phd research group

Smart. Open. Grounded. Inventive. Read our Ideas Made to Matter.

Which program is right for you?

Through intellectual rigor and experiential learning, this full-time, two-year MBA program develops leaders who make a difference in the world.

A rigorous, hands-on program that prepares adaptive problem solvers for premier finance careers.

A 12-month program focused on applying the tools of modern data science, optimization and machine learning to solve real-world business problems.

Earn your MBA and SM in engineering with this transformative two-year program.

Combine an international MBA with a deep dive into management science. A special opportunity for partner and affiliate schools only.

A doctoral program that produces outstanding scholars who are leading in their fields of research.

Bring a business perspective to your technical and quantitative expertise with a bachelor’s degree in management, business analytics, or finance.

A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking. Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management.

An interdisciplinary program that combines engineering, management, and design, leading to a master’s degree in engineering and management.

Executive Programs

A full-time MBA program for mid-career leaders eager to dedicate one year of discovery for a lifetime of impact.

This 20-month MBA program equips experienced executives to enhance their impact on their organizations and the world.

Non-degree programs for senior executives and high-potential managers.

A non-degree, customizable program for mid-career professionals.

PhD Program

Program overview.

Now Reading 1 of 4

Rigorous, discipline-based research is the hallmark of the MIT Sloan PhD Program. The program is committed to educating scholars who will lead in their fields of research—those with outstanding intellectual skills who will carry forward productive research on the complex organizational, financial, and technological issues that characterize an increasingly competitive and challenging business world.

Start here.

Learn more about the program, how to apply, and find answers to common questions.

Admissions Events

Check out our event schedule, and learn when you can chat with us in person or online.

Start Your Application

Visit this section to find important admissions deadlines, along with a link to our application.

Click here for answers to many of the most frequently asked questions.

PhD studies at MIT Sloan are intense and individual in nature, demanding a great deal of time, initiative, and discipline from every candidate. But the rewards of such rigor are tremendous:  MIT Sloan PhD graduates go on to teach and conduct research at the world's most prestigious universities.

PhD Program curriculum at MIT Sloan is organized under the following three academic areas: Behavior & Policy Sciences; Economics, Finance & Accounting; and Management Science. Our nine research groups correspond with one of the academic areas, as noted below.

MIT Sloan PhD Research Groups

Behavioral & policy sciences.

Economic Sociology

Institute for Work & Employment Research

Organization Studies

Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Management

Economics, Finance & Accounting

Accounting  

Management Science

Information Technology

System Dynamics  

Those interested in a PhD in Operations Research should visit the Operations Research Center .  

PhD Program Structure

Additional information including coursework and thesis requirements.

MIT Sloan Predoctoral Opportunities

MIT Sloan is eager to provide a diverse group of talented students with early-career exposure to research techniques as well as support in considering research career paths.

Rising Scholars Conference

The fourth annual Rising Scholars Conference on October 25 and 26 gathers diverse PhD students from across the country to present their research.

Now Reading 2 of 4

The goal of the MIT Sloan PhD Program's admissions process is to select a small number of people who are most likely to successfully complete our rigorous and demanding program and then thrive in academic research careers. The admission selection process is highly competitive; we aim for a class size of nineteen students, admitted from a pool of hundreds of applicants.

What We Seek

• Outstanding intellectual ability
• Excellent academic records
• Previous work in disciplines related to the intended area of concentration
• Strong commitment to a career in research

MIT Sloan PhD Program Admissions Requirements Common Questions

Dates and Deadlines

Admissions for 2024 is closed. The next opportunity to apply will be for 2025 admission. The 2025 application will open in September 2024. 

More information on program requirements and application components

Students in good academic standing in our program receive a funding package that includes tuition, medical insurance, and a fellowship stipend and/or TA/RA salary. We also provide a new laptop computer and a conference travel/research budget.

Funding Information

Throughout the year, we organize events that give you a chance to learn more about the program and determine if a PhD in Management is right for you.

PhD Program Events

May phd program overview.

During this webinar, you will hear from the PhD Program team and have the chance to ask questions about the application and admissions process.

June PhD Program Overview

July phd program overview, august phd program overview.

Complete PhD Admissions Event Calendar

Unlike formulaic approaches to training scholars, the PhD Program at MIT Sloan allows students to choose their own adventure and develop a unique scholarly identity. This can be daunting, but students are given a wide range of support along the way - most notably having access to world class faculty and coursework both at MIT and in the broader academic community around Boston.

Now Reading 3 of 4

Profiles of our current students

MIT Sloan produces top-notch PhDs in management. Immersed in MIT Sloan's distinctive culture, upcoming graduates are poised to innovate in management research and education. Here are the academic placements for our PhDs graduating in May and September 2024. Our 2024-2025 job market candidates will be posted in early June 2024.

Academic Job Market

Doctoral candidates on the current academic market

Academic Placements

Graduates of the MIT Sloan PhD Program are researching and teaching at top schools around the world.

view recent placements 

MIT Sloan Experience

Now Reading 4 of 4

The PhD Program is integral to the research of MIT Sloan's world-class faculty. With a reputation as risk-takers who are unafraid to embrace the unconventional, they are engaged in exciting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that often includes PhD students as key team members.

Research centers across MIT Sloan and MIT provide a rich setting for collaboration and exploration. In addition to exposure to the faculty, PhD students also learn from one another in a creative, supportive research community.

Throughout MIT Sloan's history, our professors have devised theories and fields of study that have had a profound impact on management theory and practice.

From Douglas McGregor's Theory X/Theory Y distinction to Nobel-recognized breakthroughs in finance by Franco Modigliani and in option pricing by Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, MIT Sloan's faculty have been unmatched innovators.

This legacy of innovative thinking and dedication to research impacts every faculty member and filters down to the students who work beside them.

Faculty Links

• Accounting Faculty
• Economic Sociology Faculty
• Finance Faculty
• Information Technology Faculty
• Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) Faculty
• Marketing Faculty
• Organization Studies Faculty
• System Dynamics Faculty
• Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) Faculty

Student Research

“MIT Sloan PhD training is a transformative experience. The heart of the process is the student’s transition from being a consumer of knowledge to being a producer of knowledge. This involves learning to ask precise, tractable questions and addressing them with creativity and rigor. Hard work is required, but the reward is the incomparable exhilaration one feels from having solved a puzzle that had bedeviled the sharpest minds in the world!” -Ezra Zuckerman Sivan Alvin J. Siteman (1948) Professor of Entrepreneurship

Sample Dissertation Abstracts - These sample Dissertation Abstracts provide examples of the work that our students have chosen to study while in the MIT Sloan PhD Program.

We believe that our doctoral program is the heart of MIT Sloan's research community and that it develops some of the best management researchers in the world. At our annual Doctoral Research Forum, we celebrate the great research that our doctoral students do, and the research community that supports that development process.

The videos of their presentations below showcase the work of our students and will give you insight into the topics they choose to research in the program.

Attention To Retention: The Informativeness of Insiders’ Decision to Retain Shares

2024 PhD Doctoral Research Forum Winner - Gabriel Voelcker

Watch more MIT Sloan PhD Program  Doctoral Forum Videos

• [email protected]

Keep Exploring

Ask a question or register your interest

Faculty Directory

Meet our faculty.

PhD Research Specializations

Main navigation.

Learn more about research specializations below. Then, rank your top two research areas of interest (1 being the most interested) in your application.

Computational Social Science

Decision and risk analysis, operations research.

Organizations, Technology and Entrepreneurship

Policy and Strategy

Quantitative finance.

Characterized by its social science depth, state-of-the-art methods, and field-based understanding of technology firms and markets.

Focuses on: - Analysis and design of public policy - Crowdsourcing - Coordination in online labor markets - Casual inference and experimentation

Courses to Take Statistics, computer science, optimization, economics, sociology, and possibly other social sciences

Recent Dissertations Recent PhD dissertations include: - Design and analysis of a peer-to-peer credit network and reputation system - Analysis of dynamic online markets - Design and analysis of flash teams - Fast algorithms for large scale personalized recommendations

Program and Center Affiliations Social Algorithms Lab (SOAL) Center for Work, Technology & Organization (WTO)

Focuses on applying engineering systems analysis and probability to complex economic and technical design or management problems, in the private and public sectors.

The Engineering Risk Research Group (ERRG) focuses on: - complex engineered systems (e.g., optimal architecture of satellites and deflection of asteroids’ trajectories) - cyber security, and risks in games against adversaries (e.g., counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and staying ahead of narco-traffickers).

Courses to Take Courses include the mathematical foundations of modeling dynamic environments, value and management of uncertain opportunities and risks, and public policy and strategy applications. Risk analysis requires optimization, stochastic processes, economics and game theory courses.

Recent Dissertations Recent PhD dissertations include: - Experiment sample sizes for influence diagrams - Markov process regression - Quantile function methods for decision analysis

Focuses on developing and applying analytical, computational, and economic tools to address a wide variety of problems in business, government, and society. The area is characterized by its mathematical depth, broad applicability, and interdisciplinary nature and has a particular emphasis in developing and applying models and algorithms to gain new insights and make better decisions across multiple domains.

Courses to Take

PhD students take core courses in optimization and stochastics as well as advanced courses in computer science, game theory, microeconomics, statistics, and other areas tailored to the interests of the student, e.g. Computational Social Science, Operations Management, Environmental Policy, Health Policy, etc.

Program and Center Affiliations Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (ICME)

Organization, Technology and Entrepreneurship

Characterized by the study of technical work, technology’s effects on individuals and teams, the formation and growth of entrepreneurial firms, and strategy and innovation in technology-based firms.

Courses to Take Organization theory, organizational behavior, sociology, social psychology, economics, entrepreneurship, and strategy, as well as methods courses in statistics, experimental methods, inductive case studies, computational tools field research methods courses including ethnography, and social network analysis.

Recent Dissertations Recent PhD dissertations include: - Collaborations of private and public sector organizations to create breakthrough technologies - Collective innovation - Competitive interaction in the software industry - Educational reforms and their implications for entrepreneurship in China - Flash teams - Global collaboration - Occupational identities - Platform competition - Regulatory reforms and innovation in medical device industry - Social movements

Program and Center Affiliations Center for Work, Technology, and Organizations (WTO) Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP)

Focuses on the design and analysis of public policies and corporate strategies, especially those with technology-based issues.  Sub-areas include Energy and Environment, Health Systems Modeling and Policy, and National Security Policy.

Courses to Take It features a grounding in microeconomics and modeling approaches. Students take courses with a policy focus include such topics such as national security, energy and environment, and health care, and courses with a strategy focus cover topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, and product development.

Recent Dissertations Recent PhD dissertations include: -Managing uncertainty in medical decision making -Resource allocation for infectious disease control -Optimizing patient treatment decisions in the presence of rapid technological advances -Economic analysis of HIV prevention and treatment portfolios.

Program and Center Affiliations Center for Health Policy/Program on Clinical Outcomes Research (CHP/PCOR) in the Medical School Energy Modeling Forum Precourt Energy Efficiency Center Systems Utilization Research for Stanford Medicine

Focuses on the quantitative and statistical study of financial risks, institutions, markets, and technology.

Courses to Take Students take courses in probability, statistics, optimization, finance, economics, computational mathematics, and computer science as well as a variety of other courses.

Recent Dissertations Recent PhD dissertations include: - Studies of machine learning methods for risk management - Systemic financial risk - Algorithmic trading - Optimal order execution - Large-scale portfolio optimization - Mortgage markets -Statistical testing of financial models

Program and Center Affiliations Advanced Financial Technologies Laboratory (AFTLab)

• How to Choose a PhD Research Topic
• Finding a PhD

Introduction

Whilst there are plenty of resources available to help prospective PhD students find doctoral programmes, deciding on a research topic is a process students often find more difficult.

Some advertised PhD programmes have predefined titles, so the exact topic is decided already. Generally, these programmes exist mainly in STEM, though other fields also have them. Funded projects are more likely to have defined titles, and structured aims and objectives.

Self funded projects, and those in fields such as arts and humanities, are less likely to have defined titles. The flexibility of topic selection means more scope exists for applicants to propose research ideas and suit the topic of research to their interests.

A middle ground also exists where Universities advertise funded PhD programmes in subjects without a defined scope, for example: “PhD Studentship in Biomechanics”. The applicant can then liaise with the project supervisor to choose a particular title such as “A study of fatigue and impact resistance of biodegradable knee implants”.

If a predefined programme is not right for you, then you need to propose your own research topic. There are several factors to consider when choosing a good research topic, which will be outlined in this article.

How to Choose a Research Topic

Our first piece of advice is to PhD candidates is to stop thinking about ‘finding’ a research topic, as it is unlikely that you will. Instead, think about developing a research topic (from research and conversations with advisors).

Consider several ideas and critically appraise them:

• You must be able to explain to others why your chosen topic is worth studying.
• You must be genuinely interested in the subject area.
• You must be competent and equipped to answer the research question.
• You must set achievable and measurable aims and objectives.
• You need to be able to achieve your objectives within a given timeframe.
• Your research question must be original and contribute to the field of study.

We have outlined the key considerations you should use when developing possible topics. We explore these below:

Focus on your interests and career aspirations

It is important to choose a topic of research that you are genuinely interested in. The decision you make will shape the rest of your career. Remember, a full-time programme lasts 3-4 years, and there will be unforeseen challenges during this time. If you are not passionate about the study, you will struggle to find motivation during these difficult periods.

You should also look to your academic and professional background. If there are any modules you undertook as part of your Undergraduate/Master degree that you particularly enjoyed or excelled in? These could form part of your PhD research topic. Similarly, if you have professional work experience, this could lead to you asking questions which can only be answered through research.

When deciding on a PhD research topic you should always consider your long-term career aspirations. For example, as a physicist, if you wish to become an astrophysicist, a research project studying black holes would be more relevant to you than a research project studying nuclear fission.

Read dissertations and published journals

Reading dissertations and published journals is a great way to identify potential PhD topics. When reviewing existing research ask yourself:

• What has been done and what do existing results show?
• What did previous projects involve (e.g. lab-work or fieldwork)?
• How often are papers published in the field?
• Are your research ideas original?
• Is there value in your research question?
• Could I expand on or put my own spin on this research?

Reading dissertations will also give you an insight into the practical aspects of doctoral study, such as what methodology the author used, how much data analysis was required and how was information presented.

You can also think of this process as a miniature literature review . You are searching for gaps in knowledge and developing a PhD project to address them. Focus on recent publications (e.g. in the last five years). In particular, the literature review of recent publications will give an excellent summary of the state of existing knowledge, and what research questions remain unanswered.

If you have the opportunity to attend an academic conference, go for it! This is often an excellent way to find out current theories in the industry and the research direction. This knowledge could reveal a possible research idea or topic for further study.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Discuss research topic ideas with a PhD supervisor

Discuss your research topic ideas with a supervisor. This could be your current undergraduate/masters supervisor, or potential supervisors of advertised PhD programmes at different institutions. Come to these meetings prepared with initial PhD topic ideas, and your findings from reading published journals. PhD supervisors will be more receptive to your ideas if you can demonstrate you have thought about them and are committed to your research.

You should discuss your research interests, what you have found through reading publications, and what you are proposing to research. Supervisors who have expertise in your chosen field will have insight into the gaps in knowledge that exist, what is being done to address them, and if there is any overlap between your proposed research ideas and ongoing research projects.

Talking to an expert in the field can shape your research topic to something more tangible, which has clear aims and objectives. It can also find potential shortfalls of your PhD ideas.

It is important to remember, however, that although it is good to develop your research topic based on feedback, you should not let the supervisor decide a topic for you. An interesting topic for a supervisor may not be interesting to you, and a supervisor is more likely to advise on a topic title which lends itself to a career in academia.

Another tip is to talk to a PhD student or researcher who is involved in a similar research project. Alternatively, you can usually find a relevant research group within your University to talk to. They can explain in more detail their experiences and suggest what your PhD programme could involve with respect to daily routines and challenges.

Look at advertised PhD Programmes

Use our Search tool , or look on University PhD listing pages to identify advertised PhD programmes for ideas.

• What kind of PhD research topics are available?
• Are these similar to your ideas?
• Are you interested in any of these topics?
• What do these programmes entail?

The popularity of similar PhD programmes to your proposed topic is a good indicator that universities see value in the research area. The final bullet point is perhaps the most valuable takeaway from looking at advertised listings. Review what similar programmes involve, and whether this is something you would like to do. If so, a similar research topic would allow you to do this.

Writing a Research Proposal

As part of the PhD application process , you may be asked to summarise your proposed research topic in a research proposal. This is a document which summarises your intended research and will include the title of your proposed project, an Abstract, Background and Rationale, Research Aims and Objectives, Research Methodology, Timetable, and a Bibliography. If you are required to submit this document then read our guidance on how to write a research proposal for your PhD application.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

Loading metrics

Open Access

Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor

Contributed equally to this work with: Loay Jabre, Catherine Bannon, J. Scott P. McCain, Yana Eglit

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

• Loay Jabre, 
• Catherine Bannon, 
• J. Scott P. McCain, 

Published: September 30, 2021

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330
• Reader Comments

Citation: Jabre L, Bannon C, McCain JSP, Eglit Y (2021) Ten simple rules for choosing a PhD supervisor. PLoS Comput Biol 17(9): e1009330. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330

Editor: Scott Markel, Dassault Systemes BIOVIA, UNITED STATES

Copyright: © 2021 Jabre et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

The PhD beckons. You thought long and hard about why you want to do it, you understand the sacrifices and commitments it entails, and you have decided that it is the right thing for you. Congratulations! Undertaking a doctoral degree can be an extremely rewarding experience, greatly enhancing your personal, intellectual, and professional development. If you are still on the fence about whether or not you want to pursue a PhD, see [ 1 , 2 ] and others to help you decide.

As a PhD student in the making, you will have many important decisions to consider. Several of them will depend on your chosen discipline and research topic, the institution you want to attend, and even the country where you will undertake your degree. However, one of the earliest and most critical decisions you will need to make transcends most other decisions: choosing your PhD thesis supervisor. Your PhD supervisor will strongly influence the success and quality of your degree as well as your general well-being throughout the program. It is therefore vital to choose the right supervisor for you. A wrong choice or poor fit can be disastrous on both a personal and professional levels—something you obviously want to avoid. Unfortunately, however, most PhD students go through the process of choosing a supervisor only once and thus do not get the opportunity to learn from previous experiences. Additionally, many prospective PhD students do not have access to resources and proper guidance to rely on when making important academic decisions such as those involved in choosing a PhD supervisor.

In this short guide, we—a group of PhD students with varied backgrounds, research disciplines, and academic journeys—share our collective experiences with choosing our own PhD supervisors. We provide tips and advice to help prospective students in various disciplines, including computational biology, in their quest to find a suitable PhD supervisor. Despite procedural differences across countries, institutions, and programs, the following rules and discussions should remain helpful for guiding one’s approach to selecting their future PhD supervisor. These guidelines mostly address how to evaluate a potential PhD supervisor and do not include details on how you might find a supervisor. In brief, you can find a supervisor anywhere: seminars, a class you were taught, internet search of interesting research topics, departmental pages, etc. After reading about a group’s research and convincing yourself it seems interesting, get in touch! Make sure to craft an e-mail carefully, demonstrating you have thought about their research and what you might do in their group. After finding one or several supervisors of interest, we hope that the rules bellow will help you choose the right supervisor for you.

Rule 1: Align research interests

You need to make sure that a prospective supervisor studies, or at the very least, has an interest in what you want to study. A good starting point would be to browse their personal and research group websites (though those are often outdated), their publication profile, and their students’ theses, if possible. Keep in mind that the publication process can be slow, so recent publications may not necessarily reflect current research in that group. Pay special attention to publications where the supervisor is senior author—in life sciences, their name would typically be last. This would help you construct a mental map of where the group interests are going, in addition to where they have been.

Be proactive about pursuing your research interests, but also flexible: Your dream research topic might not currently be conducted in a particular group, but perhaps the supervisor is open to exploring new ideas and research avenues with you. Check that the group or institution of interest has the facilities and resources appropriate for your research, and/or be prepared to establish collaborations to access those resources elsewhere. Make sure you like not only the research topic, but also the “grunt work” it requires, as a topic you find interesting may not be suitable for you in terms of day-to-day work. You can look at the “Methods” sections of published papers to get a sense for what this is like—for example, if you do not like resolving cryptic error messages, programming is probably not for you, and you might want to consider a wet lab–based project. Lastly, any research can be made interesting, and interests change. Perhaps your favorite topic today is difficult to work with now, and you might cut your teeth on a different project.

Rule 2: Seek trusted sources

Discussing your plans with experienced and trustworthy people is a great way to learn more about the reputation of potential supervisors, their research group dynamics, and exciting projects in your field of interest. Your current supervisor, if you have one, could be aware of position openings that are compatible with your interests and time frame and is likely to know talented supervisors with good reputations in their fields. Professors you admire, reliable student advisors, and colleagues might also know your prospective supervisor on various professional or personal levels and could have additional insight about working with them. Listen carefully to what these trusted sources have to say, as they can provide a wealth of insider information (e.g., personality, reputation, interpersonal relationships, and supervisory styles) that might not be readily accessible to you.

Rule 3: Expectations, expectations, expectations

A considerable portion of PhD students feel that their program does not meet original expectations [ 3 ]. To avoid being part of this group, we stress the importance of aligning your expectations with the supervisor’s expectations before joining a research group or PhD program. Also, remember that one person’s dream supervisor can be another’s worst nightmare and vice versa—it is about a good fit for you. Identifying what a “good fit” looks like requires a serious self-appraisal of your goals (see Rule 1 ), working style (see Rule 5 ), and what you expect in a mentor (see Rule 4 ). One way to conduct this self-appraisal is to work in a research lab to get experiences similar to a PhD student (if this is possible).

Money!—Many people have been conditioned to avoid the subject of finances at all costs, but setting financial expectations early is crucial for maintaining your well-being inside and outside the lab. Inside the lab, funding will provide chemicals and equipment required for you to do cool research. It is also important to know if there will be sufficient funding for your potential projects to be completed. Outside the lab, you deserve to get paid a reasonable, livable stipend. What is the minimum required take-home stipend, or does that even exist at the institution you are interested in? Are there hard cutoffs for funding once your time runs out, or does the institution have support for students who take longer than anticipated? If the supervisor supplies the funding, do they end up cutting off students when funds run low, or do they have contingency plans? ( Fig 1 ).

• PPT PowerPoint slide
• PNG larger image
• TIFF original image

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330.g001

Professional development opportunities—A key aspect of graduate school training is professional development. In some research groups, it is normal for PhD students to mentor undergraduate students or take a semester to work in industry to get more diverse experiences. Other research groups have clear links with government entities, which is helpful for going into policy or government-based research. These opportunities (and others) are critical for your career and next steps. What are the career development opportunities and expectations of a potential supervisor? Is a potential supervisor happy to send students to workshops to learn new skills? Are they supportive of public outreach activities? If you are looking at joining a newer group, these sorts of questions will have to be part of the larger set of conversations about expectations. Ask: “What sort of professional development opportunities are there at the institution?”

Publications—Some PhD programs have minimum requirements for finishing a thesis (i.e., you must publish a certain number of papers prior to defending), while other programs leave it up to the student and supervisor to decide on this. A simple and important topic to discuss is: How many publications are expected from your PhD and when will you publish them? If you are keen to publish in high-impact journals, does your prospective supervisor share that aim? (Although question why you are so keen to do so, see the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment ( www.sfdora.org ) to learn about the pitfalls of journal impact factor.)

Rule 4: It takes two to tango

Sooner or later, you will get to meet and interview with a prospective PhD supervisor. This should go both ways: Interview them just as much as they are interviewing you. Prepare questions and pay close attention to how they respond. For example, ask them about their “lab culture,” research interests (especially for the future/long term), and what they are looking for in a graduate student. Do you feel like you need to “put on an act” to go along with the supervisor (beyond just the standard interview mode)? Represent yourself, and not the person you think they are looking for. All of us will have some interviews go badly. Remember that discovering a poor fit during the interview has way fewer consequences than the incompatibility that could arise once you have committed to a position.

To come up with good questions for the prospective supervisor, first ask yourself questions. What are you looking for in a mentor? People differ in their optimal levels of supervision, and there is nothing wrong with wanting more or less than your peers. How much career guidance do you expect and does the potential supervisor respect your interests, particularly if your long-term goals do not include academia? What kind of student might not thrive in this research group?

Treat the PhD position like a partnership: What do you seek to get out of it? Keep in mind that a large portion of research is conducted by PhD students [ 4 ], so you are also an asset. Your supervisor will provide guidance, but the PhD is your work. Make sure you and your mentor are on the same page before committing to what is fundamentally a professional contract akin to an apprenticeship (see “ Rule 3 ”).

Rule 5: Workstyle compatibility

Sharing interests with a supervisor does not necessarily guarantee you would work well together, and just because you enjoyed a course by a certain professor does not mean they are the right PhD supervisor for you. Make sure your expectations for work and work–life approaches are compatible. Do you thrive on structure, or do you need freedom to proceed at your own pace? Do they expect you to be in the lab from 6:00 AM to midnight on a regular basis (red flag!)? Are they comfortable with you working from home when you can? Are they around the lab enough for it to work for you? Are they supportive of alternative work hours if you have other obligations (e.g., childcare, other employment, extracurriculars)? How is the group itself organized? Is there a lab manager or are the logistics shared (fairly?) between the group members? Discuss this before you commit!

Two key attributes of a research group are the supervisor’s career stage and number of people in the group. A supervisor in a later career stage may have more established research connections and protocols. An earlier career stage supervisor comes with more opportunities to shape the research direction of the lab, but less access to academic political power and less certainty in what their supervision style will be (even to themselves). Joining new research groups provides a great opportunity to learn how to build a lab if you are considering that career path but may take away time and energy from your thesis project. Similarly, be aware of pros and cons of different lab sizes. While big labs provide more opportunity for collaborations and learning from fellow lab members, their supervisors generally have less time available for each trainee. Smaller labs tend to have better access to the supervisor but may be more isolating [ 5 , 6 ]. Also note that large research groups tend to be better for developing extant research topics further, while small groups can conduct more disruptive research [ 7 ].

Rule 6: Be sure to meet current students

Meeting with current students is one of the most important steps prior to joining a lab. Current students will give you the most direct and complete sense of what working with a certain supervisor is actually like. They can also give you a valuable sense of departmental culture and nonacademic life. You could also ask to meet with other students in the department to get a broader sense of the latter. However, if current students are not happy with their current supervisor, they are unlikely to tell you directly. Try to ask specific questions: “How often do you meet with your supervisor?”, “What are the typical turnaround times for a paper draft?”, “How would you describe the lab culture?”, “How does your supervisor react to mistakes or unexpected results?”, “How does your supervisor react to interruptions to research from, e.g., personal life?”, and yes, even “What would you say is the biggest weakness of your supervisor?”

Rule 7: But also try to meet past students

While not always possible, meeting with past students can be very informative. Past students give you information on career outcomes (i.e., what are they doing now?) and can provide insight into what the lab was like when they were in it. Previous students will provide a unique perspective because they have gone through the entire process, from start to finish—and, in some cases, no longer feel obligated to speak well of their now former supervisor. It can also be helpful to look at previous students’ experiences by reading the acknowledgement section in their theses.

Rule 8: Consider the entire experience

Your PhD supervisor is only one—albeit large—piece of your PhD puzzle. It is therefore essential to consider your PhD experience as whole when deciding on a supervisor. One important aspect to contemplate is your mental health. Graduate students have disproportionately higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to the general population [ 8 ], so your mental health will be tested greatly throughout your PhD experience. We suggest taking the time to reflect on what factors would enable you to do your best work while maintaining a healthy work–life balance. Does your happiness depend on surfing regularly? Check out coastal areas. Do you despise being cold? Consider being closer to the equator. Do you have a deep-rooted phobia of koalas? Maybe avoid Australia. Consider these potentially even more important questions like: Do you want to be close to your friends and family? Will there be adequate childcare support? Are you comfortable with studying abroad? How does the potential university treat international or underrepresented students? When thinking about your next steps, keep in mind that although obtaining your PhD will come with many challenges, you will be at your most productive when you are well rested, financially stable, nourished, and enjoying your experience.

Rule 9: Trust your gut

You have made it to our most “hand-wavy” rule! As academics, we understand the desire for quantifiable data and some sort of statistic to make logical decisions. If this is more your style, consider every interaction with a prospective supervisor, from the first e-mail onwards, as a piece of data.

However, there is considerable value in trusting gut instincts. One way to trust your gut is to listen to your internal dialogue while making your decision on a PhD supervisor. For example, if your internal dialogue includes such phrases as “it will be different for me,” “I’ll just put my head down and work hard,” or “maybe their students were exaggerating,” you might want to proceed with caution. If you are saying “Wow! How are they so kind and intelligent?” or “I cannot wait to start!”, then you might have found a winner ( Fig 2 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330.g002

Rule 10: Wash, rinse, repeat

The last piece of advice we give you is to do this lengthy process all over again. Comparing your options is a key step during the search for a PhD supervisor. By screening multiple different groups, you ultimately learn more about what red flags to look for, compatible work styles, your personal expectations, and group atmospheres. Repeat this entire process with another supervisor, another university, or even another country. We suggest you reject the notion that you would be “wasting someone’s time.” You deserve to take your time and inform yourself to choose a PhD supervisor wisely. The time and energy invested in a “failed” supervisor search would still be far less than what is consumed by a bad PhD experience ( Fig 3 ).

The more supervisors your interview and the more advice you get from peers, the more apparent these red flags will become.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009330.g003

Conclusions

Pursuing a PhD can be an extremely rewarding endeavor and a time of immense personal growth. The relationship you have with your PhD supervisor can make or break an entire experience, so make this choice carefully. Above, we have outlined some key points to think about while making this decision. Clarifying your own expectations is a particularly important step, as conflicts can arise when there are expectation mismatches. In outlining these topics, we hope to share pieces of advice that sometimes require “insider” knowledge and experience.

After thoroughly evaluating your options, go ahead and tackle the PhD! In our own experiences, carefully choosing a supervisor has led to relationships that morph from mentor to mentee into a collaborative partnership where we can pose new questions and construct novel approaches to answer them. Science is hard enough by itself. If you choose your supervisor well and end up developing a positive relationship with them and their group, you will be better suited for sound and enjoyable science.

• View Article
• Google Scholar
• PubMed/NCBI
• 5. Smith D. The big benefits of working in a small lab. University Affairs. 2013. Available from: https://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/the-big-benefits-of-working-in-a-small-lab/

• FIO+LS
• GEMM Initiative
• Living History
• Optica Publishing Group
• Optica Store
• Optics 4 Kids

Optica Blog

• September 2012
• October 2012
• December 2012
• January 2013
• January 2014
• February 2014
• August 2014
• September 2014
• October 2014
• November 2014
• December 2014
• January 2015
• February 2015
• August 2015
• September 2015
• October 2015
• November 2015
• December 2015
• August 2016
• September 2016
• October 2016
• November 2016
• December 2016
• January 2017
• February 2017
• August 2017
• September 2017
• October 2017
• November 2017
• December 2017
• January 2018
• February 2018
• August 2018
• September 2018
• October 2018
• November 2018
• February 2019
• August 2019
• September 2019
• October 2019
• November 2019
• December 2019
• February 2020
• August 2020
• September 2020
• October 2020
• November 2020
• December 2020
• January 2021
• February 2021
• August 2021
• September 2021
• October 2021
• November 2021
• December 2021

Choosing the Right Research Group for Your PhD

Yoshi Okawachi, 2017 Ambassador, United States

• What is their research scope? Do they specialize on one area or do they cover many different research areas?
• How are their publications? How frequently do they publish? Where do they publish?
• Where do they present their work?
• How is the funding situation?
• How much involvement does the advisor have in research? Do they micromanage or are they hands-off? Are the projects given to you? How do they guide your research? Do you have some freedom to explore yourself?
• Is the advisor accessible? Do they work with you in the lab? Do they sit down and work with you on theory?
• How much career guidance can they give you?
• Are they positive motivators? How supportive are they?
• Do they encourage involvement in professional societies, volunteer opportunities, and career development opportunities besides research?      
• Submit A Paper
• Open Access Overview
• Library Subscriptions
• Sign Up for Email Notifications
• Request an Endorsement
• Join Optica
• Benefits & Services
• Industry Intelligence
• Industry Events
• Add a job listing
• Career Programming
• Explore our Impact
• Join a Technical Group
• Nominate a colleague

Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

Quick links

• Copy link ×

Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are currently closed.

Decisions for the 2024 application cycle will be announced via email in July 2024. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Winner selected by July 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

Discover our collection of tools and resources

Browse our library of open source projects, public datasets, APIs and more to find the tools you need to tackle your next challenge or fuel your next breakthrough.

Halas Research Group

Nanoengineered Photonics and Plasmonics

Rice University

Recent news:

Congratulations to Naomi for winning the prestigious 2024 Mildred Dresselhaus Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomaterials Recipient . A photo with former students, from left to right: Corey Radloff, Naomi Halas, Cristin Moran, Jennifer Steele, and Lisa Brown.

Congratulations to Naomi for being promoted to University Professor , Rice's highest academic rank. She is the 10th person and second woman to earn the title in Rice’s 111-year history!

Congratulations to Naomi for winning the prestigious 2022 Eni Energy Transition Award for developing light-powered "antenna-reactor" catalysts for industrial-scale hydrogen production!! 

Recent publications:

Niklas Gross, Mahyar Madadi, Behnaz Ostovar, Pratiksha D. Dongare, Lauren A. McCarthy, Wei-Yi Chiang, Wei-Shun Chang, Naomi J. Halas, Christy F. Landes, John E. Sader, and Stephan Link* . Strong Substrate Binding Modulates the Acoustic Quality Factors in Gold Nanodisks , J. Phys. Chem. C 2023, 127, 10, 5054–5066

Mary M. Bajomo, Yilong Ju, Jingyi Zhou, Simina Elefterescu, Corbin Farr, Yiping Zhao, Oara Neumann, Peter Nordlander, Ankit Patel, and Naomi J. Halas . Computational chromatography: A machine learning strategy for demixing individual chemical components in complex mixtures . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 2022 119(52)

Parmeet Dhindsa † , David Solti † , Christian R. Jacobson † , Anvy Kuriakose, Gopal Narmada Naidu, Aaron Bayles, Yigao Yuan, Peter Nordlander, and Naomi J. Halas*. Facet Tunability of Aluminum Nanocrystals. Nano Lett., ASAP .  ( † equal contribution)

Our group is focused on four principal missions:

to design new optically active nanostructures driven by function

to develop and implement new nanofabrication strategies to build, orient, and pattern these nanostructures into new materials and devices

to characterize and understand the physical properties of these optically active nanostructures, devices and materials

to prototype the use of optically active nanostructures in applications of potential technological and broad societal interest

A major goal of our research program is to produce PhD research scientists with significantly expanded skill sets and expertise who can develop new solutions to research and engineering problems beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.  For more information, click on the links in the sidebar.

• Utility Menu

Keutsch Research Group

Harvard university.

12 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Alex Zaytsev

Contact Information

PhDLife Blog

Sharing PhD experiences across the University of Warwick and beyond

Starting a research group

Starting a research group can have numerous benefits, but can also be a daunting prospect. Here Lauren Thompson gives you some tips on setting up your own research group as a postgraduate researcher. Benefits of starting a research group

As well as the advantages associated with administrating a research group, setting up a successful research group will demonstrate that you are an enterprising individual, capable of handling responsibility. You also have the advantage of being able to ensure that the group that you run has the perfect focus – that it covers your areas of interest exactly.

As you start the group up, it is likely that you will also be in charge of administrating it, at least until the group becomes more established.

Key decisions

Before you can get started on setting up your group, there are a few important decisions to be made:

• What will the focus be? What area of research? A theme, a theory, a subject area?
• Will your group be interdisciplinary?
• Will your group include other institutions?
• Will your group be exclusively for postgraduates or are you looking to attract established and early career researchers?
• What will the group be for? Presenting/discussing works in progress? Sharing and discussing readings? Undertaking new research projects as a group?

Try to establish, either at this stage or in consultation with other members at your first meeting, a written mission statement for your group and a set of core goals.

Attracting members

Obviously, in order to have a research group, you need to have members! Once you’ve decided on the focus and coverage of your group, your first job will be to use this information to publicise the group. There are several ways to do this:

• posters – in the Research Exchange, library and on departmental noticeboards (postgraduate and staff)
• emails – distributed through departmental secretaries to staff and postgraduates
• building up an online presence to promote your group:
• a Warwick Blog
• a twitter account
• Facebook page
• In person – arrange meetings with people whom you think may be interested in participating. This is particularly appropriate for getting higher-profile academics on board.
• Through your supervisor – even if they are not available to be a member themselves, your supervisor will be able to spread news of your group to other members of staff and to other postgraduate students.

Target your advertising in line with the decisions you have made. If you want your group to be interdisciplinary, make sure you advertise in all appropriate departments. If you are hoping to attract collaborators from other institutions, contact the relevant departments in other universities in the area.

Funding your research group

Even a small research group is going to need some financial support. Photocopying, printing, stamps, refreshments: it all adds up. Your first point of call should be your department – is there any internal funding available for such a venture? If not, would you be able to have reasonable use of existing resources, for example, the departmental photocopier?

If you are unsuccessful here, it’s time to spread the net a little wider. Many research centres in the university are able to support research groups that fall under their remit. For example, the leader of a humanities group might try approaching the Humanities Research Centre (HRC). Keep an eye on your emails for funding opportunities from these centres which are advertised from time to time.

So, you’ve set up your group and got some members on board, now it’s time to set up a meeting. Again, there are decisions to be made here. How often will your group meet? Termly? Monthly?

In the interests of making scheduling as simple as possible, it is best to have a routine schedule such as your meetings will always be on a Wednesday at 3pm. This makes communicating dates to your group and keeping your schedule organised much simpler. You can fix this time in consultation with the other members of your group in order to avoid clashes with their other commitments.

Chairing a meeting

Chairing a meeting can be a daunting prospect if you’ve never done it before. Unfortunately, it is one of those tasks for which the only way to learn is to have a go! The good news is that, having set up your research group, you are in an excellent position to practice this skill which will serve you well throughout your professional career, whether you stay in academia or not.

Image Deutsche Fotothek‎, Wikicommons

Share this:

3 thoughts on “ starting a research group ”.

• Pingback: PhD Student starting a Research Group…? | Research by Emmanuel Mogaji

I like the idea of students taking up such responsibility but i think it may not be convenient. I have shared my reseravtions on my blog post. http://research.emmanuelmogaji.com/phd-student-starting-a-research-group/ ,

Thanks for sharing this information about setting up a research group, as a PhD student I suppose. I like the idea as it enhances your CV and shows how well you can manage tasks, also, life after PhD will still be filled with other research and academic activities.

However, I don’t think it can be feasible, based on constrains PhD students are expected to work under.

This also depends on the research area the student is working in, for example those in Chemistry or Biology, I doubt if they will have the extra time, manpower and resources to start up a research group, when in most cases, they are within a research institute.

I guess there should be distinction between a research group, centre or institute. As you have highlighted, there is the need to find your focus and know what you want to do but funding also becomes an issue. What expertise have you got to start bidding for research funds or engage in other activities, outside your main research institute?

For those, in social sciences, I think this could be easier, if they can identify their niche and manage available resources to get things done. But will the student consider the University’s research centre a competitor, even though they may not have the backing to fund themselves or a collaborator? Then how about conflict of interest?

As a PhD students, I will not advice setting up a research group, instead be active within your research centre within the University, hopefully there is a research activity going on, you will like to be a part.

Also, I will advice reaching out to other Research institutes, either within your University or outside but not to take up the sole responsibility of running a research group, mind you this is not a group of friends for social activities, but for academic exploits.

I will also suggest collaborating with supervisors to work on a project and/or publish together. I see this as a perfect way of integrating a PhD student into the proper academia settings. I like the idea of Piirus which should be able to connect researchers across boundaries. I see it as platform for PhD students to access.

However, if you think you can manage a research group, please go for it, I wish you all the best, at least some face their PhD squarely for three years without engaging in any other activities, which I think it’s not a good idea.

PhD is an individual race, do all the best you can, explore every possible opportunities without jeopardizing your main purpose the doctorate degree.

Comments are closed.

Want the latest PhD Life posts direct to your inbox? Subscribe below.

Type your email…

Blog at WordPress.com.

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• Publications
• Accessible Facilities
• Accessible facilities

• Our Research Group
• Our Research Collaborators
• Areas of Interest
• Popular Science
• Spectroscopy
• Mass Spectrometry
• Ice Chemistry
• Analytical Facilities
• Advanced Research Support Equipment
• Accessible Facilities for Users
• Group Presentations
• Conferences
• General Highlights
• Work in News
• Lab Evolution
• Our Technologies and their Implementation
• Upcoming Initiatives (see the ‘Centres’ Menu)
• International Centre for Clean Water
• Thematic Unit of Excellence
• CoE on Molecular Materials and Functions
• Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE)
• SERB National Facility for Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Announcements

New publications News Highlights Work in News Events

Welcome to Pradeep research group

Pradeep’s Profile

Pradeep’s work is in the area of molecular materials and surfaces. In his formative years, he measured the very first....

Our research group

Our research group consists of PhD students, post-doctoral associates, undergraduate students and project staff....

Infrastructure

People with state of the art resources create advanced science. Human mind is the birth place for original ideas....

View's of Nanotechnology

The historically unprecedented developments of nanoscience and nanotechnology, in view of their phenomenal

Research Contributions

Annual reports, annual reports flipbook format, brochures flipbook format, latest news, accepted publication: interfacial growth of large area single-crystalline silver sheets through ambient microdroplets, accepted publication: spontaneous weathering of natural minerals in charged water microdroplets makes nanomaterials, accepted publication: spontaneous α-c-h carboxylation of ketones by gaseous co2 at the air-water interface of aqueous microdroplets, prof. t. pradeep wins prof. m. v. pylee award given by cochin university of science and technology (cusat), prof. t. pradeep has been elected as an international member of the united states national academy of engineering (nae)., accepted publication: formation and dissociation of dimethyl ether clathrate hydrate in interstellar ice mimics, accepted publication: vacuum ultraviolet photolysis of condensed methyl chloride in interstellar model conditions and trapping of intermediates at inter-grain interfaces, accepted publication: a concise guide to chemical reactions of atomically precise noble metal nanoclusters, accepted publication: structure and electrocatalytic performance of co-crystallized ternary molybdenum oxo-sulfide clusters for efficient water splitting, accepted publication: observing real-time adhesion of microparticles on glass surfaces, positions available.

A few positions are available at the International Centre for Clean Water (https://iccw.world/) For more details contact the CEO, Mr. E. Nandakumar at [email protected]

Events on 1st May 2024

Events on 2nd may 2024, events on 3rd may 2024, events on 4th may 2024, events on 5th may 2024, events on 6th may 2024, events on 7th may 2024, events on 8th may 2024, events on 9th may 2024, events on 10th may 2024, events on 11th may 2024, events on 12th may 2024, events on 13th may 2024, events on 14th may 2024, events on 15th may 2024, events on 16th may 2024, events on 17th may 2024, events on 18th may 2024, events on 19th may 2024, events on 20th may 2024, events on 21st may 2024, events on 22nd may 2024, events on 23rd may 2024, events on 24th may 2024, events on 25th may 2024, events on 26th may 2024, events on 27th may 2024, events on 28th may 2024, events on 29th may 2024, events on 30th may 2024, events on 31st may 2024.

Our research has resulted in several technologies. The pesticide removal technology has been licensed and a product based on this technology has been commercialized.

At a glance - achievements, research,...

Pradeep Research Group is proudly powered by WordPress

• At a Glance
• Interdisciplinary Learning & Research
• Funding & Awards
• World-Class Research Facilities
• Careers & Alumni
• For Current Students
• Academic Calendar
• Organization, People & Governance
• Student Resources

Graduate School Office

• Graduate Program Overview
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program Details
• Student Recruitment & Admissions
• Internship Information
• Faculty as Group Leaders, Track Reps, Mentors
• PhD Program Overview
• PhD Application & Admission
• Structure of the PhD Program
• For BSc Students
• Recruitment Events
• Support & Resources
• PhD Program FAQ
• All Research Groups
• Chemistry & Materials
• Computer Science
• Data Science & Scientific Computing
• Mathematics
• Neuroscience
• Internships Overview
• ISTernship Summer Program
• Scientific Internships
• BSc/MSc Research Projects
• ISTernship FAQ
• ISTA Campus
• Housing & Dining
• Health & Wellbeing
• Student Life
• Family Life
• Student Stories
• Alumni Network
• News & Events
• news & events
• More about ISTA
• PhD Program
• Internships
• Meet our PhD Students 

At ISTA, students have the exciting opportunity to pursue a PhD in research areas aligned with the expertise of our diverse research groups.

Our faculty are actively engaged in cutting-edge research, spanning a diverse range of topics within the following broad research areas, which we refer to as “ Tracks ”.

Simply browse through the Tracks to find the research group that resonates with your academic and research aspirations.

ISTA NEWSLETTER

PhD NEWSLETTER

News & Events

Communication Material

ISTA Main Site

© ISTA 2024. | Site by Grip.

• +91 8427318028
• [email protected] / [email protected]

WHAT CAN WE OFFER

R & d in i.t, r & d in chemistry, r & d in biotech, r & d in pharma.

Best PhD Thesis, Dissertation & Paper Writing Service

"excel your research excellently".

PhD. Research Group ….Mentor for your PhD Matters!! Yes, you read it right. We, with our expert and highly qualified team of PhD Professors burn the midnight oil to guide you in all your paper works. For years we have relentlessly mentored thousands of students to successfully get bestowed with their PhD, aiding them in research and writing of their thesis.

With clientele from 28 countries and counting, we provide you 100% support with our services ranging from Dissertation writing services to PhD thesis writing and Research paper writing services. We deliver 100% client satisfaction from a team of expert PhD holder Professors at a very nominal rate through an online secure payment gateway.

PhD Thesis Writing Services

Ph.D. abbreviation of Doctor of Philosophy is an academic degree that qualifies the professional degree holder to spread the word of the selected subject and achieve a specialized position in the university

Research Paper Writing Services

As a young researcher, you will surely want to get your research published in reputed international journals. For the convenience and comfort all throughout your courses, we provide research paper writing services

Review Paper Writing Services

A review paper writing services like us is dedicated to offering best and highest quality service within the set deadline. We have a team of professional writers who are experienced in both academics and business writing and make things simpler.

Paper Writing Services

Get expert Paper Writing Help: Many companies are offering writing service to students. We offer the best help to all our students and support them in completing their research paper with paper writing services.

Running Projects

Dissertation Writing Services

Welcome to PhD. Research Group , We have a team of over 180 PhD Holders Professors from all major discipline; we are delivering research based quality work with online guidance to PhD – Master student.

Ph.D synopsis writing services

Are you planning to appear in a Ph.D interview or have you completed your coursework and need to submit your synopsis? Synopsis for Ph.D purposes is similar to developing a research proposal.

Research Methodology Writing Services

Research methodology as a foundation is crucial for any research and dissertation. Ph.D Research Group ensures that your research structure is solid, and the research methodology is flawless.

Conference Paper Writing Services

A research paper or a conference paper is always important in demonstrating the worth of research scholars and teaching professors. For academic researchers and faculty, submitting conference papers is an essential element of their professional development.

Research Proposal Writing Services

From preparing an introduction, statement of the problem, significance of research, aims, objectives, literature review, research questions, research methods, hypothesis, analytical framework, data, sources, references,

Scopus Paper Writing & Publication Support

Scopus is a remarkable platform that connects people, publishes ideas, and connects institutions by utilizing solid underlying information and the world ‘s largest abstract database.

₹0.00

Username or email  *

Password  *

Remember me Login

Lost your password?

Physical Review Physics Education Research

• Collections
• Editorial Team
• Featured in Physics
• Editors' Suggestion
• Open Access

Physics Ph.D. student perspectives on the importance and difficulty of finding a research group

Mike verostek, casey w. miller, and benjamin m. zwickl, phys. rev. phys. educ. res. 20 , 010136 – published 7 may 2024, see research news: alleviating the stress of finding a phd advisor.

• No Citing Articles

Supplemental Material

• INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
• DISCUSSION AND FUTURE WORK
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Joining a research group is one of the most important events on a graduate student’s path to becoming an independent physics researcher and earning a Ph.D. However, graduate students’ perspectives on the experience of finding a research group are not well documented in the literature. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for evaluating whether departments are providing students with adequate support while they search for a research group, and how difficulties during this process contribute to attrition. Semistructured interviews with N = 20 first and second year physics Ph.D. students reveal that incoming graduate students see joining a research group as a significant decision, and recognize that it may impact whether they will be able to complete the program. We found that students who struggled to find a group felt isolated and worried about falling behind their peers, whereas students who were able to immerse themselves in a positive group environment reported increased sense of belonging in their programs. The process of finding a research group often held differential importance for students identifying as women and nonbinary, who at times reported having to deprioritize their preferred research topic in order to be part of a more inclusive working environment. Although incoming graduate students characterized joining a research group as a significant decision, they often felt unprepared to make it. Moreover, they perceived an overall lack of guidance and structure from their departments, and characterized coursework as a barrier to searching for a group. Our findings suggest that providing students with better support during their group search process could help improve retention, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students, and improve students’ overall satisfaction in their graduate programs.

• Received 7 November 2023
• Accepted 14 March 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.010136

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

• Research Areas
• Professional Topics

Research News

Alleviating the Stress of Finding a PhD Advisor

Published 7 may 2024.

At many US universities, no formal procedure exists to help physics students pick a PhD project and a supervisor. Researchers argue it’s time for that to change.

See more in Physics

Authors & Affiliations

• Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA and School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623, USA
• School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623, USA
• School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623, USA
• * [email protected]

Article Text

Vol. 20, Iss. 1 — January - June 2024

Authorization Required

Other options.

• Buy Article »
• Find an Institution with the Article »

Download & Share

A major theme that emerged was the overall importance of the group search process in students’ doctoral experience. Students perceived choosing a group as a significant decision in their graduate careers. Interviewees who identified as women or nonbinary described finding an inclusive group as a particularly high priority, which we observed could restrict access to certain research opportunities. We also observed that navigating the search process could have major impacts on students’ sense of belonging in the program.

An overarching theme was that students experienced many difficulties while finding a group. Students sought more structure and guidance from departments, particularly regarding ways to connect with faculty and graduate students. Improved guidance from faculty might have helped alleviate several other difficulties, including feeling unprepared for the search process and perceiving that their coursework was in tension with their ability to find a group.

A summary of suggestions to address challenges physics Ph.D. students faced while searching for a research group. Items are sorted by approximate level of effort required by the individual stakeholder to enact, relative to the other items in their list. For instance, departments could adopt a policy to have first-year students complete an existing STEM-IDP with significantly less effort than enacting a formal research rotation program.

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Physics Education Research

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

• Forgot your username/password?
• Create an account

Article Lookup

Paste a citation or doi, enter a citation.

Howard Gardner

Faculty info, contact information, personal site, faculty coordinator.

Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also the head of the Steering Committee of Harvard Project Zero . Among numerous honors, Gardner received a MacArthur Prize Fellowship and a Fellowship from the John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1981 and 2000, respectively. In 1990, he was the first American to receive the University of Louisville's Grawemeyer Award in Education. He also won  Howard Gardner, recipient of the Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award. In recognition of his contributions to both academic theory and public policy, he has received honorary degrees from thirty-one colleges and universities, including institutions in Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, South Korea, and Spain. He has twice been selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world. In 2011, Gardner received the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences; in 2015, he was chosen as the recipient of the Brock International Prize in Education; and in 2020, he received the Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Education, and the London-based Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. 

The author of thirty books translated into thirty-two languages, and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be assessed by standard psychometric instruments (please see Multiple Intelligences Oasis ). Since the middle 1990s, Gardner has directed The Good Project , a group of initiatives, founded in collaboration with psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and William Damon. 

In 2020, Gardner’s memoir, A Synthesizing Mind was published by MIT Press. He also recently completed The Real World of College with Wendy Fischman, to be published by MIT Press in 2022. This book explores the results of their large-scale national study documenting how different groups think about the goals of college and the value of a course of study emphasizing liberal arts and sciences. He contributes to his personal blog regularly.  

Publications

• Kornhaber, M., & Winner, E. (Eds.). (2014). Mind, Work, and Life: A Festschrift on the Occasion of Howard Gardner’s 70th Birthday, with responses by Howard Gardner (Vols. 1-2). Amazon via CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Available online at: http://howardgardner01.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/festschrift-_-volumes-1-2-_-final.pdf.
• Gardner, H. and Davis, K. (2013). The App Generation: How today's youth navigate identity, intimacy, and imagination in a digital world . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Translated into: Italian, Korean, Spanish, Romanian, and Chinese (simple characters).
• Gardner, H. (2011). Truth, beauty, and goodness reframed: Educating for the virtues in the era of truthiness and twitter . (Paperback edition, with new preface). New York, NY: Basic Books.
• James, C., Davis, K., Flores, A., Francis, J., Pettingill, L., Rundle, M., & Gardner, H. (2009). Young people, ethics, and the new digital media: A synthesis from the GoodPlay Project . Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
• Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future . Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Translated into Korean, Italian, Japanese, Danish Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Romanian.
• Gardner, H., Ed. (2007). Responsibility at work: How leading professionals act (or don't act) responsibly . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Gardner, H. (2006). The development and education of the mind: The collected works of Howard Gardner . London, UK: Routledge. Translated into Italian, Spanish.
• Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons . New York: Basic Books. Translated into: Romanian, Chinese (SC), Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, and Bulgarian.
• Gardner, H. (2004). Changing minds: The art and science of changing our own and other people’s minds . Boston MA: Harvard Business School Press. Paperback edition (2006). Translated into French, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Chinese (CC), Chinese (SC), Chinese (short version), Danish, Romanian, Norwegian, and Croatian. Awarded Strategy + Business's Best Business Books of the Year (2004). 2011 Edition with updated preface and bibliography: New York, NY, Basic Books.
• Fischman, W., Solomon, B., Greenspan, D., Gardner, H. (2004). Making good: How young people cope with moral dilemmas at work . Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Translated into Spanish, Korean, and Chinese.
• Gardner, H. (2002). Howard Gardner in Hong Kong . L.Lo (Ed.). Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research.
• Gardner, H., Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Damon, W. (2001). Good Work: When excellence and ethics meet . New York: Basic Books. Paperback edition with Afterword (2002). Translated into Korean, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Chinese and Romanian. Selected as one of ten most important books in Hong Kong (2003). Chosen as a Book of Distinction by the Templeton Foundation.
• Gardner, H. (1999). The Disciplined mind: What all students should understand . New York: Simon and Schuster. Translated into Portuguese, German, Spanish, Chinese (Taiwan), Italian, Swedish, Korean, Hebrew, Danish, Turkish, Romanian, Croatian. Excerpted in The Futurist , 34, (2), 30-32, (Mar/Apr 2000) . Paperback edition with new afterword, "A Tale of Two Barns": Penguin Putnam, New York, 2000.
• Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st Century . New York, NY: Basic Books. Translated into German, Spanish, Korean, Hebrew, Chinese (SC), Swedish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Bulgarian, Polish, Turkish, Dutch, and Croatian.
• Gardner, H. (1997). Extraordinary minds: Portraits of exceptional individuals and an examination of our extraordinariness . New York: Basic Books. British edition, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997. Translated into French, Portuguese, Chinese (Taiwan), Chinese (PRC), Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Spanish, Korean, Indonesian, and German.
• Gardner, H., with the collaboration of Laskin, E. (1995). Leading minds: An anatomy of leadership . New York: Basic Books. Translated into German, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese, Chinese (Taiwan), Greek, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese. British Edition: HarperCollins, 1996. Basic Books Paperback.
• Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice . New York: Basic Books. Selected by three book clubs. Excerpted in the magazine Behinderte in Familie , Schule und Gesellschaft , vol. 2 , 1997. Abridged, Danish translation, 1997, Copenhagen: Glydendal Undervisning. Translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Chinese (Taiwan), Hebrew, Korean, Polish, Chinese (R.C.), Danish, Ukranian, and Japanese.
• Gardner, H. (1993). Creating minds: An anatomy of creativity seen through the lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham, and Gandhi . New York: Basic Books. Quality Paperback Book Club. Translated into Swedish, German, Spanish, Chinese (Taiwan), Portuguese, Italian, Slovenian, Korean, Polish, and French.
• Gardner, H. (1990). Art education and human development . Los Angeles, CA: The Getty Center for Education in the Arts. Translated into Italian and Spanish.
• Gardner, H. (1989). To open minds: Chinese clues to the dilemma of contemporary education . New York, NY: Basic Books. Basic Books Paperback with new introduction, 1991. Translated into Italian and Korean.
• Gardner, H. (1985). The mind's new science: A history of the cognitive revolution . New York: Basic Books. Translated into Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese. Adopted by six book clubs. Basic Books Paperback with new Epilogue, 1987.
• Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences . New York: Basic Books. Selected by five book clubs. British Edition, W. Heinemann. Translated into Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Hebrew, Chinese, French, and German. Basic Books Paperback, 1985. Tenth Anniversary Edition with new introduction, New York: Basic Books, 1993. Twentieth Anniversary Edition with new introduction. New York: Basic Books, 2004. Translated into Swedish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Taiwan), French, Norwegian, Hebrew, Slovenian, Korean, and Czech. Selected by three book clubs. Selected by the Museum of Education for Books of the Century exhibit, Columbia, SC, 1999. Tenth Anniversary British Edition, London: HarperCollins (Fontana Press), 1993.
• Gardner, H. (1982). Art, mind, and brain: A cognitive approach to creativity . New York, NY: Basic Books. Basic Books Paperback, 1984. Translated into Spanish, Hebrew, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese.
• Gardner, H. (1980). Artful Scribbles: The significance of children's drawings . New York: Basic Books. Behavioral Sciences book service selection. Basic Books Paperback, 1982. Translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
• Gardner, H. (1979). Developmental psychology: An introduction . Boston: Little Brown, International Edition. Second Edition, 1982.
• Gardner, H. (1975). The shattered mind . New York: Knopf. Main Selection, Psychology Today Book Club, Jan. 1974; Vintage Paperback, 1976. Quality Paperback Book Club Selection. Routledge and Kegan Paul, British Edition. Translated into Japanese.
• Gardner, H. (1973). The quest for mind: Jean Piaget, Claude Levi-Strauss, and the structuralist movement . New York: NY: Knopf. Vintage paperback, 1974; coventure publication in England, 1975. Second Edition, 1981, University of Chicago Press. Translated into Italian and Japanese.
• Gardner, H. (1973). The arts and human development . New York, NY: Wiley. Translated into Chinese and Portuguese. Second Edition, 1994, New York: Basic Books.
• Brock International Prize in Education (2015)
• Prince of Asturias Award (2011)
• Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic, International Scientific Committee of the Pio Manzu Centre (2001)
• Guggenheim Fellowship (2000)
• Grawemeyer Award in Education (1990)
• MacArthur Prize Fellowship (1981)

Associations

• American Philosophical Society, Council Member,(2013-2016)
• Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, England,(2007-)
• American Academy of Political and Social Sciences,(2000-)
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences,(1995-)
• Author's Guild,(1985-)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow,(1980-)

Sponsored Projects

Making ethics central in higher education: expanding and disseminating a promising approach (2022-2025) kern family foundation.

This project focuses on expanding and disseminating an intervention that prods college students to think and act beyond the self. It also seek to create a “hub” for similar approaches in higher education. The overarching goal is to help students become more aware of and sensitive to ethical dilemmas. As documented in the researchers’ national study of higher education, students routinely describe these issues in terms of how they are affected personally (the “I”), with little acknowledgement of how these issues affect others, or how the consequences of their own actions may affect a broader community (the “we”). This project seeks to “move the needle” on character and ethics from “I” to “we” in the personal and professional lives of young citizens. In a two-year pilot project supported by the Kern Family Foundation, the researchers developed and tested an intervention (hereafter referred to as “Beyond the Self”) with 150 students at four different colleges. The documentation provides evidence that the intervention helped students to reflect more deeply and more broadly on situations and decisions they face themselves, learn about in class, and observe on campus and beyond. To scale-up this work, this three-year project that has three major objectives: 1. To disseminate the approach to other institutions—to help others implement “Beyond the Self” with students. 2. To network with others engaged in similar work; 3. Drawing on the researchers’ decades of creating powerful syntheses in education, to collate their efforts with others across higher education and produce a coherent integrated account that will prove useful across higher education and perhaps beyond.

• Life-Long Learning Blog (https://howardgardner.com/category/life-long-learning-a-blog-in-education/)
• The Good Project

Phone Number

Featured articles.

Howard Gardner Named 2024 Convocation Speaker

Celebrated psychologist and originator of the theory of multiple intelligences will address HGSE graduates on May 22

The Real World of College

The Questionable Ethics of College Students

Advice to an Aspiring Researcher

Virtual Tour

Experience University of Idaho with a virtual tour. Explore now

• Discover a Career
• Find a Major
• Experience U of I Life

More Resources

• Admitted Students
• International Students

Take Action

• Find Financial Aid
• View Deadlines
• Find Your Rep

Helping to ensure U of I is a safe and engaging place for students to learn and be successful. Read about Title IX.

Get Involved

• Clubs & Volunteer Opportunities
• Recreation and Wellbeing
• Student Government
• Student Sustainability Cooperative
• Academic Assistance
• Safety & Security
• Career Services
• Health & Wellness Services
• Register for Classes
• Dates & Deadlines
• Financial Aid
• Sustainable Solutions
• U of I Library

• Upcoming Events

Review the events calendar.

Stay Connected

• Vandal Family Newsletter
• Here We Have Idaho Magazine
• Living on Campus
• Campus Safety
• About Moscow

The largest Vandal Family reunion of the year. Check dates.

Benefits and Services

• Vandal Voyagers Program
• Vandal License Plate
• Submit Class Notes
• Make a Gift
• View Events
• Alumni Chapters
• University Magazine
• Alumni Newsletter

U of I's web-based retention and advising tool provides an efficient way to guide and support students on their road to graduation. Login to VandalStar.

Common Tools

• Administrative Procedures Manual (APM)
• Class Schedule
• OIT Tech Support
• Academic Dates & Deadlines
• U of I Retirees Association
• Faculty Senate
• Staff Council

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Water Resources Program

Physical Address: College of Natural Resources, Room 203B

Mailing Address: 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1133 Moscow, ID 83844-1133

Phone: 208-885-0111

Email: [email protected]

M.S. and Ph.D. Water Resources

Career information is not specific to degree level. Some career options may require an advanced degree.

Current Job Openings and Salary Range

in ID, WA, OR, MT and HI

Entry-Level

Senior-Level

• Career Options
• Chief Sustainability Officer
• Farmer, Rancher, or Other Agricultural Manager
• Natural Sciences Manager
• Water Resource Specialist
• Regulatory Affairs Manager
• Compliance Manager
• Brownfield Redevelopment Specialist and Site Manager
• Environmental Compliance Inspector
• Sustainability Specialist
• Water/Wastewater Engineer
• Environmental Engineer
• Soil and Plant Scientist
• Conservation Scientist
• Range Manager
• Park Naturalist
• Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health
• Environmental Restoration Planner
• Hydrologist
• Remote Sensing Scientist and Technologist
• Environmental Economist
• Urban and Regional Planner
• Environmental Science Teacher, Postsecondary
• Fish and Game Warden

Regional Employment Trends

Employment trends and projected job growth in ID, WA, OR, MT & HI

*Job data is collected from national, state and private sources. For more information, visit EMSI's data sources page .

• Degree Prep

To prepare for courses required to earn a master's or doctoral degree in water resources, we recommend that you possess:

• A bachelor’s degree in an engineering, natural science, social science or a related field.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, computer and/or communication skills
• Please see our graduate handbook (pdf)  for more extensive information
• Degree Roadmap

Find a wealth of knowledge to help you succeed — from taking care of preliminary items associated with starting your graduate studies at the University of Idaho to finishing your degree.

Follow the detailed graduate admission requirements  before filling out your application to the College of Graduate Studies .

To find out about deadlines and eligibility requirements, please visit the University of Idaho Financial Aid office .

• Scholarships

Graduate student research and teaching assistantships are frequently provided by faculty advisors for students accepted into the Water Resources Graduate Program. To find more about potential funding opportunities, please contact individual faculty members or the program director.

• Hands-on Learning
• Access to indoor and outdoor laboratories
• Unique combination of research, networking and community involvement
• Clubs & Organizations
• Idaho Water Resources Research Institute
• H2IdahO is a student club for those interested in water
• Graduate and Professional Student Association
• IdaH2O is a Master Water Stewards Program for community outreach
• Job Openings and Salary Range
• Employment Trends

Explore the World's Water Issues

In this unique distinctive program, you will learn to collaborate effectively with peers in other fields and with key stakeholders and professionals to define, research, and achieve creative and sustainable solutions to contemporary water problems. Earn an interdisciplinary master's or doctoral degree in any of three emphasis areas: engineering and science; science and management; or law, management and policy.

• Graduate handbook (pdf)
• Follow us on Facebook
• University-wide curriculum offering a broad range of classes
• Three option areas provide targeted training
• Easy access to indoor and outdoor laboratories for hands-on training
• Concurrent degree available with Law (J.D./M.S.)

Meet Our Faculty

Over 60 faculty members from seven colleges and 15 departments participate in the Water Resources Program.

Meet our faculty

Meet Our Students

Learn about our students and their research in addressing water resources challenges.

Meet our students

Meet Our Alumni

Our alumni have found career opportunities in a variety of areas, including academia, government and private industry.

Meet our alumni

Our Research

Research teams utilize diverse natural laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities to address water resources challenges.

Our research

U of I Grads Making a Splash

Unique program has produced a deep pool of experts.

Read the story

RIT graduate pursues Ph.D. across time zones

Nastaran Nagshineh, center, defended her Ph.D. thesis at RIT in April. Faculty from RIT’s Rochester and Dubai campuses served on her thesis committee and include, from left to right, Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard, Steven Weinstein, Nathaniel Barlow, and David Kofke (a professor at the University at Buffalo). Mohamed Samaha participated remotely and appears on the video screen behind the group and alongside Nagshineh’s picture.

Nastaran Nagshineh is one of the first Ph.D. candidates to bridge RIT’s Rochester and Dubai campuses. Her accomplishment creates a path for future students at the university’s international campuses.

Nagshineh completed her Ph.D. in mathematical modeling while working full time as a mathematics lecturer at RIT Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, teaching as many as five classes a semester. She described her Ph.D. journey as “an exercise in perseverance” due to competing demands and long days. Rochester is eight hours behind Dubai, and the time difference meant many late-night classes and meetings.

“I saw this collaboration as an opportunity, rather than as a challenge, because my primary adviser, Dr. Steven Weinstein (RIT professor of chemical engineering), and my co-adviser, Dr. Mohamed Samaha (RIT Dubai associate professor of mechanical engineering), both have the same area of research interest,” she said. “They both worked toward my success.”

Nagshineh is one of 67 RIT Ph.D. students who defended their thesis this academic year and who will earn their doctorate. RIT awarded 63 Ph.D. degrees in 2023.

In 2020-2021, RIT’s Graduate School met and surpassed the university’s goal of conferring 50 Ph.D. degrees during an academic year. That number will continue to grow as students cycle through the seven new Ph.D. programs that RIT has added since 2017, said Diane Slusarski , dean of RIT’s Graduate School.

Meeting these goals puts RIT on a path toward achieving an “R1,” or research-intensive designation, from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning. RIT is currently ranked as an R2 institution . Many factors go into changing a university’s status, including research investment and maintaining a three-year average of 70 Ph.D. degrees awarded per year, according to Slusarski.

“We have met the goals of the strategic plan, and now we look forward to contributing to the research innovation in the future,” Slusarski said. “We want to help the new programs thrive and win national research awards.”

RIT’s emphasis on high-level research is seen in Nagshineh’s Ph.D. work. She applies mathematical modeling to the field of fluid dynamics. Her research has been published in top-tier journals and has gained notice, said Weinstein, her thesis adviser.

Weinstein describes Nagshineh’s accomplishments as “a testament to a fantastic work ethic and commitment” and is inspirational to younger students at Rochester and Dubai.

“The collaboration between RIT Dubai/Rochester has continued,” he said. “Another paper was submitted a few weeks ago with Mohamed Samaha and Nate Barlow (RIT associate professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics) as co-authors, as well as Cade Reinberger, a younger Ph.D. student in my research group.”

Mathematical modeling is one of RIT’s newer Ph.D. degree programs, and Nagshineh is among its earliest graduates. The program has doubled in size since it began accepting students in 2017, Slusarski said. This past fall, the mathematical modeling program had 35 students, with two graduating this year.

Altogether, RIT has 13 Ph.D. degree programs currently enrolling 438 students, with computing and information sciences accounting for the largest with 117 students. RIT’s other Ph.D. programs include astrophysical sciences and technology , biomedical and chemical engineering , business administration , color science , electrical and computer engineering, imaging science , mechanical and industrial engineering , microsystems engineering , and sustainability .

New programs in cognitive science and physics will launch in the fall.

The growth in RIT graduate education—with more than 3,000 master’s and doctoral students—reflects a demographic change in the student population, Slusarski said. “We have a higher percentage of women in the graduate programs than we have for RIT undergraduate programs.”

RIT’s graduate programs enroll 42 percent women, according to Christie Leone , assistant dean for the Graduate School.

Nagshineh, who also holds an MS in electrical engineering from RIT Dubai, welcomes her role as a mentor to other women students on both campuses.

“As a young woman in an Arabic country, the power of women is often underestimated and undervalued, and I hope to serve as a role model to female students, especially those that question their path,” Nagshineh said.

She plans to continue in her career as a professor and a researcher. “I would like to pursue a research program where I can advise my own students and teach them more deeply.”

Recommended News

May 10, 2024

Design icon Patricia Moore inspires RIT graduates to embrace change and forge paths of impact

While sharing insights from her own transformative journey, Patricia Moore, a distinguished designer and trailblazing alumna of the class of 1974, encouraged this year’s RIT graduates to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and answer the call for change.

Bright Spot: Inspiration for young scholars   

WHAM-TV features Katrina Overby, assistant professor in the School of Communication, as its Bright Spot.

May 8, 2024

More than monarchs: Red admirals appear in Rochester with spring   

The Democrat and Chronicle talks to Kaitlin Stack Whitney, assistant professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, about the early arrival and habits of the red admiral butterfly in Monroe County, highlighting its migration patterns, habitat range, and behavior.

May 7, 2024

Comics go to College

The comics collection at RIT is growing by leaps and bounds and the new Kubert Lounge and Gallery makes it a visible presence on campus. The interdisciplinary art form is right at home at RIT.

Baglietto CFD Research Group

Nazar lubchenko.

I am a PhD candidate at NSE department, specializing in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s in Applied Physics and Mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and Master’s in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT.

Research Interests

Current project: Near wall modeling of bubbly flow

Bubbly flow is an important flow regime, which is encountered in commercial LWRs. Significant amount of effort of CFD team is put into development of new generation of closures for Eulerian-Eulerian modeling of such flows, to make them viable for industrial applications.

My research focuses of near-wall modeling of bubbly flows. This includes all aspects of the flow, from interfacial forces to turbulent quantities. A completed part of my research is a new formulation of the wall lubrication force. Instead of attributing the drop of the void fraction near the wall to a physical force, I proposed new formulation that is derived from geometrical properties of the bubbles (see image below). An article about new wall lubrication force has been recently published at the International Journal of Multiphase Flow.

(a) Side view of bubbles sliding along the wall. (b) Front view of three cross-sections of bubbles. (c) Cross-section of gas phase as function of distance from the wall.

I currently focus on development of the new wall functions for bubbly flows. Multiple modifications to the standard single-phase wall functions have been proposed to account for presence of the bubbles. However, all existing modifications take into account only one effect, such as roughness, bubble buoyancy or turbulence modifications. My main goal is to develop wall functions that will account for all these effects simultaneously, and will be consistent with experimental observations.

Master’s thesis: Transient modeling of host rock for a deep borehole nuclear waste repository

My research for Master’s thesis (September 2012-May 2015) was devoted to simulation of the deep borehole disposal of spent nuclear fuel. I performed thermal hydraulic modeling of the groundwater flow is a host rock surrounding the repository in finite-element framework MOOSE. The results indicated possibility of convection on a scale of tens of kilometers tens of thousands of years after the fuel emplacement (see image), which is, however, suppressed by natural gradient of salinity of groundwater.

Publications :

Near-wall modeling in CFD for turbulent bubbly flows

• R. Sugrue, B. Magolan, N. Lubchenko, E. Baglietto. Assessment of a Simplified Set of Momentum Closure Relations for Low Volume Fraction Regimes in STAR-CCM+ and OpenFOAM. Ann. Nucl. Energy, Vol. 110, pp 79-97, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2017.05.059
• N. Lubchenko, B. Magolan, R. Sugrue, E. Baglietto. A more fundamental wall lubrication force from turbulent dispersion regularization for multiphase CFD applications. Int. J. Multiph. Flow, Vol. 98, pp. 36-44, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2017.09.003

Modeling of host rock for a deep borehole nuclear waste repository

• N. Lubchenko, E. Baglietto, M.J. Driscoll. Towards the Development and Application of Borehole Virtual Reality Simulation Tools. Proceeding of ANS Winter Meeting, pp. 367-369, 2013
• N. Lubchenko, E.A. Bates, E. Baglietto, M.J. Driscoll, M. Rodríguez-Buño, R. Podgorney. Modeling of the groundwater transport around a deep borehole nuclear waste repository. Proceedings of NURETH-16, 2015
• N. Lubchenko. Transient modeling of host rock for a deep borehole nuclear waste repository. M.S. thesis, MIT, 2015 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/103702

Debris bed coolablity:

• S.E.Yakush, P.Kudinov, N.T.Lubchenko. Coolability of heat-releasing debris bed. Part 1: Sensitivity analysis and model calibration. Ann. Nucl. Energy, Vol. 52, pp. 59-71, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2012.06.024
• S.E.Yakush, P.Kudinov, N.T.Lubchenko. Coolability of heat-releasing debris bed. Part 2: Uncertainty of dryout heat flux. Ann. Nucl. Energy, Vol. 52, pp. 72-79, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2012.10.012

List of Publications

Congratulations Dr. Okello!

Group member Lilian Okello successfully defended her PhD dissertation on “Integration of Magneto-Capillary Effects in Novel Multiphasic Inks for 3D Printing and Soft Robotics”. Lilian effectively represented the Velev group at several national and international conferences and symposiums and mentored many undergraduate and MS students. We wish her the very best in all her future endeavors. 🙂

Job Opening: PhD in Philosophy of digital technologies and the disruption of the lifeworld

The candidate will be supervised by prof.dr. Vincent Blok, dr. Bernice Bovenkerk and  dr. Nolen Gertz . The PhD project is embedded in the Philosophy Group at Wageningen University (the Netherlands) and part of the research group of prof.dr. Vincent Blok and dr. Bernice Bovenkerk. See  www.vincentblok.nl  for more information about the research projects of the group.

Do you want to follow your passion for philosophy of (digital) technology in a PhD study in our Philosophy group? Are you an openminded thinker who likes to collaborate with other researchers in an ambitious research program on the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies? The  Philosophy Group  at Wageningen University seeks a talented PhD candidate for a PhD on World constituting technics: Digital technologies and the disruption of the Lifeword. Socially disruptive technologies (SDT’s) like digital technologies (for example, AI, digital twins, social media etc.) raise societal concerns, which can be observed in concerns about surveillance capitalism, instrumentalization of production and consumption, datafication of all domains of human and non-human life etc. We can frame these concerns in terms of the social disruption of the lifeworld – i.e. the meaningful environment of everyday life experience in which we are at home and live and act together. The disruption of the lifeworld by digital technologies first of all suggests that there are general patterns that SDT’s like digital technologies have in common, and secondly that they not only have an impact on the users or consumers for instance, but have a broader impact on the lifeworld in which we live and act. The first objective of this PhD project is to reflect on the general patterns emerging from 21st century SDT’s. The second objective of this PhD project is to reflect on the socially disruptive impact of digital technologies on the datafication and denaturalization of the lifeworld, i.e. the framing of the world in terms of datasets and algorithmic computation determines increasingly human and non-human living and acting in the world and changes for example the experience of social relations, human-animal relations, and the experience of the meaning of life. To articulate a proper concept of the disruption of the lifeworld by digital technologies, the project critically build on contemporary debates in continental philosophy of technology and philosophy of innovation to develop a concept of World constitutive technics. This PhD position will be part of the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies programme, a ten year long international research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands that has started in January 2020. This programme has a combined budget of € 27 million, and is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research in the Gravitation funding scheme for excellent research, and by matching funds from the participating institutions. The duration is from January 2020 to December 2029.  The programme has the aim of achieving breakthrough research in at the intersection of ethics, philosophy, technology / engineering and social sciences, and to position its consortium at the top of its field internationally. A key objective is to investigate how new technologies challenge moral values and ontological concepts (like “nature”, “human being” and “community”), and how these challenges necessitate a revision of these concepts.  The programme includes four research lines, “Nature, life and human intervention”, “The future of a free and fair society”, “The human condition” and “Synthesis: Ethics of Technology, Practical Philosophy, and Modern Technology-Driven Societie”. For a full description of the programma and its research line:  www.esdit.nl

Your qualities

• a MSc degree in Philosophy with affinity with fundamental philosophy, philosophy of technology and digital technologies;
• an excellent English language proficiency (a minimum of CEFR C1 level). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special  language page ;
• an enthusiastic, dedicated and engaged thinker who is well capable  to work in interdisciplinary contexts and willing to collaborate with technical scientists/engineers and designers, as well as a broad range of stakeholders;

Our PhD students are encouraged to spend a semester abroad. Also generous (conference) travel budgets are available for the position. Our PhD students are encouraged to supervise MSc thesis students when such opportunities arise, and you will be involved in teaching activities.

For more information:  https://www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/phd-in-philosophy-of-digital-technologies-and-the-disruption-of-the-lifeworld.htm

More recent news

• Washington State University
• Go to wsu twitter
• Go to wsu facebook
• Go to wsu linkedin

Carson College of Business celebrates faculty, staff, and PhD student success

Washington State University’s Carson College of Business recognized the exceptional contributions of its faculty, staff, and graduate students at an annual awards event.

Outstanding Faculty Research

Kunter Gunasti

Department of Marketing and International Business

Since joining the Carson College in 2016, Gunasti has established himself as a prolific researcher, publishing highly regarded work in top journals including the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. His research spans a number of fields including numerical cognition, consumer experiences, and branding. In 2023, his research was published in highly regarded journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Business Ethics, underscoring his reputation as a leading scholar in consumer behavior.

Outstanding Faculty Service

Chuck Munson

Department of Finance and Management Science

Munson is recognized for his significant contributions to education and academic development. He serves as director of the PhD program, where he guides aspiring educators and chairs numerous dissertation committees. Munson is committed to advancing teaching methodologies through workshops and actively participates in university committees. He serves on five editorial boards, showcasing his dedication to fostering educational excellence and engagement.

Outstanding Faculty Teaching

Mesut Cicek

Cicek is honored for his role as an engaging and caring professor who provides immense value to his students and the Carson College of Business. In 2023, Cicek taught more than 700 students across six courses, making him one of the most sought-after instructors in the college. Even while managing large classes, Cicek excels in fostering personal connections with his students. He also serves as faculty advisor for the International Business Club, among other mentorship roles. His commitment to student success and innovative teaching approaches exemplify excellence in faculty instruction.

Outstanding Staff Award for Student Engagement

Dan Kennedy

Carson Center for Student Success

Kennedy personifies dedication to student success. Under his leadership, the Carson College’s mentorship program grew from 80 to 150 pairs of mentors and mentees in just two years. Kennedy meticulously oversees the matching process, ensuring meaningful connections that benefit students and mentors alike. He collaborates with stakeholders, including employers and alumni, to market and enhance the program’s reputation. His efforts have significantly impacted students’ success, helping them secure internships and job opportunities after college.

Outstanding Staff Award for Faculty Engagement

Melissa Painter

School of Hospitality Business Management

Painter is a crucial support figure in the School of Hospitality Business Management. Despite staffing challenges, she works hard to ensure smooth departmental operations while managing events and addressing technical challenges with grace, even while recovering from a broken leg. Her commitment and resilience showcase her exceptional contributions to supporting faculty engagement.

Outstanding Staff Award for College Engagement

WSU Vancouver

Baden’s commitment to students, staff, and faculty is evident through her strategic problem-solving and innovative approach to departmental operations. Baden not only oversees administrative functions but also contributes to teaching professional development courses, demonstrating her impact on student career readiness. She manages staff, student workers, and teaching assistants, ensuring the college runs smoothly and exceeds expectations at every level.

Outstanding Doctoral Student Research Award

Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship

Bates has achieved remarkable success in research during his tenure. Notably, he coauthored a peer-reviewed paper accepted at the prestigious Academy of Management Journal. He is also lead author on another paper accepted by the Journal of Business Ethics. His extensive contributions to data analysis, study execution, and scholarly writing demonstrate his dedication and proficiency as a researcher. Bates’s research portfolio, including multiple manuscripts under review and ongoing projects, underscores his outstanding contributions to the field.

Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Assistant Award

Xu has excelled as a teaching assistant for over two years, having received outstanding evaluation scores. His dedication is reflected in student feedback, praising his responsiveness, support, and engaging teaching style. Xu’s proactive approach extends beyond teaching, ensuring smooth classroom operations and invaluable assistance to faculty. His enthusiasm for hospitality education and commitment to student success are exemplary.

Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award

Shirin Shahsavand

Shahsavand’s teaching consistently garners high marks in course evaluations and praise from her students. She continuously seeks feedback to refine her teaching strategies. Shahsavand’s dedication to improving her instructional methods reflects her commitment to student success and academic excellence. Her thoroughness, engaging delivery, and genuine care for her students contribute to a positive and enriching classroom experience.

The heat is on

Recent news.

Jay Starratt to step down as Dean of Libraries

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant supports WSU concrete sealer research

WSU Writing Program welcomes Angela Mitchell as director

Study shows how night shift work can raise risk of diabetes, obesity

Student turns textile scraps into wearable art

• Prospective students
• International students
• PhD candidates
• Professors and researchers
• Institutions and companies
• Academic Board
• Career opportunities

Research topics

• Advisory Board

With a view to transdisciplinary training, the PhD course promotes joint research and design development activities in the fields of Design, Architectural Technology and Environmental Quality, divided into "macro areas" and related "areas". 

The 5 identified macro areas represent specific scientific interests of contemporary research, shared by professors and researchers of the Academic Board: 

• Sustainable and circular systems 
• Communication and digital transformation  
• Inclusion and social cohesion  
• Cultural heritage, rehabilitation and regeneration of the territory
• T echnological and materials culture

Both scholarships with free topics and those with restricted topics (corporate or included in European or national programs) will refer to a "macro area" and to one or more "areas", which will also be made explicit in the description of each scholarship. 

Students will be guided in their research by at least two tutors from different disciplines and can use network relationships with national and international research groups inside or outside the Politecnico di Torino, and collaborations or joint development of research with small, medium and big companies. 

In addition to these relations, PhD students will be able to be supported in their research by a significant offer of Laboratories and Research Centers belonging to the Departments of DAD Architecture and Design and DENERG Energy, described in the last part of this overview.

The PhD has access to the Laboratories (with technical staff) and Centers (coordinated by teaching staff) of DAD Architecture and Design, and DENERG Energy, Departments, which offer specializations linked to the multidimensional skills of the Doctorate. Both the Laboratories and the Research Centers are located in the spaces of the Politecnico di Torino: Castello del Valentino, Istituto Galileo Ferraris, Cittadella Politecnica and Cittadella del Design in Mirafiori.

Laboratories

• LAMSA Analysis and modelling of environmental system Laboratory
• LaSTIn innovative technological systems
• Health and Indoor Environmental Quality Living Laboratory (H-IEQ Lab)
• Laboratory of Applied Acoustics (LAA)  
• Make Lab Arch & Design (LAQ-TIP: Virtual, stereoscopic and immersive reality; VirtuaLAB: Virtual modeling and 3D printing; MultimediaLAB: AR, storytelling, video-making)
• Small scale – material thermal characterisation lab
• AxS Architettura per la salute (Architecture for Health)
• Centro Studi sulla Storia del Design in Piemonte
• CRD-PVS Centro ricerca per i paesi in via di sviluppo
• Food Design LAB
• IAM Istituto di architettura montana
• Innovation Design LAB
• MATto materials library Politecnico di Torino
• TAL Turin Accessibility Lab
• The Construction History Group
• SYDERE promote the systemic design PoliTO/ECAM Lyon
• UXD PoliTO, user experience evaluation

Collaborations

• PIC4SeR Robotics, interdepartmental laboratory
• CARS Center for Automotive Research and Sustainable mobility