Importance of grades as a graduate student in math

In many (US, mathematics) graduate programs, there is quite significant grade inflation.  A grade of B would raise significant concern about your progress (and maybe cause advisors to think twice about working with you), and a grade of C would create grave doubts about your ability to continue in the program.  You may have a better sense if this is true in your program, but if so, it would be a really bad idea to reduce your efforts to the extent that your grades drop.

On the flip side, it is entirely possible that you could work a little less hard and still get A's (the standards for an A may be lower than you think).  I hesitate to recommend this, though.  The better you know this material, the easier your qualifying exams will be, and failing exams definitely gets students kicked out.  Solving all the problems on all the problem sets is a really good idea in that direction - rather than worrying about how much time it takes you, you should perhaps rather be glad that you can do it at all (I bet many of your classmates cannot).

Mathematics is unlike some other fields in that (US, PhD) graduate programs place a strong emphasis on coursework for the first couple of years.  A transition to research comes afterwards.  In many cases you cannot meaningfully discuss a research topic with a potential advisor until you have mastered the material from a course.  So it probably is in your long-term interest to prioritize your coursework now, even if some of your deeper mathematical interests are temporarily pushed to the back burner.  (Don't worry, they'll still be there after you pass your exams.)

It is good to spend at least a little time on pursuits outside coursework, and you can probably find some combination giving maximum payoff for minimum commitment.  For instance, attending seminars is good exposure to current research areas, and may require only an hour or two of your time per week.  (Protip: try to go to dinner with the speaker.  It's good networking, and your department may well pay for your meal (free food)).


What would happen if I took my professor's accusation of cheating to court?

While the details of the answer depend on the particulars of the university and the country, in general I expect that a student would not be able to get very far with such a case.

The basic problem is that an accusation of cheating and an administrative sanction within the policies of the university is not generally a matter of law, and thus there is no reason that a court should be interested in involving itself. The student would thus have to find some sort of basis for claiming that some law is actually being broken (e.g., discrimination, defamation) or that a contract is being violated (not likely). One can imagine cases in which this is actually upheld (e.g., a professor who systematically blatantly overlooks cheating by white students while carefully monitoring black students), but in the case of a basically reasonable professor who caught a student cheating, it seems unlikely that the student would get very far in any reasonable courtroom.

In short: a guilty but litigious student might be able to cause a lot of annoyance and expense for a professor and a university, but would be unlikely to receive satisfaction in court.


What to do about fellow student that hogs lecture time with many questions

Unless this student is a close friend of yours, I think you should bring it up with the course instructors, not directly with him.  The person who is in charge of making sure the course is operating smoothly and well is the instructor.  In a class with more than a few students, spending 25-30 minutes responding solely to one student sounds like a clear mistake to me.  (The fact that this is happening in multiple classes and none of the instructors have done anything about it is curious to me, but I don't really know what to make of it.)

I would make an appointment to speak to each instructor in question about it.  I would come to that appointment with specific information about other students who feel the same way.  If we are talking about a few students, then probably you should come to the office together.  I am a university professor, and if several students came jointly to my office to express concern about the way my class was run, I would have to take that very seriously.

If the number of students who are concerned about this is more than could comfortably fit in your instructor's office, then I think you should make a list of such students in some way, e.g. by writing up a brief, politely worded statement describing your feelings on the situation and getting other students to sign it.  Or perhaps even in the second situation it might be better to start with a few students who come visit your instructor's office.  Things to worry about in the second situation are (i) you don't want to attribute a complaint to a classmate unless you have specifically talked to them about it and gotten their approval and (ii) if you don't handle things with enough discretion it could get back to your inquisitive peer in a way that you don't want.

Perhaps others will disagree, but I really do feel that if the behavior is acceptable to the course instructors then it has to be grudgingly acceptable to you: I would not try to persuade your peer to change his ways.  If the additional time spent on your inquisitive peer has consequences in terms of the learning experience, you should bring those consequences to the attention of the instructor, specifically and repeatedly if need be.  For instance, if the lectures do not cover all the material that the syllabus says they should, you could ask the instructor what to do about that and whether the exams will be adjusted accordingly.  (This is a pointed, but fair, question.)  If at the end of the course it turns out that indeed the learning experience was compromised in this way, then you should give appropriate feedback about it.

The only case I can think of in which I would confront your peer directly is if you have as much discussion with the instructor(s) as you can, they agree that the questions are derailing the lectures but are themselves unwilling to do anything in response.  They are then really not doing their job, and I think at that point you would be justified in trying to intervene: it seems like the least evil.


How to appropriately email a researcher to ask for details about their paper?

Showing interest is nice, accusing people is not. So, show interest, something like "I saw your article XXX in YYY and I am working on something similar. I was wondering how exactly you dealt with ZZZ."


Transitioning from pure research to a teaching position

It's true that teaching skills can be learned.  But some people underestimate the amount of work required to do so, or do not commit to putting it in, or remain tied to ineffective philosophies of teaching, and thus do not become good teachers.  Others do, but it takes them some time, and in the meantime they don't do as well.

All other things equal, a search committee would rather hire someone who has already been through this, and will be able to walk in and teach well from day one, rather than needing a potentially long period to adjust (during which they will have to explain to their dean why this new hire's teaching evaluations are so poor).  Especially since you are applying at a more senior level (associate professor), your competitors likely have 5 years or more of teaching experience, and evaluations, letters, etc, that show that they are effective teachers.  Lacking that, it's understandable that you would be at a significant disadvantage.

It seems to me that the most natural course of action would be to see if you can pick up some teaching at your current institution.  Approach your chair and express your interest in teaching a class or two if the opportunity arises.  There will likely come a time when the chair just can't get all the classes covered, and would ordinarily consider looking for an adjunct, visitor, or graduate student to teach a class - then she will think of you.  If you pull it off with reasonable success, and make it known that you are receptive to continuing to teach, you will likely get more opportunities.  Eventually you can build up sufficient experience to be a good candidate for a different job - or maybe you'll find that your existing job, plus occasional teaching, satisfies you after all.  (Or maybe you'll find that you don't in fact enjoy teaching, and stick to the job you have.)

I'd think that this sort of gradual phase-in of teaching duties is likely to go better and be less stressful on the whole.  Even if you were able to get a full-time teaching job, you'd likely be asked to start teaching 2-3 courses per semester right off the bat - with no prior experience, that can be a pretty severe shock.


How do I quickly describe the timeframe a topic became relevant?

Ah, finding citations to back up generalizations. I know that annoyance, and I'm glad you're alert to it. When I'm editing my writing and find something like this, here's my thought process:

Do I really need to establish this time frame in the first place? If I can delete this part without negatively affecting my argument, all the better.
What would a really picky person respond and how do I deal with that? ("Actually, video games have been relevant since Pong!" "OK, I should narrow my claim substantially...")
Who would have written about this authoritatively in a way I can reference or quote? (For instance, look for a review article on video games in academia: someone reviewing the field systematically or a long-term contributor to the field could say the same thing with more gravitas.)
Is there systematic evidence I could use, such as the founding dates of academic journals that are specifically about video games? (Perhaps the first issue editor's note would say something relevant.)
What examples am I thinking of? How can I reference them without claiming to be comprehensive?  E.g. "Video games were used in academic studies on computer graphics (see Mario 1987 and Luigi 1993), but it was a major breakthrough when articles began dealing with video games as an art form (e.g. SuperMeatBoy 2013)."

More generally, timeline statements should usually be deleted out in the editing process.

It bugs me when my students make historical-ish claims without having a true historical perspective. ("Nowadays, computers are more and more important!") These usually happen in introductions, where people are getting warmed up writing about the topic.

"History" is rarely an interesting hook for a paper introduction, unless the whole thing is a nuanced historical analysis or there are interesting anecdotes that highlight a contrast. ("When Don Knuth began working with computers, it was standard practice to X (Knuth p. XYZ). Even though today computer scientists often do Y, implementing X in an object-oriented programming language can help us understand [topic].")


Choosing a title to hold upon completion of a doctoral degree: "Dr." vs. "Ph.D."

I'll add a bit of a legal perspective into the game. Disclaimer: I hold a Dr. rer. nat. from Germany, though lived and worked in several other countries in the EU.

Firstly, personally I think, that "choosing a title" and seeing it as an important issue, is largely a German/Austrian/(Central European?) specialty. After all, why should your title matter outside academia, where the difference is anyway largely understood around the world?

Secondly, even when you hold some title from country X, you are not automatically eligible to use it across the border, even given there exists an equivalent one in the other country. Rather, there are legal procedures which lead to a formal recognition and proper translation of your title. So for me, being a "Dr." with a title from Germany, to be able to use either "Dr.", or "PhD" in other EU countries, especially those east of Germany, I would have to either undergo a formal procedure called nostrification, or, in selected cases, if the university is granting an equivalent degree in my specialization, they could forgo the nostrification hassle and they could recognize it right away (rather and exception to the rule). Either way, you need to obtain a formal certificate from the state, or at least the university, stating exactly how your title translates to an equivalent title in the other country. Only then you can use the title freely. To top it up, the whole matter is regulated by bi-lateral international treaties between countries exactly stating which title holders are eligible to use which titles in the other country and how. See for example the treaty on grades recognition between Czech Republic and Germany. There even is a full website in Germany on all this (mostly for foreign title holders wanting to use them in Germany).

To sum it up, there is a whole lot to simply using an academic title in a country different from the one you obtained it in. This can be straightforward in countries where the culture doesn't care too much (in my experience e.g., Netherlands), but in countries where the title can be legally a part of your name (not sure whether it still is the case), such as almost whole Austrian-Hungarian empire heritage countries, this can be a big deal.

My point is the following: It's probably irrelevant which title you choose. If you want to be precise, legally speaking, somebody probably already translated your title to another one (which you can't choose) which you should adopt in other countries.

Apart from all that above, I regularly see people approaching me in e-mails, or letters by both "Dr. XYZ", as well, as "XYZ, PhD" - not speaking of those not checking the background and virtually promoting me to levels I do not belong to (yet). Again, the precise title doesn't matter that much after all.

Later edit, on a more anecdotal note:

  the precise title doesn't matter that much after all

Well, except when you want to use the title for things like skipping a queue when visiting a doctor and being treated very respectfully by all the nurses (Germany), or when encountering police, getting away with only with a warning and avoiding a fine for speeding, or other minor trespassing (countries eastwards of Germany). I have first-hand knowledge of such incidents, so my advice here would be to 1) go for the fanciest possible title, yet it should be widely recognized by general public, and 2) if your country of residence allows it, include the title on your ID card, passport, social security ID, whatever else, so that you can wave it when necessary :-D.


Is the author of a letter of recommendation notified that their letter has been submitted?

In recent years, my experience has been that, when I submit letters of recommendation via automated web systems (which is the most common situation), I get an automated confirmation. When I submit letters via individual emails, I sometimes get confirmations but usually not.


Finding a self-funded research internship for summer (international student) - any strategies?

Not very organized, but here goes.

Make a list of your specific interests (not just for now, going forward: are you interested in graduate school or work afterwards?). Areas of particular interest? Make a list of potential schools, their strengths (and possible non-matches with your interests, "weaknesses" is just too strong a word). Look which ones most closely match you. Check at their policies with respect to students like you (do they have an office for foreign students, or some equivalent?). Try to contact students/student ombudsman/... for a insider view. Check for alternatives for housing (it can be rather expensive, specially if you need to pay for utilities!). Check the courses offered, see which ones are near your interests. Check what requisites the courses ask for, see if you have them (or can learn them on your own).

In the end, this is a very personal decision, it is very little we can offer apart from general drivel like mine.


Why institutions and governments invest in infrustructure instead of hiring researcher permanently?

Even though collaboration over distance has become more and more easy due to technology, it is that researchers like to meet. Really, they do. And especially, they like to meet at nice places. I am pretty sure that places like Princeton would not have attracted all these great minds over a long period of time if it has been an unpleasant and crammed place.

Similarly, researchers still like to have offices.

Besides this, there is also politics: It is much simpler to allocate a fixed amount of money for one greater expense than to allocate a yearly budget. This is what I observe in my country. We see a lot of programs where a fixed amount of money is given for a specific purpose which has to be spent in a limited amount of time ("Hochschulpakt", "Exzellenzinitiative", "1000-Professoren-Programm", "Digitalisierungsoffensive") and this is often used to fund temporary positions. but it is really rare that the government actually raises the base funding of and institute to hire more permanent researchers.

Finally, the number do not really add up. You can build a decent building for, say, 10,000,000 (Dollars, Euros,…), but considering that a researcher costs (very) roughly 100,000 a year, the building only pays 100 year of research, so can have enough money to pay about 3 or 4 young guys for the rest of their careers.


Revised manuscript take too long to process

First things first, relax. You are worried about the status of your paper, but nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

When you submitted it, the editors of the journal sent it for review. From your description, there were at least two reviewers. Peer reviewers are volunteers, so editors cannot force them to submit reviews. They can invite them of course, but whether or not they actually submit a review on time isn't something that can be directly controlled. From your description, one of the reviewers hasn't submitted a review. This is perfectly normal. It's not desirable, but it's normal.

What happens next is that the editor can either look at the review(s) that were submitted and make a decision, or wait. Again from your description, the editor has chosen to wait. How long will the editor wait? Only she will know, but you can be confident that she won't wait longer than ~1 month. If the reviewer still hasn't submitted a review more than one month after the deadline, the odds are he will never submit one. Maybe he forgot about it, maybe he was too busy, maybe he had some serious personal issues that stopped him from reviewing, who knows? It happens often enough that editors have probably dealt with it before.

Here's what will likely happen to your paper.

The reviewer submits a review.

Everyone is happy, the editor makes a decision, and you move on.

The reviewer doesn't submit a review.

The editor could make a decision based on the reviews she's received so far. This depends on how good those reviews are. If they're convincing enough then she might decide.
If they're not convincing enough then the editor could decide to invite new reviewers. This is the nightmare scenario for you, since it'll easily add another 1+ month to the review time. There's nothing you can do about this however except for withdraw your paper to submit elsewhere (in which case you'll have to put up with another 1+ month of review time anyway).

One thing that definitely won't happen is that your paper will be reviewed "forever". Eventually the editor will stop waiting and make a decision, especially if you remind her. As for the other thing that worries you, if your paper is indeed rejected, it's not likely to take a year. So far it's been two months, which in the physical sciences is very much within the norm. Chances are you'll receive a decision in another month.

As for what to do: do nothing and wait. You cannot rush the reviewers (you don't know who they are anyway) and you cannot rush the editors (it's their journal, things are only ever published when the editors are satisfied). If it goes another month+ without word from the editors, then you can send them a reminder, but otherwise just keep waiting.

If you are really concerned, don't take my word for it. Speak to your supervisor. Ask him how long it takes in his experience to publish in your field, or how long is a reasonable time to wait before worrying. If your supervisor isn't worried, you shouldn't be worried either.


Perception of Phi Beta Kappa on a resume?

I am looking at this from a European perspective.
Also I focus on the perception and not whether this is accurate, which does not matter that much – whether you like it or not.
You can neither expect readers to research this detail of your CV to fully understand it nor to suppress subconscious bias by the impression they get from items they do not fully understand.

As confirmed by some of the comments by other European members here, the vast majority of information of US Greek-letter societies that trickle over to Europe is about drug abuse, sexual misconduct, dehumanising initiation rituals, and nepotism. Therefore mentioning a membership in such an organisation (without any further explanation) risks leaving a bad impression. At the very least I would try to mitigate the risk by explicitly denoting it as an honour society – which can only have so much effect since that’s not a protected term.

Also, while a little Internet research suffices to debunk the worst associations, it does not leave the best impression:

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a recent independent characterisation on this society. You mainly find self-representation and Wikipedia (which is currently dominated by self-representation). The best you can find with reasonable effort are two articles from 1996 and 2005, respectively, about declining membership and recognition, in which the society leaves a rather entitled impression. Also, this very question and others on this site are already amongst the first things you find. This somewhat suggests that the society has since evaporated into meaninglessness.
The society’s main activity appears to be selecting and recruiting new members and documenting their achievements, which strikes me as awkwardly circular. There a few awards, scholarships, and fellowships, but these seem secondary.
The primary selection criterion seems to be grades, scholarly achievements, and learning another language, which should be featured on your CV anyway. It seems like a society that charges mountains to put a golden badge on them stating their height (analogy stolen from Leonard Cohen). Thus, listing membership appears to be somewhat redundant.

Mind that this is just an impression (after all the difficulty of finding information from reliable sources is one of the things that form this impression), but at the very least it suggests a considerable marketing failure.


Placement of period in sentence that ends with "et al." followed by reference number?

Since "et al." is an abbreviation of the latin et alii meaning "and others" the period in "et al." should be treated as periods in any other abbreviation such as "cf.", "Op. Cit.", "conf.", "c.". In most cases of which I am aware periods are shown after abbreviations but I am not a stranger to styles where the period after abbreviations are ignored. So my bet is that "et al. [##]." or "et al. [##]", depending on where the preferred location of the numbered references are, in a majority of cases. If you are uncertain you need to consult the journal style sheet (if any exists) or simply check other recent papers published by the journal in order to see how they prefer to have things set.


University website says "when such conduct [unauthorized collaboration] is common, it becomes acceptable" - does this mean plagiarism is allowed?

You are misreading that passage.

"It becomes acceptable" is intended to mean "acceptable to the students".  To rephrase:

  When such conduct is common, students come to believe that it is acceptable.

But such students would be mistaken in that belief, from the institution's point of view.  I think the clear meaning of the passage is that such conduct is not acceptable to the institution and is considered plagiarism and academic dishonesty.


“Awaiting EE Decision” in Manuscript Central – what does it mean?

OK I must also point out before you read the rest of the answer that the Editorial decision has not come yet and this is likely the Editorial decision after minor processing (sorting, subject headings, keyword checks(maybe/maybe not)) and a Technical editor shortlisting it for further review when the editor decides on how to proceed (EE decision)

This is now Obviously the Editorial Decision. He can send it for review if it is a blind peer to peer review journal or reject it outright. Thus the EE decision would be completed by the editor or designated person after going through the paper and deciding if he has to send it to a reviewer, if he has reviewers for the subject matter, if he can return directly to the author for modifications/rewrites or if he wants to accept it for publication(unlikely without a blind peer to peer review.


How to connect with those distant senior colleagues who are in their last PhD year?

If they are in their last year, collaboration might not be practical. Last year students are typically writing their thesis, applying for jobs, etc. Further, they may leave academia after graduation.

With this in mind, you can treat them like you would anyone else. An informal e-mail should do fine, or you can request a phone/Skype connection.


Submit a Paper in a Journal with Email Address

Although it's a little odd that a Springer journal would ask for submissions by email, since they obviously have editorial manager software available, there's not really anything wrong with it.  Maybe the managing editor simply prefers to work that way.  It's also possible that the journal moved to Springer relatively recently, and is still using their previously established workflow.

As a check that this address is correct, note that polytechnique.fr is the École Polytechnique, which is the affiliation of the journal's managing editor-in-chief, Marc Giusti.  Again, it's not unusual for a journal manager to have their university set up an email account to receive journal submissions.  The fact that the address doesn't appear in Google means nothing, as noted in comments.

So just send an email to that address with your manuscript attached as PDF.  You can keep the subject and body very simple.  I would use a subject like "Submission to AAECC" and a body like:

  Dear editors:

  I would like to submit the attached manuscript for possible publication in AAECC.

  Thank you for your consideration, and for your work in editing this journal.

  Sincerely,

  Author Name

You ought to receive a reply by email within a few days, acknowledging your submission and explaining whether there's anything further you need to do.


What should I read or know before I prepare my bachelor's thesis?

This is a pretty broad question, but if you are looking for a general guide on how to write there have been a number of books suggested to me.

Writing for Computer Science (Zobel) This is a decent book on explaining the principles on why and how you should write computer science articles. It's very computer science specific, with a bit more emphasis toward databases and operating systems, but I think it's applicable to most technical fields (of which computational linguistics should fall into).

I like this one because it's a general guide to writing that outlines the process and the structure.

Elements of Style (Strunk and White) A commonly-recommended book that a lot of people swear by but I found it a bit too low-level for my liking and actually had a hard time finishing it. A professor described it as "too prescriptive".

Bugs in Writing (Dupre) This is an okay book as a reference manual for improving your prose, but isn't a good guide for figuring out the writing process. There's good advice in this book (and it's actually rather fun to flip through just to learn about various style points) but can be difficult to use as an actual guide.

Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Williams) I've gotten through a few parts of this book and it gives very specific advice on how to proceed on improving your writing, especially explaining specifically how to introduce ideas in paragraphs, how to flow them together to create longer manuscripts, and how to restructure and correct text so the main ideas come through. As I surmised, it is in fact very analytical and detailed and does describe the rationales behind its recommendations. I think this book is a great resource for those who have some words written, who know they have to make their writing "flow better" or "more clear" but aren't really sure how to do it. It appears to be an especially valuable book for the "second pass" through anything, where you have written down your initial ideas in part-writing, part bullets, and are trying to convert it into a real readable piece of work. (Previously, I wrote: This book was JUST recommended to me and I haven't read it, but it is apparently very analytical and detailed, and outlines the rationales behind why one should write in the way it discusses. In fact, I think there a jab at the Elements of Style in this book where the author laments that "Be clear" is GREAT advice. We all KNOW that. The real problem is, "How is it that I can actually implement 'be clear' in my writing?" However, I haven't gotten far enough to comment on it yet.)

So there's a little about what to read. As for what you should know? Well, that's a more difficult question :)


Should I turn down a PhD offer or defer for another year?

You can ask for deferral, but it is not universal that you can/will be granted it even once, and it is much rarer to be granted it again. With that said, I don't think it is a question at all of merely ego or vanity - humans universally have this annoying tendency of wanting to be able to obtain suitable food and shelter for themselves, along with other things that comprise a decent standard of modern living. It is not unreasonable of you to infer that if a group has a variety of funding options they could offer and they choose not to extend it to you, that this is a valid way to interpret that their priorities are elsewhere. You need not read into it as any deeper judgement - it is what it is, and any such ordering of priorities includes a large component of abitrary and inscrutable caprice.

If you require funding, you require funding, and that is that. I certainly insisted on it, and decided in advance that any school that did not offer funding was automatically off the list. It is reasonable for you to do likewise.

You are certainly free to ask about an option to defer to apply for funding again, and tell them you cannot accept an offer without funding, and they will do whatever they decide to do. As a rough likelihood assessment, I think it is most probable that you will need to apply elsewhere - to multiple schools you would like to attend, not just one. Even if they grant you a deferral they will almost certainly not include any guarantee of funding next round. That's just how graduate school is: no guarantees of admission, funding, success in the program, or success beyond. Life in an ivory-coated nutshell, if you will.


What are the consequences of a recommendation from someone in the distant past?

If research is a substantive part of the jobs you are applying for, then you should be wary of asking your Master's supervisor for a letter.  It could work out OK, but there's a serious risk.

The issue is that hiring committees want information about your current research, rather than what you did for your Master's degree.  If your Master's supervisor has read some of your recent work and is capable of discussing and evaluating it in detail, then it will be a useful recommendation.  However, you don't want a letter that focuses on the past and just includes a brief paragraph saying "And the Ph.D. research seems to have gone well, but I don't really know anything about it."  That could actually hurt your case by suggesting that you couldn't find three people who understand and think highly of your more recent work.

A strong letter that focuses on the past is certainly better than a weak letter, so it could be your best option.  You might also talk about this issue with your Master's supervisor, and see how compelling and up to date a letter she thinks she can provide.  If she has read or wants to read your recent work, then that's great; if she is hesitant about the idea of writing a letter, then I would ask someone else.


Lecturer yelled at me after class and refused to answer my question

I don't suppose you'll like this answer much, but yes, if you have done this repeatedly and been called on it before and have continued to do it, then (a) you are being rude and (b) she can probably remove you without any consequence to herself. She may, actually, be angry with you beyond reason, but you seem to me to be poking the tiger, which is a bit dangerous.

I'd suggest that you need to behave differently. I hope you will like this part of the answer a bit more. I'm not so happy that the professor isn't more receptive to questions (once or twice a lecture). I can find better ways to teach, but you probably can't change that.

One simple thing you can do, other than keeping quiet in lecture is to sit where your raised hand will be obvious when she does ask for questions.

But, on a deeper level, I'd suggest that you adopt a note taking style that is effective and that, in particular, captures questions you have in the lecture to be able to get answers later, either from the professor or from other students. One simple way to do that is to carry a few note cards with you at all times, but especially during lecture. Write down any question you have on a fresh card. This permits you to annotate the question and write an answer. It also provides a means of later study. You can carry those annotated cards around and review them whenever you have a moment, say waiting in line to buy coffee.

But, in order to "smooth the waters" with this prof it may be enough to just assure that you behave according to her standards, even if they aren't entirely rational. If you offer an apology, don't end it with "but...". However, I think a cooling-off period would probably serve you well.


Where to learn the 'real' funding threshold for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship final project selection

I recently contacted my national contact point. They were able to inform me on the size of the reserve list and my position on that list.

Best


Whom to suggest to publisher for endorsement of my book?

As publishing has also a commercial side, publishers do want to get their costs paid (and they hope for some profit). So, they want to ensure as good as possible that someone (libraries, institutes, ..) will buy the book. For that you need your endorsements.
There is no problem in taking you supervisors for endorsement. However, I would advise you to personally ask them for their support.
Furthermore, it would be helpful if you find some other people that may to the same - have you been to conferences, spoke with people - do you built up a personal network with other peers? If so, ask them. They should be well known people in the subject you are publishing, of course. Reputation sells.


To what extent might a non-faculty staff member expect -- or demand -- academic freedom?

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has a set of Recommended Institutional Regulations concerning Academic Freedom and Tenure, which has the following to say about academic freedom for staff:

Other Academic Staff

a. In no case will a member of the academic staff who is not otherwise protected by the preceding regulations that relate to dismissal proceedings be dismissed without having been provided with a statement of reasons and an opportunity to be heard before a duly constituted committee.21 (A dismissal is a termination before the end of the period of appointment.)
b. With respect to the nonreappointment of a member of such academic staff who establishes a prima facie case to the satisfaction of a duly constituted committee that considerations that violate academic freedom, or of governing policies against improper discrimination as stated in Regulation 10, significantly contributed to the nonreappointment, the academic staff member will be given a statement of reasons by those responsible for the nonreappointment and an opportunity to be heard by the committee.
...
21 Each institution should define with particularity who are members of the academic staff.

Essentially:  those staff that an institution chooses to define as "academic staff" should be able to bring grievance against a "duly constituted committee" if they believe they have been terminated (or not reappointed) in retaliation for speech or actions that should be protected under the umbrella of academic freedom.


Reviewer assignment and response for reject-and-resubmitted paper?

(1) Will it be considered as a new submission?

Generally, yes

(2) Will the editor assign the paper to the same reviewers?

Possibly to likely (the reviewers are still experts, they already know the paper (reduce work load). However, the editor can change the reviewers, in case one gave a bad review (in terms of quality).

(3) Should I attach a response document for reviewers' comments? I found no exact place for a response document in the submission system. The closest entries I found are cover letter and supporting document.

If possible, attach a point-to-point reply to reviewers. But independent of that possibility, describe the main changes (those that you think will fix whatever caused rejection) in the cover letter.


Scholarship/funding based on publications/research work

In general, while universities will look for publications, they won't entirely compensate for poor transcripts. Also, there is no "ideal" number of publications here: the more, the better.

With a C+ average, though, you are unlikely to get a scholarship in the US. I should also point out that in central Europe, master's studies don't normally have tuition, and so scholarships aren't normally awarded: you instead need to get funds to support your living expenses.


Am I not fit for grad school if I have a bad GRE score? Should I give up?

As some answers for a similar question have pointed out regarding GRE scores, the answer could be maybe. Language too, is not necessarily a hard barrier to doing a PhD in the US, as long as the potential advisor can overlook it.

However, I would strongly urge you to find good reference letters as having both poor letters and poor scores is generally a pretty big red flag, or at the least significantly reduces the competitiveness of your application.

You may still have a chance by contacting faculty directly in less popular or lower ranked schools, which may have a shortage of applicants. This does vary on the field.


My research group "fishes data" is there anything I could do?

"Fishing" is fine for exploratory analysis: formulating hypotheses to be tested. It can even be publishable if you are straightforward with your fishing: reporting data is not unethical. Fishing without accounting for your fishing, however, is quite problematic, as your question implies.

Unfortunately, in some fields it is common to go straight to publishing exploratory analyses as if they were not exploratory. Statistically, this is a bad idea; the 'replication crisis' in especially psychology is an example of the consequences. If you torture the data enough, nature will always confess.

As awareness of this problem spreads, some journals and funding agencies have now gotten very strict, for example with clinical trials, and demand that trials be preregistered to be published/funded to avoid the increased rate of false-positives from "fishing" through data. I'm not aware of anything similar in other types of research, but certainly that's the direction that statisticians would suggest to avoid reporting misleading results.

As far as what you can do, it really depends on the standards of the field, and you are in a vulnerable position as a student. I would recommend you not publish "fished" data with your own name on it unless the extent of the exploratory analysis is made clear, and that you advocate to apply appropriate statistical approaches to fished data, like using those results to inform a subsequent study to properly control your false positive rate.


What is a research assistant in the Australian system?

Job advertisements in Australia invariably list a level.  If it says "Level A Academic" it is a postdoc.  If it says "HEW Level Something" then it is not a postdoc.  Consult the unversity's Enterprise Agreement for detailed definitions of the levels.  An enterprise agreement is the same as a collective bargaining agreement.  Note that starting pay for Level A is usually much higher if you hold a PhD.

http://www.nteu.org.au/rights/agreements


Every system is different and I haven't seen that status, but I certainly infer it means the AE is lining up reviewers.  That means the AE (and EIC) has not rejected it out of hand, but it doesn't guarantee that it will not eventually be rejected as out of scope.  That could happen if the reviewers note the issue, or if the AE has trouble finding reviewers and eventually gives up.


If a thesis committe member asks for changes in my thesis does that mean I'm not getting a PhD "summa cum laude"?

I can only speak about the German system, but here it is mostly standard that some relatively minor changes (often stylistic) are requested. Usually, that is done after the oral examination / defense and has absolutely no impact on the grade.

  If the reviewer requests for changes, does it mean that he did not
  give the best mark?

You cannot infer anything regarding your final grade from this. You should concentrate on your oral examination since that is more likely to impact your grade (if you botch it). If you are really anxious about the requested changes, ask your advisor informally if the requested changes indicate a lower grade. Your advisor will probably be able to alleviate your concerns easily.

Keep in mind that summa cum laude is a big achievement but ultimately it doesn't matter much for your future career. Your network and your publications are much more important and nobody can take them from you.


best words to respond to a request for cv after graduation

I think it would be appropriate to thank her.  Send a short e-mail:

  Thank you.


Failed my 2nd Qualifying Exam in PhD. Absolutely devastated. How to proceed?

I have evidence that it is possible to do a good PhD in a new university after failing to pass qualifiers in an earlier one. In fact, the person I'm thinking of finished at a higher rated university than the original.
However, in this case, it took the efforts of a faculty member (and mentor) of the person to strongly advocate for the candidate's admission and to express complete confidence in their ability. The candidate had a bad experience with many factors at the original place but turned out to be very well respected by faculty at the second.
You have a hard road and it may not be possible to travel it, but look around you for any advocates that will argue for you. If you are currently suffering from burn-out you will need to get that under control. But advocates can help with that, also, just from their attitudes. Having a new advisor in a new place might work wonders if you can convince people of your ability and likelihood of success.


How can one reference the unnumbered page of a book or thesis before page 1?

What are you currently writing? If this is a master's thesis you could ask your professor. He/she can give you a definitive answer.

Please note: When you are citing, the highest priority is that the reader can easily find the cited information. From that point of view there is nothing with corey979's idea of using ([LASTNAME] 1972:Abstract). Any reader can easily decode the meaning.

However, the reason you give for citing the abstract raises some questions: There may be something wrong with this thesis if the abstract contains information that is not included in the thesis itself. You should either try to find the information in the thesis or find another (=better) source for the cited information.


Use Investment Bank Report as Reference?

Citing grey literature, such as investment bank reports, isn't unheard of.

There are a few caveats.

Discuss it with your supervisors early on: they will know the whens and hows of acceptable grey-literature citations.
It may not be easy to find useful citation metadata such as named authors.
Your reviewers / examiners may not be able to accesss the report, and that would be problematic for them, and thus for you.
You should not build arguments that are grounded only in grey literature. Corroborate with peer-reviewed literature wherever possible, even if it's just corroborating one aspect of the points you're taking from the grey literature.
Business reports often have some wacky form of encryption that hinders text searching, which can make including them in your literature review somewhat hazardous.


Is it possible to pursue Physics PhD with poor mathematics background?

As the comments (so far) say, it is very hard to succeed in physics without quite a lot of mathematics. But you don't need everything in mathematics to do so. Some skills are more important than others. Statistics can be important in some fields.

But, first you should figure out which aspect of physics you want to work in. It is an incredibly wide field. Then, look to see which parts of math are most important there. A trusted faculty member can help you with this part, perhaps.

But then, focus on learning those parts of math and the background necessary to understand it. Lots of people do poorly in math because their early teaching was inadequate and they missed the foundations on which to build. If that is the case here, then your path may be long, but it is possible to follow it.

There are several parts of mathematics that require insight, not just facts and skills. Those require work to achieve the insight. And the insights are hard to transmit from one person to another. But math is a problem you will likely need to solve to be a success in academia as a physicist.


How important is the academic staff to student ratio?

If the ratio is about undergrad students, I wouldn't worry too much: those figures may vary wildly without the quality of the education dispensed being affected. For one thing, academic staff may not be all teachers, proportion of research vs. teaching time may vary, degree of implication of PhD teaching assistants (which do not count as academic staff) is not included, …

(The value given, 1:23, makes me assume that's what you mean)

On the other hand, if the ratio is about “grad students” and/or “PhD students” to academic staff, then yeah, you should give it a careful look. If the ratio is too low, run away fast! There are places that take too many grad students, if they can manage the funding, but won't have the human resources to advise/tutor/supervise them as they should. Trust me, you don't want to be in such a place.


When is the best time to send an email to a professor about a masters position?

In the past, I tried to optimally-time emails in this fashion. I found that it usually turned into delaying the email and needing to spend mental bandwidth tracking and remembering to do that for part of a week (to the detriment of some other small tasks).

My recommendation at this point would be: Right now. As soon as you have time to do so. Get it off your plate and move on.

Edit: I'm aware that among millennials, it's common to have email tied into one's mobile device, and therefore interact with it and view it identically to instant messaging (e.g., I've had one younger friend express irritation at receiving work emails after 5 pm). However, I will suggest that this is not the case for academics. We're usually getting hundreds of emails per week or day, and necessarily deal with it in a batched fashion at various times of our choosing (not necessarily every day).


Having trouble getting my "assistant" to put in work. How do I tell him to help out more without being rude?

Disclaimer lable: 100% organic locally grown opinion

I think there are a few aspects you need to reflect on.

First, it's fine for different people to create a joint effort with different motives. As long as the motives move the main goal forward. In addition, just because he wanted to publish a paper does not imply that he does not value learning. If his saying made you assume that he is just on for a free ride, I think that can be too premature a conclusion.

Second, learn how to manage people. Don't expect them just to fit in perfectly with your schedule and work style. Set up ground rules, lay out tasks, and negotiate on the ways of reporting. A very good feature about this case is you know his Achilles' tendon (or hanging carrot if you're a glass half-full kind of person): Name on the publication. Lay out all the works or tasks or learning for him and demand him to complete them on an agreed time or his name will not be listed as an author, but in the acknowledgement. Be civil about it and listen to what he says.

Third, sort out your own conflict. First:

  How do I tell him to help out more without being rude?

And then:

  but at the same time, I also struggle in giving him work to do. I do
  not want for him to take credit for something I did

Actually do you need an assistant or not? If yes, then make sure the terms are clear and he followed through. If he did, and ended up in the paper, he will eventually take some credits of yours AND you will also take some credits of his. This is what collaboration entails, at the end we have a general idea who did what, but it's inevitable to have some shared credit. If you're completely possessive about your work, and you think that he is taking advantage of you, then you should consider if you need an assistant or if you should decline this responsibility assigned by your supervisor.

Lastly, strengthen yourself up. Listen to this:

  I am afraid that because I may appear weak to him, this will most
  likely happen.

What about you that is weak? Why do you just label yourself weak from the get go? Personality? Physique? French? The only thing you need to be stronger than him in this case is your knowledge in this project. All others are side matters and you should not place yourself in the victim seat. An effective manager does not have to have strong personality, he/she just need to be fair, just, and remain clear and open in communication.

Lastly lastly, you should also talk to your supervisor for advice and tips. Work on it to create a happier collaboration experience.


Existing publication in Google Scholar profile vanished

There is nothing much to do except for things which you already did and can try again:

Add/remove the publication manually
Submit a request for correction
Contact Google Scholar directly for help about this specific problem (https://support.google.com/scholar/contact/general)

The Scholar system is highly automated, and their automatic methods for parsing/counting of citations can change abruptly and cause general fluctuations in the level of citation. I have noticed it is quite common to see my citation count suddenly increase or decrease by as much as 100 citations (and in one case it changed by more than 500).

Alternatively you can use other citation count resources such as Web of Science or Scopus.


EU Ph.D. in Germany: Calling yourself "Dr." or "Ph.D."

An American using "Dr." and "Ph. D." in the same title is double-counting, just as if a German were to use "Dr.rer.nat." and "Dr."

That said, if you're going to use multiple titles, you should probably be consistent and list the PhD as one of those degrees.


Can/should one put a copyright notice on one's CV or resume? Why/why not?

While your CV can technically be regarded as a piece of intellectual property, the usual reason why people assert their copyright to a work by putting a copyright notice on it is to deter and prevent other people from copying or sharing that work (usually so they - the authors - can profit by selling the work).

With your CV, it is actually in your interest to have as many people as possible sharing it and passing it around, so the incentives work completely in the opposite direction from a more traditional type of intellectual product.

Now, if your CV is such an amazing piece of work that people will be willing to pay for a copy, we’d be having a different discussion...


Abbreviation of Doctor of Philosophy: PhD or DPhil?

The awarding institution determines the abbreviation*; someone made a Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford is a DPhil, someone made a Doctor of Philosophy at Cambridge is a PhD, and someone made a Doctor of Philosophy at a university in Austria is a Dr.phil. (before the name, not after).

*At the time awarded, as pointed out in another answer.

Addendum: As Jack Orion points out, the abbreviation is of the Latin doctor philosophiae, which is why appears both ways around (Latin is more flexible in its word order than English). Many other degree abbreviations make their Latin origin more obvious (e.g. the MLitt for 'master of letters', magister litterarum; the LLB for 'batchelor of laws', legium baccalaureatus, with conventional doubling of the 'L' to indicate the plural).


Make Up Tests: Should I alter the questions?

It all boils down to this: Would you consider publishing the questions before the first exam?

If knowing the questions in advance help them in any way provides an unfair advantage, the make up should be changed. Otherwise, they can remain the same.


Is there a canonical paper to cite the benefits of active learning in post secondary education?

A Very widely cited meta-analysis of studies on this topic is:

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.


In general, the biggest difference between PhD programs at med schools and those not at med schools is simply their research focus. Often they have differences in the administration and faculty associated with the program, but at least for Harvard (that's where I just finished my PhD), the difference between the med school programs and those not at the med school is probably smaller than the difference between Harvard's med school programs and Stanford's med school programs.

Each PhD program is different, and may have different requirements in terms of admission and selectivity, but for the top tier of graduate schools, the difference is probably not hugely noticeable. There are also likely to be differences between say the Immunology program at Harvard and the BBS program, even thought they're both at the med school.

I can't speak to Stanford, but at Harvard, your GPA and GRE's will have some influence, but your research experience and letters of recommendation will hold far more weight.

I'd say, apply to the programs you're most interested in, and then if you're invited to interview, make your decisions after you've visited the schools. You want to base your choice on the feeling you get from the students and faculty - different programs align more with different personalities. If you're choosing between Harvard and Stanford, you won't be choosing between different qualities of research (both institutions are phenomenal), you want to go where you'll be happiest because of culture etc.

Edit: Spelling


Age of contacts for recommendation letters for tenure-track position

The letters should all be new, even if they come from old contacts.

In particular, if your PhD advisor writes a letter, they should write a new letter.  Of course it can be a revision of their old letter, but it should include language about your more recent activities; otherwise, it gives the impression that your more recent activites are not significant enough for them to even notice.

As for the mix of old and new references, it doesn't really matter, except for yourPhD advisor.  You should choose whatever references will paint the best picture of you as a tenure-track faculty colleague.  A missing  advisor letter is generally a red flag -- it's part of your advisor's job to advocate for you on the job market, so if they don't, there must be a reason, and it might be you.  But that can be offset by sufficiently strong letters from others, and it matters less and less the longer you've been out.

(I have been on faculty search committees for many many years, including three years as chair.)


How can I get the most out of conferences?

Read this and this.

My professor put forth 3 simple rules for networking:

Talk to the guy beside you
Talk to top 3 (sort by relevance or whatever you prefer) presenters
Mail them 5 days after the conference with some follow up content (questions/comments/invites for talks etc.)

Just to make this post "dead-link" proof, I present a gist of the content in the above links.

Start Early. You should begin preparing before the conference starts. Start reading on who will be there, emailing people you want to meet, and determining which events you will attend. You may want to contact the speakers whose talks you will be attending before the conference; try to set up a meeting, or if they are too busy, at least meet them and give them your business card.
Bring Business Cards. Make sure they're up-to-date and details your preferred mode of communication.
Research people and get involved in their networks. If a certain professor is giving a talk; read his previous research papers, frame interesting questions and get an excuse to meet him. If you do meet him, exploit the opportunity to interact with his peers and try to enter their network. Sometimes, this is the only way of getting to network with someone. I know of professors who refuse to take students for PhD or internships or Postdocs without a recommendation from someone in his network. A good impression might just get you that recommendation.
Note people with similar interests to yours. These people will be attending all the same presentations as you, talking to the same people, discussing similar topics. They are the potential spots for networking.
Prepare the elevator speech. A common question will be "So, what is your research about?" Make sure you have an answer for every audience. For e.g. If you are in Computational Science, the answer may vary depending on who you are talking with. Plus, make it interesting and digestible.
Organize an event of your own. This is especially useful is forming "lower" networks i.e. networks of people who lag in terms of age or experience such as graduate students. If not more, they could notify you of openings or interesting papers or whatever. They could be useful. (Plus it helps us :P )
Read "Never Eat Alone".
Follow Up. Prepare for this even before you leave for the conference. Have different modes of follow up ready. Will you have anything to say that is worth writing an email for? If not, think of something which will. If nothing works, make sure you click a photo of yourself with him and send it to him a few days after the conference.


As long as you are using quality materials the content of what you are studying is more important than the source.

How did you most effectively study at the undergraduate level? Use those same study methods to improve your knowledge in the areas you want to improve. There is no right or wrong answer here and some combination of sources would seem appropriate.


Patented algorithm: what authors are allowed to do?

If the algorithm in the patent is not published in a conference, can I publish it as (i) an independent researcher or (ii) an employee of another company?

You most likely signed a non-disclosure agreement which will prohibit you from publishing any work product. You can ask your employer to sign a waiver permitting publication.

  If the algorithm in the patent is published in a conference, can I build an (open source) tool from scratch to implement it? can I implement it for another company?

A goal of the patent system is to share knowledge in exchange for an exclusive right to exploit the invention for a limited period. It is country specific as to whether private or non-commercial use is excluded. WIPO's Exceptions and Limitations to Patent Rights: Private and/or Non Commercial Use (SCP/20/3) provides a useful starting point.

Requiring "2 patents a year" is dumb, it encourages quantity over quality.


What is understood under the term "application"? (Europe, Switzerland)

It is a vague term and all of the required documents will differ between universities and countries. If you are applying directly to a professor (as opposed to an online form) then he/she should let you know if you are missing anything from your application after you apply.

Also, if the department or professor has a secretary then it might be a good idea to contact them as well to ensure you get all the documents to the right place.


How will a "local" master's in CSE look when I apply for a Graduate funding in the USA?

PhD positions in universities are limited and given to outstanding students who have a potential for research. If your aim is to pursue your PhD in USA/Germany/Canada etc., I'd highly suggest applying for a Master's in those countries UNLESS your local university is well-known, with good professors and coursework. Your application will be evaluated on:

Your GPA & Test scores
Reputation of university you're graduating from (Master's, undergrad) // And as Daisetsu says, the researchers you work with
Research aptitude
Reputation of the journals you're published in
Your statement of purpose
Letters of recommendation
Previous work experience

Also ask yourself, "Why a PhD?" What is your career trajectory and will a PhD help you? What about an MBA? How many years can you invest in this?

To be honest, no one here can tell you your chances of getting into a University for a PhD apart from the admissions committee itself. Spend some more time reading up the requirements of the colleges you're keen on and then arrive at a well informed decision.

Best of luck!


I reviewed a paper but was not informed of the decision -- is this common?

While most the journals that I have dealt with inform me of the editors' decision, I have found that a significant minority do not.
I've found this to be the case in fields with significantly different publication practices (e.g., computer science, biology), so I don't think it's field dependent. Likewise, there seems to be little consistency in which journals allow me to see other reviewers' comments and which do not.
My guess is that hiding review or decision information is some sort of attempt to increase editorial independence, e.g., allowing an editor to more freely decrease the weight given to an unfair Evil Reviewer #3.
I really do not like it, however, since seeing the editors' decision and the other reviews helps me simultaneously evaluate the quality of the journal and editor, which are also quite important to know (and sometimes give feedback on).


Applying for post doc position when letter of recommendation from PhD advisers not available

Depends on the field. Still try the very rude fellow. Perhaps they are at least forthcoming? Also the recommendation letter maybe requested AFTER you have an offer depending on the country, which basically means your Master's supervisors would be game.


Is it normal to go to a conference/workshop without a publication?

This answer is written with a background of a subfield of applied CS, where conferences are a primary venue of publications.

tl;dr: Yes, it is normal. At the same time, it is unusual (though not "seen as weird") for someone to actually attend all conferences related to their field.

Indeed, it can be a good idea to attend a conference simply out of interest for the topic. Both learning about new research and especially making connections with other researchers are worthwhile goals.

However, there are a number of reasons why it might not be realistically feasible:

Some employers would not want to regularly cover travel expenses to conferences unless the attendee is presenting something ("has to go") there, especially if they take place far away. To clarify, presenting something on the conference counts as a compelling reason that requires attendance (even if it means the person gets to attend 5 or more conferences in a single year), while simply attending out of mere interest does not.

As suggested by JiK, there are also arrangements where the total number of conferences that will be funded within a given timespan is restricted by an upper limit. In such cases, "saving" conference trips for the instances where you actually can present something may be the way to go.

Even if the conference takes place very closely, registration fees are sometimes considerable (600€ or more).
The time required to travel or at least to attend the conference is missing elsewhere. It is "just" a few days, but it is a few days ever so often that the conference attendee will not be available for progressing with their research and fulfilling their possible other duties (e.g. giving or supporting classes, supervising students, performing non-research tasks required by their funding source and/or department, etc.). This is especially difficult with regular (e.g. teaching-related) duties, as they cannot just be postponed; someone has to fill in for the traveling researcher.

Moreover, the value of visiting these conferences (especially compared to other strategies for using your time that restrict conference visits to when you also present something yourself) should not be overestimated:

While a conference can usually be picked for being "on-topic" for your research, most conference scopes are often still wide enough so the vast majority of works presented there are at best "nice to see, though essentially unrelated" to your work (especially in early stages of your PhD, where you are probably somewhat focused on rather narrow topics, as opposed to more senior researchers, who are more likely to be interested in a whole bunch of topics covered by their own group).

This is less of a concern for workshops, which are usually more focused on a specific topic or set of questions. On the other hand, workshops (at least as I know them from some CS-subdisciplines) often have lesser requirements to the completeness of contributions, and also sometimes later deadlines than the main conference. As such, it can be easier to still produce something to present on a workshop as a "justification" to attend the workshop (and also the conference it is embedded in).

While some talks are certainly interesting to watch, not all of them are. A bit of personal preference towards receiving information in talks vs. in writing certainly plays into this. Still, I think it can generally be said that attending a conference is not an overly efficient means to quickly get updated on a wide spectrum of new ideas, given that every single such idea occupies a timeslot of some 20 to 25 minutes.
Finding new contacts tends to be a bit of a "gamble" that is, among other factors, influenced by the nature of the conference. Especially smaller conferences can easily have something like a "core community" that considers the conference their "annual meeting of old friends", where it is very difficult to get into. Again, this depends a lot on your personality, of course; different people are very differently skilled at getting in touch with strangers.


Asked to be a reveiwer after submitting to a conference

In my field (CS) it is common to have accepted papers and act as reviewer (otherwise all well known authors would not be able to publish at such conferences), but it is uncommon to decide after submission who will be reviewers.

Sometimes it is necessary to recruit additional reviewers because you are not having enough experts for certain sub-disciplines or reviews are cancelled / not in time.


Is excluding my middle name on a graduate application acceptable?

Here is how I handle these things:

I publish papers with just my first and last name - no middle name or initial.
My vita and website use just my first and last name.
When I fill out "official" forms, like employment paperwork and tax forms, I use the full name that is on my passport and driver's license.  This helps to avoid any confusion when these forms are compared with each other.

For a school application, I would use the same name that is on your government ID. But this is just for the centralized records. Nobody in the academic department is likely to care (or even notice) if you just go by your first name and last name in public life.


Unless Prof B has made you a firm offer in writing, for a PhD, then he is being unreasonable. This is a terrible situation to put you in: he wants you to commit to him, withdraw all your other applications, whereas he has obviously not decided yet that he is going to take you as a student. If he takes you, then no harm done; but if he takes someone else, you're screwed. Nobody should apply to just one job... or even just two! The risk is too great. Everybody should understand this, and someone who doesn't understand isn't somebody you want to work with.

However as Dawn says in the comments, you should try to clarify the situation. Explain to Prof B that the interview with Prof A is just an interview, not a firm offer; exactly like the one with him. If he still insists that you only go to one interview... I would think very hard about continuing with him.


Math Professors -- On average, how many hours per week do you think is required to gain tenure?

I've said this in another thread: if you are outstanding and efficient, you can do the work required in a 40-hour workweek.

An electrical engineering professor I know got through graduate school at MIT working 9-5 days with a wife and three kids (all born during school), and he was a shoo-in for tenure (and received it).  But, when he was at work, he was at work--I never once saw him out of work-mode during the regular day, and he put us graduate students to shame with his work ethic.  His efficiency and focus puts him over the top.  I know I couldn't be that efficient every day, but he makes it a priority to do the best he can at his job (which he loves) and also for his family, and he's figured out how to do it within the confines of a typical working week.  Granted, he is also extremely smart, but I believe his efficiency is as much responsible for his success as his brains.


As scaaahu commented: This happens ALL the time in industry (one could say it is the rule, not the exception). We do not always get to pick our teams and it is common for high-performers to be stuck with those who do not really care about the quality of their work. Will someone get fired in industry? Maybe...maybe not (complex issue).

The thing you must understand is the difference between management, where someone has formal authority based on their position in the organization, and leadership, where someone's authority basically comes from the followers.

If your team is fill with under-performers you need to figure out if you can use some leadership skills to motivate them to do better. This is the same when studying and when working. If you cannot motivate them then you must decide if someone else can (perhaps you need to encourage someone else to act as the leader). If it seems the team simply cannot be motivated, then you should do your best to find another team.

A team can only be successful if the team feels like a team and that means, in part, that everyone believes in the same goal and are willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal.

The solution is to develop some leadership skills and have a direct talk with the team about what they hope to achieve.


First, get tenure. If your current path works for that then you have time for the longer run. Get that done.

But one of the ways to build a long term research program is to do it in collaboration with others. If you have a few people (three is enough) in your department that share research ideas in general, you can form a weekly seminar that meets for an hour and discusses "things". Those things can be recent papers or wild ideas that might develop over time into something significant. It may be a help if some of the members have been around for a while. Even quite intractable problems can be discussed on occasion as long as it doesn't get bogged down.

It is also useful to include students (at any level) in such seminars. You don't need elaborate procedures for academic credit for such things. Just an informal meeting. Students presenting papers to the group is possibly worth doing.

Of course you should work out authorship questions early when you start to work seriously on something that will lead to publication. Fighting with colleagues over the order to list authors is a good way to destroy such a seminar.


Appropriate "title" to list on application for professors writing LOR?

"Professor" is in some respects a more "advanced" title because many people who have doctorates are not professors. You may have writers who have a doctorate, but do not hold a professorship.

I would put "Professor," but in most places, it does not matter at all. (I've read that Germany for example is a stickler for titles, though.)

It would not be typical to include "Professor of [X]."


Do tenured faculty get to micromanage clinical professors and other non-tenured instructors with respect to the classroom?

It's is very common for certain core multi-section classes to be coordinated or standardized in some way.  For example, the textbook and sections covered are fixed, or there is a single final exam for all sections.  Such arrangements apply to all instructors in that class, no matter what their title.  Often there is a "course coordinator" who has some of the responsibility of enacting these department policies.  It is not unusual for the coordinator to be tenure-stream research faculty and the other instructors not to be, but it's also not unusual for experienced lecturers or clinical professors to coordinate.  (It would be quite unusual for a postdoc or other less experienced person to coordinate.). The level of micromanaging varies by course and department, but usually applies equally to all instructors regardless of title.


How to decide whether I should use “we” in an essay?

You're doing a postgraduate degree, so you should have been taught / be about to be taught the basics of academic writing.

Here is one of the basic rules.

Follow the style guide.

You've been told what the style guide for your coursework says about personal pronouns: it says don't use them. Follow it. Don't use personal pronouns in your coursework.

When you write for something with a different style guide, follow that style guide instead.

Different style guides have different rules. That's what makes them different.

No, it is not ostensibly silly to have different writing styles from the same person, assuming that person can comprehend and follow Rule 1, above.


What power do student councils typically hold? And what role do they have?

Austria is in a rather interesting situation regarding this. Traditionally, Austrian universities were mandated to maintain what was called (roughly translated) "university democracy", meaning that all members of the university (students, non-faculty scientific employees, non-scientific employees, faculty) need to be able strongly influence all decisions that directly impact them. In practice, this led to (for instance) student representatives with quite real powers, such as vetoing certain decisions.

After 2002, a new legisation was put in place to "americanize" the system, which (interestingly) was also understood to mean that decision power should be centralized more or less purely in the faculty (in Austria that's basically only full professors). Since then, the role of student representatives has shrunk perpetually. They are still in most meetings, but if they disagree, the only consequence is a note in the meeting protocol. This has certainly led to some developments that were quite frankly not in the student's best interests.

That being said, in Austria, student representatives are still your best bet when you have some "systemic" problem with a lecture or a professor. Not necessarily because they have any power to change things, but at least they are on first-name basis with the people that do (the dean of studies, the responsible department head, etc.) due to sitting on many meetings with them. Even if they can't force anything, they should know who to talk to, who might be able to remedy the situation.


Wondering with all the travel bans and people leaving cities if previously filled places might become available this year in the US? Obviously universities are in disarray so don't want to bother them at this time....Just wondering if there's any scope to start this year as now I have no work. Any ideas if this is feasible?

It sounds very unlikely. It is possible previous filled positions will not get filled -- that part is true (though I'm not sure I expect a very large effect here, as many will just join a program of their choice anyway despite not being able to visit). But they would not give the slot to some new person who did not apply earlier on the normal timeline.

Actually, PhD slots are always under or over filled from one year to the next -- it's expected. For example, a program might admit 100 students, but anywhere from 25 to 50 might actually join, which is a big difference. The way they compensate for this is by simply admitting a smaller or larger number of students the next year -- not by trying to fill the slots in the same year.


What does a research proposal for PhD applications consist of?

Propose a research topic, maybe using a hypothesis (it depends on you subject area): clearly identify what you want to find out.
Show why this a relevant piece of research for the rest of us.
Explain how you would attack the topic, what is your intended approach.
Show related research where others, if possible well known researchers, have done their research.

During your research, all these elements could change, however, if you lack of an idea before, it will be hard.


Is it better to NOT have an RA, and instead be doing a TA for the first couple of years of PhD?

There are two separate issues here, and it is important to keep them separate.

You absolutely need to get involved in research as soon as possible.  The entire point of a PhD is to do research.  It's important to get into the practice of doing research from the very beginning of your PhD program, if not sooner.  Do not wait until you're done with classes.  Do not wait until you've read another book, or five more papers.  Do not wait until you have an advisor.  Start now.  Yes, your inexperience does mean that there are problems you aren't prepared to work on; work on something else.
It is not necessary and it may not even be desirable to have an assistantship to support your research.  First, you work in a research area that does not require specialized equipment or a laboratory; your research only requires time.  You can acquire that time either by acquiring a research assistantship or by signing up for research/independent study/thesis credits. If you can't do the former, do the latter; arrange your classes accordingly. Second, accepting a research assistantship may constrain you to work on one of your advisor's research projects, but you need to develop your own independent research agenda.  It's your PhD.  You need to hunt it down and kill it.

In short: You absolutely need to be doing research now.  Being an RA is of secondary importance.

(My students and I are theoretical computer scientists.)


What happens to the application materials sent/submitted with graduate school applications in US after admissions decisions are made?

At our school, we never keep written reasons for acceptance or rejection. These are made in a final faculty meeting with voice votes of yays and nays for each candidate that made it to the semi-finalist list.  Only the finalist list is recorded.

As to materials, they were shredded sometime after admissions season is over. It's a moot point now that everything is electronic.


Three reference letters, two academic and one professional

A professional letter is fine. It can focus on your personality, your characteristics, your leadership, and your willingness to do hard works. All of those are highly valued by a PhD program. It would be even better if you've led some research projects under his supervision or leadership.
It would be even better better (double betters) that he assures your ability of seeking funding or other research supports (such as data, instruments, and manpower) from the industry.
However, if he cannot say those things, I would like to suggest you to find a professor in one of your seminar course or project course that you did a small research project in that course.


Is it an appropriate way for a student to ask for marks?

Short answer:

  It is expected for an evaluator to give appropriate reasons for the reduction in marks. However, I welcome your new policy -- it portrays openness and trustworthiness.

Detail:

Evaluation of answer scripts can be a tiresome work and it is only human to make mistakes at times. We usually take extra care when evaluating the final exams, but most would not pay that level of concentration for a mid-term assessment. It is only natural for some students to doubt the marks awarded for some of their answers. In such cases, I believe the students have their right to claim for the marks which might have been overlooked.

When asked why the answer is wrong, it would be the duty of the evaluator to state the reasons clearly. Only then the student can correct the mistake in future. The whole point of assessment tests is not only to measure how much the students have learned but also to set them on the right path and know where they are going wrong.

The following approach sounds more diplomatic for a student when asking for marks:

"Sir/Ma'am, may I know what is wrong with my answer so that I could give a better answer next time?"

When the evaluator explains the answer, the student can then point to where the explains concepts appear (if they do) on her/his answer. Then, the evaluator can make the necessary correction in the marking.

Politeness is the key. This approach is what I have adopted for my whole life as a student and expect the same for my students too.

Your approach seems quite new yet attractive to me. Usually, clarification with marks are done in office hours outside class. You never really know how this might work until you put this to practice. But it does give the impression to the students that you seem to be a more open and trustworthy evaluator (IMO).


Uncommon requests during job interview negotiations

There are a lot of perks that come with being an employee of a university, so it may not be necessary to make a lot of the requests for the items you've listed above. For instance, many universities (where possible) subsidize public transportation or parking costs for their employees in an attempt to be environmentally friendly (and reduce the need for on-campus parking). Similarly, there may be programs in place that offer reduced or no tuition for "continuing education." And certainly relocation expenses are not unusual in job negotiations (I'd even argue those are standard for anything above a postdoc, and even for some postdocs, depending on the employer).

However, the more unusual your request—the key access to music practice rooms, for instance—the less likely I'd want to bring it up during job negotiations. It's just too unlikely to get anywhere, and you don't want to get off to a bad start in the process. That said, that doesn't mean you can't inquire about such things after you've accepted the offer.


What to say in PhD application when potential advisor is moving to another university?

which means that he will not be able to give input into PhD applications to university B

This is incorrect. He certainly can, if he chooses, e-mail the director of graduate admissions at B, say that he's interested in working with you, and ask him/her to consider your application favorably. They don't have to admit you, but that would be true even if he were at B now and had been there a long time.

I'd recommend mentioning this in your SOP, and perhaps also e-mailing him and letting him know that you are applying to B with the idea of working with him. (If you have not done so already.)

That said, "I am quite sure I would have been admitted to university A had he remained there" sounds possibly a bit presumptuous, although I don't know your circumstances. In any case, do what you would have done if this professor wasn't moving: apply to the graduate program where he'll be, let him know, and hope for the best. Good luck.


Why do the prerequisites to enroll in PhD programs vary between research groups in Germany?

tl;dr: You'd typically need Master's. Read on to find out why.

The "traditional" German higher education system had only one kind of a degree before PhD, the Diplom. It's typically translated as MSc and it's not wrong: basically, it was a 5 years degree. You'd typically need this degree, and having it from a university (and not a Fachhochschule, a polytechnical university) in order to start a PhD.

Then, Bologna happened.

The current scheme in Germany is: 3 years BSc + 2 years MSc. Though the initial thought was to have a US system, where most of the students exit university with a BSc, it did not took off. Most companies and universities themselves saw "just" BSc as inferior and still required a MSc degree. It got a bit better nowadays.

It is possible to get a job with a BSc, even if it would pay less.

It is also possible to start your PhD with a BSc. But it's much, much harder. In many places special "fast-track" programmes exist. Details depend on the location. Typically, they allow a future PhD candidate to study for their MSc, but in a sort-of accelerated manner, for example, the MSc thesis is then allowed to be a topic from the future PhD. Further, typically the non-MSc holders are payed less, E12 level instead of E13.

All this requires, however, further, and in some cases non-insignificant actions from the advisor. So, there might be a certain willingness to employ a BSc-holder. It might be easier, if it's a four-years BSc. The typical "fits all" requirement is, however, a MSc.

A further notice. There are two sides to doing a PhD in Germany. 1) The general advisor-student relationship. It is about research and mentoring. No money is involved in this relationship. (You might want to register as a (PhD-)student with the university, it costs not much.) 2) The employer-employee relationship. The "funded position" is not really connected to the readiness to supervise a student. (Yes, it is often coinciding, but it is not required to be so.)

My point is: you should really ask very directly, does this particular professor really want to supervise you as a prospective PhD student (even with "only" a BSc), or do they do the former and have money for your position.


Prerequisites for RTDb (tenure-track assistant professor) position in Italy

Yes, that is accurate up to my knowledge.

This should be specified in the individual calls, but usually requirements are checked when the applications close: so if you must submit your application until January 31 (for instance), then you also must have 3 years of experience on January 31.

No, there isn't an explicit number of years of postdoctoral experience required for habilitation. However, the committee also evaluates your "scientific maturity" to take on an associate professor position, so they can decide that your experience is not sufficient. I suggest you to take a look at how candidates were evaluated in your sector at the previous deadlines, to get an idea.

RTD-A positions have a fixed duration (3-year positions, renewable once for 2 further years), and they involve some teaching (ca. 60 classroom hours/year, plus a good amount of exams). They are probably better described as a "non-tenure-track junior assistant professor position" rather than as a postdoc.

If you are thinking about applying now, note that you missed the last deadline at https://abilitazione.miur.it/public/agenda.php?sersel=61&&#idx-1 . I guess that new dates will be published soon with minimal changes to the overall system, but now we are waiting from news from the ministry.


Why do so many pure math PhD students in the USA drop out or leave academia, compared to applied mathematics PhDs in the USA?

Only my personal experience, but I hope it will help you a little bit:

I am almost in the exact situation you describe in your question. I finished my PhD in Algebra (coding theory, lot's of linear algebra and representation theory) and am now working as a software developer. As a fun fact, this wasn't always planned. When I started my PhD, I was still dreaming about getting a PostDoc and ending up as a tenured prof at a prestigious university.

For me, personally, there were three reasons to take this step:

The PhD was quite hard and taxing on my mental health. Having a rather theoretic topic, you sit at your desk all day and try to come up with an idea. There is often no way to track progress for a long time, as you either have a clever idea or you don't, you can't set up a step by step plan to see if you are doing ok for such things. There is also always the fear that you simply won't have the right idea before your time/funding runs out. Due to that reason, I decided already some time before finishing it that I will run from academia without looking back as soon as I am done.
Closely related to the first reason, I wanted to do something more applied. I found a job where I can use my skills to really help people/the climate/... (our company develops AI solutions for agriculture, allowing farmers to better use resources and minimizing the need for pesticides).
I still plan to become a professor, one day. But after that experience during the PhD, I'm aiming for a position that is more focused on teaching and applied research (e.g. with industrial partners). For this, at least here in Germany, you need some years of industry experience.


How to stay calm for a 7 minute scientific research talk?

(For context: I am a mathematician in the U.S.) For many reasons, I make my research students "rehearse" their presentations many, many times. It is of course all the more challenging to have a ridiculously short time in which to say anything. So, yes, crazy choices must be made. A more experienced person could coach/advise you on what to leave out.

Crazily-enough one of my students has won some presentation prizes for super-short talks by ... as she and I said to each other... "leaving out all the math". Definitely as opposed to trying to cram toooo much in.

Do not think in terms of giving a lecture for students. The only sane way to give such a short presentation is to think in terms of addressing people who already know enough so that the new parts of your work can stand on their own. It is obviously impossible to explain almost anything at all. No "background" on basic grad-level material. No time!

So, absolutely, find a more senior person to "rehearse" with. Your own peers may not have a clear-enough idea of what should be included to really help you. "Experts know what experts know."

(And, to be clear, rehearse the talk over and over and over and over... with your coach/advisor/critic... until you can do it in your sleep, etc.)


Choosing PhD advisor between Professor X and an Assistant professor Y who was a PhD student of the professor X

(Moving from comment to answer)
This may not be true everywhere, but when faced with a similar decision I was told that the more established professor is more familiar with the department politics and how to get students graduated. Graduation should be a top priority, and if Professor X has a good track record of graduating students, that may be the best choice. Professor X also may have heavily influenced Professor Y's work, so it is unclear how Professor Y will work without Professor X's supervision.


Can I pursue a master's degree and research career after taking 16 years to finish undergraduate?

Extended periods on your CV are fine as long as you can explain why they are there.

From my understanding, you took as long as you did because you did a full-time undergraduate degree in Mathematics followed by your Masters degree, while still doing TA duties on the side, and then also attempted to do the Psychology degree at the same time. This is a huge amount of work. You also stated that you had to pause the Psychology degree for a few years. Given that your full-time Mathematics path would have taken around 6 years (correct me if I am wrong) and the full-time Psychology undergrad would have taken 6 years, your situation makes sense.

All you need to do is be able to explain the timeline - and you can! I would not worry too much about applying. You have demonstrated that you are completely capable of higher-level study by getting your Masters in Mathematics (which isn't at all easy)!

Good luck! I really hope this works out for you!


Citing a Book in Projects/ Research Papers?

Should I Cite the Book from which I read the Chapter ?

Yes, doing otherwise is surely plagiarism.

If Yes, Then How ?, Because the Topics would be Spread over a Range of Pages.

You could open with: The following paraphrases A, B & C 1.

I know about Research Papers that this will be Considered as Basic Knowledge and Would'nt be cited.

The phrase Basic knowledge is subjective. Regardless, over-citing is harmless.


Yes - it's not only good practice to share new information about career opportunities or research findings with your friends, but that's one way to build a healthy network of collaborators and a healthy community. Even if there's a chance that a friend gets a job you were hoping for, ideally they remain your friend and you can learn from their experience second-hand.

It's also good practice to share new discoveries with people who aren't explicitly your friends, both from the perspective of open science and because, well, you're probably not going to apply for every job you see or write every paper you can conceive.


Should I make 2 applications to the same university

There is no right answer to this and it depends on the institution that you are in and the people you are dealing with. You are the only one who can decide on this.

In principal I don't see any problem with this if you manage it correctly. IMHO talking with the first guy to understand the consequence of your action and then making the decision is the right course. Second guy has the money and that makes the situation entirely different for him. The reality is that if you are good people will always assume that you have your own interest in mind and will try to get the best offer. So thats not new. What matters is how you play your cards and behave.

So, what I would say is go to the first guy talk about the scholarship situation and your prospects, see what he says, if you feel its right bring up the other project ask him "given the uncertainty of the situation and what would you do if you were in my shoes". and take it from there...

If he says something on the lines of well i am not sure what will happen with scholarship and nothing is guaranteed then go ahead and apply for the second one but if he is saying its a tough situation and you have to make your own mind it kinda indicates that his is not going to be happy about it and is really not understanding you/caring.

I think right now you need to test the waters first and need to do it very delicately...


Career prospects for Math Finance researcher

There's no question that mathematical finance has a smaller market for academics than, say algebraic geometry.  (However, if you can pitch yourself as being more broadly interested in, for example, stochastic processes, that's almost as big a market.)

Small markets are subject to more variance on both the supply and demand sides.  You could apply for jobs in a year when no one is actually interested in hiring in mathematical finance.

On the other hand, if comparisons could actually be made across fields, the best person in mathematical finance one year could be equivalent to anywhere from the best to the 10th best person in algebraic geometry that year.  If someone is really looking to hire in mathematical finance, that person will probably be hired.  In algebraic geometry, while the best algebraic geometer on the tenure-track job market in a given year is almost sure to be hired somewhere, the 10th best should be looking at other options, and even the 5th best should be quite worried.


Does bachelor's degree have to be related to a PhD subject?

I see that you question has two sides:

The weaknesses of your bachelor topic (as you believe it is): In most of the cases, the bachelor quality is mainly evaluated for the eligibleness of joining a master program. After obtaining a master degree, there will be no concrete need to check the quality of the bachelor, rather the quality of the master thesis.
Working in different topics/fields in bachelor, master and PhD: On the one hand, of course working on the same topic for several years makes you an expert in the field but with a very limited view. On the other hand, it is very common and normal to work on different topics. I personally know a lot of people who did their bachelors in a topic (e.g. Biology) and their PhDs in another topic (e.g. Computer Science).