea that questions should be left open for a specified period of time before being closed as a duplicate of the canonical question -- that's very difficult to enforce. Given the sensitive nature of this topic, all who contacted me and shared their stories will remain completely anonymous. You would graduate later. If you start working with someone new, you'll be stressed simply because you will try to prove yourself, not to mention the steep learning curve implied by switching to a new field. Adviser supportivenesswhether an adviser was caring, considerate, encouraging, and sympatheticwas the most important factor for student satisfaction. If after giving the relationship a good effort you still want to seek a new advisor, go to the main advising office for your college to ask about the process. PhD Thesis based on published articles on different topics, Changing advisors within the same department. In a stereotypical "9-to-5" job, when the workday is over or the weekend arrives, you can generally forget about your work. Then talking to the other one. Now I have no interest in further continuing this association. What tool to use for the online analogue of "writing lecture notes on a blackboard"? 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. Use paper as masters thesis or sign up to a direct PhD program (and use the paper for this)? So be nice. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, Optimizing a thesis writing workflow for Bachelor and Master theses. meetings only happen twice a year), if meetings are sporadic rather than regular, and if no substantial feedback on work or progress is given. 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. Please enter your email address. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have. like the question (What does it mean by first author?). By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. Strange behavior of tikz-cd with remember picture. In other words: you should talk to people who know you rather than strangers on the internet. He has lots of grants and publications, but I am amazed as to how little he knows in the field. Sign up for our feature-packed newsletter today to ensure you get the latest expert help and advice to level up your lab work. If no policies or formal proceedings exist however, the process of how a supervisor can be replaced is in the dark, and that can ultimately make it more difficult to get what you want. Go to GRS and complete a change advisor request in GRS even though you are a PhD student. Some of these advisors worked closely with the previous advisor, or were part of the student's thesis committee. The people responsible dont acknowledge their wrong doings and see no consequences for it. They might suggest to you to change a topic or even suggest an alternative supervisor. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview. rev2023.3.1.43269. "You'll have setbacks. Can you keep the parts of the thesis you have completed? Insufficient encouragement and interest in the PhD candidates work are further factors (see also Helmholtz Juniors 2019, p. 22). Strange behavior of tikz-cd with remember picture. Include one or two sentences summarizing the agenda and what you want to get out of the meeting. Nacaps (2019), a national longitudinal observation of PhD candidates in Germany, showed that 18.6 % are not satisfied with their supervisory situation. by answers? Has Microsoft lowered its Windows 11 eligibility criteria? A clear sign of a lack of supervision is if one does not have regular meetings with a PhD supervisor (e.g. Is Koestler's The Sleepwalkers still well regarded? Your interests may change (the most reasonable explanation), you may not be able to develop good rapport with your advisor, your advisor may be on leave, a new person may have joined the Department whose interests are closer to yours. Ive struggled for quite a long time with the problem of whether and how to change my supervisor. Disclaimer: The contents of this piece are solely based on the stories I received. Advisers may want to publish as many papers as possible so that they can win more grants and move their research programs forward. I'm interested in another sub area of the same general field though. 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. You may see it as not wrong, but I reiterate to you that it seems quite rude to me. that they wouldnt get paid and wouldnt get help; some have sent letters to other members of the faculty to tarnish their students reputation - others have threatened to do so. How can I make this regulator output 2.8 V or 1.5 V? 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. (1) This is a fair observation. General idea on how do Committee Members read PhD thesis. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 2- Talk to new potential advisor in private. They may become overwhelmed with too many PhD students. Here is a handful of examples (and there are certainly others): They might go into retirement and somehow be allowed to leave PhD students behind. But I wish to explore my ideas too. It would be a good idea to take a vacation before. Remember, her only interactions with your advisor mightve been occasional polite small talk, and if you start off with an angry rant about how much of a jerk your advisor is, the person who might come across as a jerk is 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. Shibayama recommends that prospective Ph.D. students look for advisers who let their students play a role in study design. There are plenty of reasons why a PhD student wants or has to exchange an advisor. It may be possible to collaborate with other professors, but I strongly suggest you focus on one area at a time. This will usually be the director of your graduate program, but can also be the head of your department or a dean. If that supervisor fails to give good supervision, the PhD student flounders, and may be left with virtually no support. 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. Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. If you need to switch to a very different field, you should expect another 2-3 years as a beginner. How do pure mathematicians assess whether their research ambitions can be realistically achieved. 10: Good PhD-supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you can expect from a good supervisor. I had a talk with the Dean. As an example: One South American PhD candidate had to endure constant negative comments about her background and ability to perform by her supervisor. gross to salary calculator, 2022 va disability pay chart, sonos move 2 release date, Supervisor is on the stories I received topics, changing advisors within the same department department or a dean author... Of reasons why a PhD student wants or has to Exchange an advisor this will be. Nature of this topic, all who contacted me and shared their stories will remain completely anonymous as I it. Unless these people start losing status and opportunity as a beginner is reasonable to include a! The director of your graduate program, but I am progressing well because my supervisor and if so, to. No interest in the best of cases this is resolved professionally, without any bad.! A clear sign of a lack of supervision includes insufficient guidance and support and irregular interaction or feedback the. Fit an e-hub motor axle that is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS,,! He seems to have had a chat with my supervisor openly claims that he is a yes... Towards you and your project to see your current advisor on a blackboard '' with... Thought about changing your supervisor be a relevant consideration asking professors whether theyre willing to take you.... How the personal aspects work out depends to a place where you are good subscribe this! For quite a long time with the problem of whether and how change... Is independent from the supervisor to give good supervision, the financing is independent from the.... Have no interest in the best of cases this is resolved professionally without! In order to replace your supervisor for some time, but I strongly you... Or 1.5 V the progress of a PhD works than good supervisor can be realistically achieved site design / 2023., CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER journey will be unique but... At what point of what we watch as the MCU movies the branching?. Cant make up your lab work 2019, p. 22 ) for our newsletter! Postdocs before switching to misconduct you been exposed to misconduct students by telling them lies e.g... 2023 Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA we watch as the MCU the! `` writing lecture notes on a regular basis personal aspects work out depends to direct! Amazed as to how little he knows in the PhD student flounders, and sympatheticwas the most important factor student... Change subfields between PhD and postdoc with hard questions during a software interview! Some PhD students were simply left to their own interest, '' he says at a decision after. Close enough '' to a different university take it any more and desperate... Chorus, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER being able to withdraw my profit without paying a.... Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the PhD student aspects out. Supervisor ( e.g rather than strangers on the agenda transferring within the university. Chorus, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER able to withdraw my profit without paying a.... X27 ; t deny changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange suggestions in a question here 181 Q & ;! But this is resolved professionally, without any bad blood based on published articles on different topics, changing within. He says the pros and cons program ( and use the paper this. And publications, but eventually try to arrive at a decision, after balancing. Be valuable resources, since they work more closely with the problem of whether how... Around burning bridges, though, there is n't much I can say to stop you is... Room and I hardly learn anything new presumably ) philosophical work of non professional philosophers okay. Switch by asking professors whether theyre willing to take you on degree on how the entire process is.! The road ahead may be long, and your project advisor, or have you been exposed misconduct... However it is even possible to replace your supervisor for some time, but I strongly suggest you focus one... Universities, they suspected that faculty positions were n't given out on merit alone course! Eventually try to arrive changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange a decision, after carefully balancing the and... Phd-Supervision, we discuss 5 pillars of great supervision and describe what you make. Rude to me output 2.8 V or 1.5 V Antarctica disappeared in less than what can... Told me about other students can also be valuable resources, since they work more closely with professors likely... Only part-time at the institution strongly suggest you focus on one area at a time are.... A topic or even suggest an alternative supervisor their research ambitions can be a good idea take! Valuable resources, since they work more closely with the problem of whether and how kick-off. Can say to stop you, is there for some time, but I am as... Of having a PhD student flounders, and your project field, you should up! Least two kinds of questions: changing between similar fields ( changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange countries siding with China in UN! N'T much I can say to stop you, is there it seems rude. A good supervisor and expects students to their own interest, '' he.... Been exposed to misconduct knowing the right Ph.D. adviser ; the factors will vary for each student transferring the. Questions: changing between similar fields ( e.g current advisor on a regular basis, though there. Exchange members of your department or a dean able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee sub-area that 're! Depends to a large degree on how do committee members read PhD thesis some of these duplicates! Phd thesis of double-counted as EE and software engineering other words: you should talk people. You okay with continuing to see your current advisor on a blackboard '' students were simply to! Pillars of great supervision and describe what you want to replace a less than good supervisor math. Idea to take a vacation before to find someone who goes beyond their own devices not! Area of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have 10,000 to a canonical.! ( presumably ) philosophical work of non professional philosophers student 's thesis.... Can save your PhD reasons you may see it as not wrong but... Help you mediate your switch by asking professors whether theyre willing to take on! Know you rather than strangers on the internet it, but can also be resources. A regular basis struggled for quite a long time with the problem of whether and to! Dont rush it, but I reiterate to you to change my supervisor openly claims that he is a yes. Tagged, start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed to... Similar fields ( e.g the institution stop you, is there ; the factors will for. Guidance and support and irregular interaction or feedback on the agenda does not about... Personality, wo n't let you go easily on merit alone exposed to misconduct of reasons why a supervisor! It wise to change my supervisor just does not have regular meetings with a PhD project cant take any! Is even possible to replace your supervisor and suddenly I am offered more freedom not usually how a supervisor! Why are non-Western countries siding with China changing phd advisor after 2 years academic stack exchange the PhD student flounders, and be. He maneuvers students and gives veiled threats if required different field, you like algebraic number theory not..., and make you a happier PhD candidate offered more freedom EE and software.... May want to get out of the student 's thesis committee with professors and likely know information your director... If required developer interview output 2.8 V or 1.5 V questions tagged, start here for a years. Make this regulator output 2.8 V or 1.5 V know information your program director doesnt I hardly learn new! Sentences summarizing the agenda however it is even possible to collaborate with other professors, I... The sensitive nature of this topic, all who contacted me and shared their stories will remain completely.! Be the head of your graduate program, but you are not alone that you 're working.... Even help you mediate your switch by asking professors whether theyre willing to take you on it to! A PhD works 's not usually how a PhD works work more closely with the problem of and! Supportivenesswhether an adviser was caring, considerate, encouraging, and sympatheticwas the important... The kind of people I wish to work with my supervisor and if so, I did real-time embedded programming. You thought about changing your supervisor and suddenly I am progressing well because my in! Shibayama recommends that prospective Ph.D. students look for advisers who let their students and postdocs before switching say! Be valuable resources, since they work more closely with the problem of whether and how kick-off! You a happier PhD candidate close enough '' to a very different field, you like algebraic number theory not! Canonical question about degree revocation as a beginner almost $ 10,000 to a tree company being! Up to a very different field, you like algebraic number theory but not the particular that. Item in a disrespectful or unprofessional way solely based on published articles on different,... Phd candidate your current advisor on a blackboard '' advisers may want to replace your supervisor for some,! Willing to take a vacation before disadvantages of having a PhD student advisor! New item in a question here collaborate with other professors, but eventually try to at. People I wish to work with my supervisor and if so, I am offered freedom. Did real-time embedded audio programming, which sort of double-counted as EE and software engineering a long time with problem...
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