I think it is pretty hard to make a blind contact and get any positive response. I suggest that your first step should be to contact a professor at your university for advice. Perhaps they are willing to do it themselves, since they have some relationship with you. But you can also ask them for advice as to who might be a good person to do it. If you don't want it done locally, say that you are looking for outside advice. Professors normally have a wide circle of contacts.

The best thing is for such a professor to make the request on your behalf rather than having you make it directly. It is harder to turn down a request from a colleague than from an unknown student.

But don't offer "authorship" for a review. Many people (most?) consider that improper. Authorship should only come if the project is not yet complete and you are seeking collaboration on finishing. If the request comes from another professor it shouldn't be expected in any case. It is just a favor that academics do for one another.


How does academia handle those with test anxieties?

There are several options, applied as they wish by the institutions.

These include (not an exhaustive list as based on experience from places I have been):

1) extra time ie 20% or more longer.

2) separate room - fewer people ie quieter.

3) a « coach » does not provide answers but helps student « think » and structure response.

4) a scribe, who writes the answer but does not provide the answer, just transcribes the words of the student.

5) providing "oral" based exams ie questions prepared to read to the student and responses written for the student.

The choice of strategy depends on an assessment of the student. This assessment is usually completed by a "Student Learning Officer" or equivalent, who can assess the student’s learning impairment & needs and decide accordingly.

Some of these require a huge effort for implementation ie option 5 means the professor gets to write a unique exam which takes a lot of time...


How can a masters student arrange to do a thesis in collaboration with industry?

From my experience, there do exist occasional Masters and PhD projects which are funded through industry grants; I personally interviewed for (but did not accept) a postdoctoral position based in a hospital funded by a medical device company. However, the position was not advertised as such, and the medical device company did not list this grant publicly. I suspect that any other similar positions (i.e., funded by industry) would not include this information in the advertisements.

I would suggest that you try a different tack. A number of companies will sponsor and pay for a masters degree once you've been working with them long enough. You may want to try talking to people in industry and finding whether you can take a job and then work towards your degree at a later point in time.


I found a mistake in my master thesis's code

they're not gonna take my certificate back, right

No, your degree won't be revoked on the basis of an honest mistake.  (Revoking the degree would only make sense for serious fraud or misconduct.)

  Since one of the main contributions of the thesis is the release of the source-code, am I obligated to fix the bugs?

Obligated by whom?  There's certainly no legal obligation, but deliberately withholding knowledge from the rest of the world would be unpleasant and harmful.

If you know how to fix the bugs without much effort, then I'd recommend that you do so.  If you don't know how to fix them or it would take too much time, you could at least attach a note explaining the problem (for the benefit of anyone who wants to use the code in the future).

  Am I required to keep my source-code online? In other words, can I now decide to take it down and not give it to anyone?

Again, required by whom?  Nobody can punish you if you take it down, but going out of your way to deny access is at least unfriendly.  If your thesis said that the code would be publicly available, then changing your mind now would be unethical.

  I don't want to contact them again to tell them about the bugs. But am I obligated to do that?

Nobody can make you, but it would be nice.  Think about it this way: another student might begin a project related to your thesis.  If you don't tell your advisor that the results of one experiment were wrong, then this student might experience pain and wasted time that could have been avoided if they had known about the problem earlier.  You might not care about your advisor, but surely there's some value to preventing future students from suffering unnecessarily.

And what's the worst case scenario if you tell your advisor?  Maybe your advisor would insult you, in which case you can take some satisfaction in having behaved better than your advisor, but there's nothing he/she can do to disrupt your life now.

In response to the edit:

  Well what I'm thinking is that since one of the main contributions of my thesis is the source-code, and since my examiners passed my thesis because it has contributions, then I thought that I must have that source-code always available. It feels to me like a contract:

If you said in the thesis that the code would be available in a public repository, then you have an ethical obligation to keep it available.  But universities revoke degrees only very rarely and for exceptionally serious reasons, such as research fraud or cheating.  There's no way a university would even try to revoke your degree for taking down the source code.  (However, if you're still worried you could look up your university's procedures for revoking degrees or search online for degrees revoked in the past.)

I don't mean to encourage you to take the code down, and I don't think you should.  My point is that this is about doing what you feel is right (keeping promises, helping other people, contributing to the world's knowledge) rather than about what someone else might try to make you do.


What are my obligations towards my adviser after the defense, revisions, and all forms signing is done?

Other cultures may have different approaches to the ethics of this, but I think it's pretty out of line for the US.

I would recommend standing by your commitment to help organize the workshop, but I would not do your former advisor's reviewing for him. You've graduated, you're a fully-fledged member of the doctoral community.

Pete's comment is pretty spot on. Be as nice and cordial as possible, but be firm in your refusal to do his work for him.


Meeting PhD advisor during first year (coursework year)

Your first meeting(s) with your advisor should be...directed at answering this very question.
How should your meetings going forward be structured? What topics should you plan to discuss? What's your schedule for making progress toward degree requirements/prelim requirements? When can you start considering research directions? etc.
You might be used to interacting with professors as people who stand above you in some way, people who you only approach with deference and who are judging you at every step. A PhD advisor shouldn't be that person. They are training you to be their peer and colleague. It is expected that you will need some help along the way, and they should be there to help you, so you should feel free to have open conversations about what that advising relationship will look like between you. The earlier the better: often conflicts arise when there are mismatches of expectations. Set shared expectations to avoid conflict (including internal conflict: stress, anxiety, etc).


How to keep one's focus during discussions, meetings and lectures

This is a common issue I have when attending a talk or discussing on some intense topic with a collaborator. Since English is not my first language, I also happen to spend some time mentally translating it to my internal language (which is a mix of many by now).

Personally, some mental homework and meditation has helped me focus. Looking at the abstract and author bio (if available) before the talk helps. Experience gained from attending more and more talks has also helped.


Is it better to present a bad paper at a conference or cancel?

You don't mention your exact field, but it is very common in the humanities for conferences papers to be, in effect, works (of larger scale) in progress.

One of the really nice things about that is that when you present it, you will have a number of people with expertise in your topic listening and often times will provide very constructive comments or ask questions that ultimately help you deepen or extend or improve the paper.

So as you mention, moving it to be more theory based isn't a bad thing.  You can focus on the design of your survey, and mention the intended use, and you will undoubtedly get some solid feedback (it's also totally fine to be upfront and explain why your paper doesn't match the submitted abstract/title).

The end result will be an even better survey that, once you've done it and analyzed it, will lead to a more easily published article (perhaps with another conference paper along the way).  You may also get people to come up to you afterwards who are doing similar work, and that could result in collaborations down the road.


Which undergraduate research experience will help more for graduate admissions in mathematics?

I understand your question as: Which will be more useful for graduate admissions (all other things being equal): a recommendation from a professor at a well-known university, or a recommendation from a professor at a less-known university with whom I have a more personal connection?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer here. The answer depends quite a lot on the degree of the difference (both the difference in reputation between universities, and the difference in how well each professor will end up knowing you personally).

As you have intuited, a recommendation from someone at a well-known institution is worth a lot more than a recommendation from someone at an institution that is not well known. On the other hand, a recommendation that describes your specific talents at mathematics in complimentary detail is worth a lot more than a perfunctory letter that says "Algebraically speaking did a thesis in my institution."  (Meanwhile, you know nothing at all about the letter-writing skill of either professor, which is another important variable.)

There is also the impact on your development as a researcher. You would likely benefit from working with someone who takes a close personal interest in you. You would also likely benefit from being at a well-known institution that attracts many talented students and has a very productive research atmosphere.

Your decision will ultimately be a personal one, and we can't give personal advice on Academia.SE. However, since your goal is to go to graduate school abroad, I would suggest the following:

Find out where undergraduate students who work with each professor end up.

You can ask them directly, or talk to their students. In either case, you'd like to know:

how many of their undergraduate students want to go on to graduate school in mathematics? How many of these actually do?
for the students that went to graduate school, where did they go? Are these institutions you would consider attending for graduate school?

The "road less traveled" can be great, and rewarding, and all that. But it's also more difficult. If there is a well-traveled path that leads to your desired outcome, get on that path if you can.


How much of a grad-school dissertation fellowship should I personally keep?

If money is awarded to you personally as a gift, you may do what ever you want with all of it.  You should consult with the awarding agency to determine if the award is a gift or if it comes with contractual obligations.


Can you plagiarize a fact- or evidence-based, objective conclusion/claim?

To answer this question, one need look no further than the dictionary, which defines “plagiarism” as

  the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own

What you are describing absolutely fits this definition. You read ideas that were published by another researcher some years ago, tying together some historical facts and drawing conclusions from them about Sultan Suleiman. Now you want to republish those exact same ideas in your own name (with immaterial differences in which sources you rely on to justify the exact same claims), without citing the source or even the fact that you read these ideas in an unnamed source you are now unable to locate.

Sure sounds like “passing off someone else’s ideas as your own” to me. So yes, of course it would be plagiarism. All those rationalizations about “not the author’s own voice”, “objective conclusions” and so forth, are just that - rationalizations. If you want to publish a paper, find something original to say, and don’t mislead your readers about the provenance of your ideas.


"Statement of purpose" vs "Research proposal" in the context of graduate studies?

Yes, your understanding is correct. While the CV lists past accomplishments, your SoP is a statement about your future goals, both for graduate study and thereafter. It need not, in general, be specific about a research topic, just a fairly narrow area.
A Research Proposal, on the other hand, is a specific outline of a research project that you suggest you would want to carry out. An advisor might accept such a proposal unchanged, but might also want to modify it, perhaps drastically. But it shows that you have given serious thought to at least one problem and have done some background on it.
A really complete research proposal would include a statement of the problem to be studied and questions to be answered, a preliminary suggestion of how the question will be attacked, and even suggestions about sources for any needed funding.


In a UK viva, you are normally asked to leave the room when your examiners are deliberating your result. At this point your supervisor would also normally leave the room with you. As you said, they shouldn't say anything during the viva, and this should include any deliberation between your examiners. To be honest though, a supervisor does not want their student to fail, or have an unmanageable number of corrections, because that looks really bad on the supervisor as well. It's in their best interest for you to pass as easily as possible.

In the UK your supervisor is also never present without your permission. If your institution has these rules, then you can just ask them not to come. Just say that you feel it would add extra pressure that you could do without. It can be useful to have your supervisor there when you're read your corrections, as then they also know what you're asked to correct. In my viva I kind of got to argue potential changes during the viva, whilst we picked through my thesis. Since at this stage your supervisor definitely can't talk, you're in charge of your side of the negotiation.

Don't worry too much about changes. Your thesis only ever needs to be good enough to pass. It doesn't have to be brilliant, or better than anyone else's, it just has to demonstrate a significant contribution. You therefore shoudln't be asked to do more work for the sake of doing more. You should only have to change things if without them, your contribution isn't explained or supported well enough.

Remember that if your supervisor has supported your decision to submit your thesis, then there is little chance you'll fail. Try and enjoy yourself, you're unlikely ever to get to talk to two experienced researchers exclusively about your own work for such a long time ever again. Relish it!


Interested in Neuroscience programs but lack research experience & grades

The only way to prove to your future advisor that you are capable of doing research is by doing research. Apply to be an RA (Research Assistant) in a neuroscience lab. This will give you enough experience and, importantly, will equip you with the general knowledge of the field. Being exposed to ongoing work will also allow you to start formulating your own research questions, which is an important skill that you'll definitely need in grad school.

Now, how to increase your chances of getting a good RA position?

(1) By applying early and demonstrating that you're serious about the job.

(2) By learning programming (as you mentioned). Technical skills are in very high demand!

Many people end up in grad school after working as RAs for 2+ years, so there is no rush. Take your time and make sure that graduate school is really what you want. Good luck :)


What is the purpose of women-only meetings, panels, conferences, etc. in academia?

I actually agree with you completely. I think that the women only conference concept is very well intentioned but in practice kind of terrible. I once went to an all girl hackathon and spent 2 1/2 hours not making anything and instead watching everyone pat themselves on the back for being women. Had to sit through a ton of self congratulatory "Ted Talks" while all I wanted to do was code with some other female engineers. It was.... weird.

There are reasons for it though.

I think that the biggest threat to women is other women who view them only as competition. The women only concept removes that competition from the equation so that we can have a safe space to actually support each other.
Working in STEM, it's really unfortunate but sexism is kind of pervasive, and most women don't really feel like they have the tools to deal with it appropriately. These conferences usually provide some sort of structure to help them learn.
Women have been largely ignored by the STEM community for so long that we really do need all these outreach programs. It actually does make a difference to both the women in attendance and our level of visibility and subsequently provides opportunities for growth.
For younger women, these experiences are invaluable. It tells them that it's okay to be who they want to be, that they're not alone, and that they have people who really will rally around them and support them as they grow and come up in the world. Honestly, I wish these things existed when I was a kid.

That being said, isolationism is stupid and self defeating. I'd be much more interested in something that fostered actual dialogue between genders, or provided hands-on technical training in skills that I actually need instead of congratulatory prose about what a good little girl I was for showing up.


Recommendation letter for college applicant sent via their high school

I'd send the letter in paper in an envelope signed (over the flap) by you. Perhaps offer sending several copies for every student, if they apply to several schools.

That is standard procedure for such letters (or was, pre e-everyting days).


*Probably* losing my tenure-track position due to COVID-19 and low enrollment

What would you do?

Disclaimer: I have never been in this situation before, so I don't speak from experience. Following my advice would be risky; that said, so would any other course of action.
Act like a rat on a sinking ship.
Your university has unilaterally rescinded your contract. Go on the official interview. Ask your chair and colleagues to be references. Make every effort to find secure and permanent employment.
Tell your chair and dean that you love your university and would like to stay in the long term. (If this is true.) Bargain with them if possible, if you decide you trust them.
One option you may (or may not) have is to go on unpaid leave if you accept another job offer. Sometimes people accept a job at University B while going on unpaid leave at University A, go to B for a year, and then decide to return to University A.
If your chair and colleagues are worthy of your loyalty, then they could not expect it under these circumstances. Good luck.


Lack of take home examinations in mathematics classes?

The American system often favors testing over project-based demonstrations of learning in mathematics and other quantitative subjects. The reason for this, at least at my university, is that you cannot be expected to do original work until you have a significant foundation in the field, and this original work is often extremely time- and resource- intensive. Thus, you will often find that for the first several semesters, the vast majority of courses in science and engineering are assessment-based. However, once you have gotten a solid baseline of knowledge, you can do original work in your upper-level classes (some people might even say this is a signature of a good program). This is in contrast to many humanities classes, where most of the papers you will write are inherently original, even without a well-rounded background.


Is it a good idea to do a (cs) phd in France with a fixed topic?

Most of your questions are field-specific, so as a physics PhD student I might be a bit off the reality of CS. Still, here are a few hints:

the thesis topic is locked by the funding and by the advisor right from the beginning of the PhD

This is only true in principle. If you don't have any obligation of obtaining a particular result, things are not that black and white: a PhD is about investigating some ideas, which for instance might turn out unfruitful and need some more or less drastic changes.
Depending on the advisor and funding entity you may also simply switch your research topic (if this is a relevant move -scientifically and timewise-, of course!).

PhD programs in France don't seem to get global recognition as the ones in the US or even some in the EU, with one or two exceptions

Recognition first comes from (i) the quality of the work, and (ii) how you communicate about it. That's where working in a team with good connections with the community can help getting your work known in your field. Attending conferences is also a must!

PhD is condemned to belong to the academia and is rather ignored in the industry

If the skills acquired during your thesis can be exported to industry, finding a position in industry afterwards is far from impossible. As an illustration I've seen quite a few students in theoretical physics move to data science or machine learning straight after graduating. Doctoral schools are aware of this, and some (if not all) organise events to put students and people from industry into contact.

Is it possible/typical [...] to quit the PhD in France?

Afaik, there is no official data on the dropout rate of doctoral students in France. But quitting is absolutely possible a not to be ashamed of. A PhD is a three years contract, which you have the right to resign by formally notifying your employer. (Note that you can't just notify them and leave, there is a legal period to be respected.) On such kind of matter, checking on this official page can be helpful.


Do any NIH post-doc grants besides the K99/R00 have time limits from graduation?

The rules seems to be institute and FOA dependent. There are definitely other FOAs that have timelimits. The one I am most familiar with is the NIDCD Early Career Research (ECR) Award (R21) which has a 7 year time limit from graduation. The NIDCD K22 only allows 2 years of research experience (which is not quite a graduation based time limit).

The NIH also gives preference to Early Stage Investigators for some grants which has a 10 year time limit. That page lists a number of early stage grants which may have time limits. You could also look at the NIH Research and Career Development pages for individual FOAs. Finally, the individual institutes that are relevant to your field probably have the most detailed information.


How does one find and select a PhD program in Computer Science (and/or Mathematics)?

Since I am not a traditional candidate, I am unable to seek relevant advice from professors and fellow student. — Nonsense.  Of course you can seek relevant advice from professors and fellow students.  Yes, you're a non-traditional student, but you're not so non-traditional that "traditional" advice doesn't apply to you.

You need answers to the following questions, not necessarily in the following order:

What kind of research do you want to do? — Are you interested in doing research in algebra, algorithms, analysis (real or complex), animation, architecture, artificial intelligence,...?  Which subfield(s) of mathematics and/or computer science do you enjoy working in, and which subfields are you actually good at?  This is not the same question as "Why kind of classes you you want to take?"  A PhD is a research degree; admissions committees will be looking for your interests and potential as a researcher.  It's perfectly fine not to know precisely which subfield you want to work in, but you should at least have some explicit priorities.
Who does the kind of research you want to do? — Who are your potential advisors?  Your advisor and your other faculty mentors/collaborators have at least as big an effect on your success (and enjoyment) as a PhD student as the department you apply to.  Look for departments that have at least two or three people who are active and successful in your target subfield(s).  You don't want to find yourself in a department where nobody does what you care about, or more subtly, where only one professor does anything you care about, but the two of you don't get along for some reason.
What are other strengths and weaknesses of the departments? — Now that you know who you'd like to work with, and where those people work, other factors come into play.  How strong is the overall department?  What are the course requirements?  Given your past record (and likely recommendation letters), how likely are you to be admitted?  How likely are you to get funding?  What is the expected workload for teaching assistants?  Are there many other nontraditional students?  Again, you don't need firm answers to every question about every department, and some questions can only be answered by a physical visit after being admitted.
Can you see yourself living there for five years?  Is the department in a big city/small town?  What's the weather like?  What's the traffic like?  What are the local politics?  How good is the local food/coffee/beer?  Any good nearby farmer's markets / museums / hiking / judo / frisbee golf / hip-hop / swing dancing / fishing / rock-climbing / maker spaces / improv / underwater hockey / SCUBA / musical theater / Zen centers?  How close are your family and friends?  If you're married: Are there opportunities for your spouse?  If you have kids: How good are the schools?


how to cite an equation that is common knowledge but I use others notation

You seem to have a very mechanistic view of citation, as if there were a set of rules that tell you how to write a citation in every possible (or, at least, common) situation. That's not how it works. Think about what the purposes of citation are, and cite material in a way that is appropriate to those purposes.

Here, there are two intellectual contributions you might wish to cite: the underlying equation and the notation you've used to express it.  If the equation is common knowledge, do you need a citation for it at all? Or would a "see, e.g., [textbook]" or "as introduced by [original source]" citation be more appropriate? Given that you're using the notation throughout your paper, isn't it enough to say once that you use the notation of NW? That gives appropriate credit and informs the reader where they can find more information.


Solutions to the lack of code transparency in economics?

You need the journals...

Nothing will move without it. The American Economics Review has taken the lead in requiring all data papers to make their data and source code available. Unfortunately, there's no real indication that other journals will follow suit, despite the formidable reputation of AER. Sadly, even the AER doesn't have a clear repository and not all code is available even though they require it of the authors.

Beyond that, David Card has a nice repository of sorts for structural econometrics data. Josh Angrist and David Autor should be praised for creating Data Archives that document their own work. But at this point it's still up to individuals to make their research transparent and their code available.

For what it's worth, I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately and decided to create a Google Code Project where economists can upload their code:
http://code.google.com/p/econ-code/ ... That said, I have not yet tried to publicize it and think the ultimate key to adoption lies with the journals.


Don't PhD programs in Europe always inform the application result?

Yes, unfortunately this kind of thing happens often in Europe.

Some years ago I sent a candidature for the Francis Crick Institute (UK) and in the public notice it said explicitly something like:

  "We will contact the candidates we are interested in before the date
  X. If you do not hear back from us it means you were not selected."

I also had submitted a candidature for a Max-Planck program (Germany) and received a standard email. But with a note that explains why they don't give further informations about the candidatures:

  P.S. I have a personal wish: Please refrain from further enquiries. I
  am the only person dealing with 1000+ applicants and I simply can't
  answer such enquiries.

However, in Portugal they usually are very transparent with this kind of process. The candidates are seriated and they ask for every candidate to reply an email in agreement with the results. If the candidates didn't agree they have 15 days to complain. In the absence of a reply and a complaint, the process is put on hold for 15 days and then they atribute the fellowship.


Can I ask a Master's paper reader to be a referee for Ph.D.?

For sure it may depend on the rules your university has, but if the referee can explain the occasions in which he could assess you (in your case seminars and thesis), and why he thinks you would be a good candidate, I do not see any problems in asking him.
The fact that he is now a professor (even if somewhere else) is only a plus.


What is the usual role of a faculty senate? Does it typically have any real power, or is it a rubber-stamp for the administrators?

This question seems a bit wide to answer.  Are you interested in public or private schools?  Junior college or peer 1 research level?  US or elsewhere?  Let me answer from the prospective of a 4-year US state institution.  Generally senates seem to be what the faculty make of them, they can choose to become a rubber stamp, or choose to act...

A. The senate functions as a voice of the faculty

By filtering and focusing the concerns of the faculty, the senate functions as a key voice of the faculty.  A voice selected or elected by departments across the campus. The senate can conduct dialog with the administration, offer press releases, lobby with legislators, join in with other institutions to tackle larger issues... Whether or not they are listened to, faculty member should speak together often about the central issues at the institution.

B. Determination of General Educational Policy

Traditionally the senate allows the different disciplines to discuss joint concerns, such as the general education policy, starting new programs, ...  They are rarely the final voice (or even the key voice) in these issues, but they are an important one.  Anytime an educational goal has been set, it is the faculty who should determine the curriculum, these decisions usually pass through a senate body.

C. Maintaining the Faculty "handbook"

This may be given different names at different institutions, but the subset of policies and procedures related to tenure, promotion, post tenure review, usually fall under faculty review. Core parts are usually decided by the institutions board, but many of the details of faculty evaluations, ... are often decided by the faculty.  Even when they are not, the Senate provides a united voice to address these issues.

D. Protect the Faculty's Interests

For example, the Senate should (to the best of their ability) be involved in suggestion priorities for budgeting (whether listened to or not); in suggesting standards for academic freedom (and explaining to its member what it is, and what it is not); when necessary, the Senate should be ready to stand up for individual faculty when the institutions polices have been incorrectly applied;  ...


To which department code should I send my TOEFL score?

As far as each department or university has it's own code for English tests such as IELTS or TOEFL; it is better to visit the admissions web pages of the universities or schools you are going to apply. If you do not find the code you are looking for, directly contact the admissions department to ask for their reference code for the tests. Besides, some codes of the institutes may be published on the website of each test (but the contacting the school is more sure in my opinion).

As a general rule in my academic life, the only sure source for such information is the website, help desk or contact person of the institute you are applying to. Asking these questions here or from your friends generally do not help you because they may not be sure about the piece of information they are giving and you may face difficulties for the wrong directions. So, always stick to the source of information you need to boost your progress up and avoid difficulties.


Should I reach out to a potential PhD supervisor about applying when they have a relationship with my current PhD supervisor?

Your concern is correct: If your prospective supervisor supported your application and adopted you as a PhD student, that might put a significant strain on their relationship to your current supervisor. It seems unlikely that your prospective supervisor would want to risk that. You can talk to them about your idea, but be prepared for a negative response.

Your best bet would be to look for another supervisor who doesn't have any noteworthy relationship to your current one.


Do I have to request permission from a website to use an image that they use to promote their product on their site?

It doesn't matter if the material is promotional or not. It doesn't matter if the material is freely available or not. What matters is copyright. You have to ask if you want to use copyrighted material.

On a different note, the company may really be unhappy if you use a screenshot which might be of bad quality (at least it's a pixel image) instead of a high quality, tailor made (possibly vector graphics) image for that purpose.


Are physics conference abstracts ever screened?

Depends on the conference. Small conferences often accept most of things, at least to the poster stage.

In some fields, a conference is a place for researchers to meet, so conference papers have little significance.

In others, conference papers are almost as important as journal papers and its really hard to get an abstract in. Check ICCV acceptance rates.. ICCV2019 accepted 25% of the papers only.

In any case, I doubt any conference would accept an abstract without checking it first. One thing is having low acceptance threshold and another is not checking the abstracts.

In short: it highly depends on the conference.


Well, I was 58 when I applied for the Ph.D. program from which I received my doctorate, so the answer is yes.


Should I submit my revised workshop paper to a journal if I don't think it will meet the "30% new material" requirement?

From an ethical point of view, submitting your paper is perfectly fine if you make clear what the changes to the workshop version are that make the paper contain something new.

As far as the question whether you should do it is concerned: If you cannot even convince yourself that you have enough new stuff in the paper to justify (another) journal publication, then it will be insanely hard for you to convince the reviewers that there is enough new stuff. So the submission is likely to waste your time (and possible the reviewer's time -- if the paper gets past the editor) as it is too likely to be rejected. If you are very lucky, some reviewer will suggest a possible point of extension that will make the paper strong enough for another submission.


DOIs are registered and managed by Registration Agencies appointed by the International DOI Foundation. All registered DOI numbers resolve through https://doi.org/ - if it doesn't resolve it's not a DOI. A DOI can be applied to many different things so the fact that content has a DOI doesn't say anything about the quality or validity of the content. There's a blog post about this - https://www.crossref.org/blog/dois-unambiguously-and-persistently-identify-published-trustworthy-citable-online-scholarly-literature-right/


How to properly adapt academic papers obtained from a university to private companies?

Here is how it used to work:

The university bought journal articles from a publisher.

The publisher printed and mailed the article to the university.

Any random person could walk into the university library and read the article.

The random person could use what they learned to make money, so long as they did not violate any patents.  The patents issue is
unrelated to the copyright on the article.

In my opinion, using your student account to access electronic journal articles through a university subscription and then using what you have learned to make money is ethically equivalent to the steps listed above, which have always been ethically acceptable.  As a student, you should be encouraged to learn as much as possible, even if that learning is not related to your degree program.
However, legally you must follow your university's policies.  We do not know what those policies are.  They may impose some limits on the purposes for which you can use the university's resources.
Do not consume university resources for the profit of a private business.  Reading a journal article is not consumption.


Balancing Between Theory and Application in Early Career

(Sorry; though I'm a mathematician, I have no professional familiarity with stochastic anything.)

"Even in mathematics," most postdocs are given because a particular faculty member wants to work with you or is at least interested in hearing what you are working on.  Can you identify mathematicians who are working on both the pure and applied sides of SPDE?  For them, your aspirations at breadth will be viewed as a positive.  If there are no tenure track faculty members doing this, then trying to do this as a PhD student looks, from a purely strategic perspective, rather risky.

In my experience -- though, beware, my mathematics is as pure as the driven snow -- graduate school is too early to "show breadth" in an advantageous way.  Up until relatively recently, the most common number of pure papers a strong graduating pure math PhD student had was zero.  (This was my situation, and I graduated from a top-three department.) Instead they had a letter from their advisor talking about how important their thesis work was (going to be).  Things have changed a bit, but even now in pure math one great theorem is worth ten very good theorems.  My feeling is that, except for a targeted audience as above, the applied math faculty is going to judge you for the applied math you've done, and the pure math faculty is going to judge you for the pure math you've done.  These accomplishments will not be added together: rather, you need to be sufficiently impressive on either scale separately.  If you're doing 25% pure math, then unless you have an amazing project it will be hard to compete with those who are doing 100% pure math.

I have to say though that I have some misgivings in answering your question from a strategic viewpoint.  I would really like to say that PhD students in math should study what interests them the most, and not worry about "selling themselves" until later in their career.  Unfortunately in the current job market I think it is fair to warn you that you may be taking a hit for this -- but nevertheless it may well be what you want to do.  Doing what you want to do is a powerful, wonderful thing and should not be underestimated.

Finally, I wonder if you can escape the "all other things being equal" aspect of your question.  There really is not a "fixed amount of productivity" possessed by every math PhD student: on the contrary, I have observed an almost limitless fungibility there.  Maybe you could stay in your PhD program for an extra year.  You would think that only weaker students do this...but you'd be wrong -- I've observed a positive correlation between both age of a newly minted PhD student and total time in school with the quality of their work.  Maybe you could spend a semester or a year working with a faculty member who is more focused on the pure side of what you want to do: that could work out very positively.  Maybe you could just vow to yourself to do the same amount of applied math you were doing before, do pure math on top and watch less TV.  Or whatever.  It's your life, and who the heck am I to tell you not to chase your dreams?  Just chase them with your eyes open.  (Hmm...)

Good luck!


Advisor gives me no choice on research topics - should I tell him my real feeling?

You should clearly and explicitly state to your supervisor what you want to work on, and realise that this may not be possible in their team.
Once your supervisor knows what you want, they may be able to help you find a different supervisor to collaborate with during the remainder of your PhD, if the proposed research is not possible in your current group.
Of course, there is the possibility that your supervisor is right: maybe the theoretical problems you are proposing to work on are not publishable, or too difficult to complete during the time you have. This is something you can talk about with them. Maybe it is possible to work on your topic of interest, if you can convince them that it can be completed in time, that it is publishable, and preferably related to the current research topics of the team.


Confusing article status for journals of American Mathematical Society: "reviewing" AND "being handled by an editor"

You should note that the word "editor" is used in many ways for quite different things. Most people understand it to mean "someone who makes changes/edits to the text". But that isn't how it is necessarily used. While the publishing industry does, in fact, employ people who do that, working with an author to improve the text, it usually means someone with some management responsibility.

In the case of your paper, I suspect that a "managing editor" (a manager) has assigned your paper to a lower level "subject editor" (or some similar term) whose main responsibility is to track the progress of the paper through the system. He or she will find reviewers, track their progress, and collect reviews. When all reviews are in, that "editor" will make a recommendation to some higher level "editor" about whether to accept or not. If the overall decision is to accept, then your subject editor may assign someone to work with the author on improving the text - a traditional editor.

I used the term "subject editor", not because it is a term of use, but because it describes someone who actually knows a bit about the subject of the paper and which reviewers would be good for getting advice. This is most likely the "editor" that the system is referring to. It means, roughly, "we are handling it and progress is being made".

See the Scholarly Books... section of this wikipedia article for the typical usages. "Project editor" = "subject editor".


No response from Journal even after 3 Months of submission

This situation is indeed not normal, and it sounds like you've hit your tolerance limit with this particular journal.  You've done your best to communicate, and now your paper has been withdrawn even if the journal has not recognized this fact.

Why do I say this?  The fact is, that until you've signed over a transfer of copyright to a journal, the paper is not theirs.  In the typical Elsevier publication process, you don't sign that transfer until much later, so your manuscript is entirely yours right now, not the journal's.  As such, you've withdrawn it and should do whatever you wish with it at this point (i.e., submit it to a better journal).

Now, it's possible that this problematic journal will do something else strange at this point, like send it out to reviewers despite the fact that you've withdrawn it.  If that happens, though it is not your problem.  If that happens and you find out about it, then hey, they've actually communicated with you, and you have another excellent opportunity to remind them that you have withdrawn your paper.

The only possible ethical problem is if they send it out for review, you get the reviews, and then you reverse your decision to withdraw the paper: then you would be changing your situation to having effectively done a parallel submission (to this journal and wherever you go next), which is almost always considered improper.  Stick by your decision to withdraw, and you are fine.


What to do if the editor's decision is not in your favor?

You seem to assume that the editor rejected the article because of that one reviewer. That may be true, but my guess would be that that is not (entirely) the case. Reviewers just see one submission in isolation, the editor sees all the submissions, and only has limited space in her or his journal. So the editor typically cannot accept all articles that the reviewers thought were OK. Making that hard choice is her or his job.

Given that and your description of what happened, it is extremely unlikely that any complaint procedure (if one exists for your journal) will be successful.

Think of your options this way: such a procedure will take time, and during that time your article cannot be submitted somewhere else. So you loose time for a very small chance that it will appear in that journal. Alternatively, you could immediately submit is somewhere else, thus increasing the chance of getting published quicker. I know what I would do.

Edit: Based on @Kay 's comments it seems clearer where the problem is. Kay seems to assume that the review process is a scientific debate. That premise is incorrect. Academic debates happen at conferences or after an article gets published. The peer review process is a mainly bureaucratic procedure aimed at quality control (with strengths and lots of weaknesses). The review process is not suited for an academic debate for (at least) two reasons: The anonymity makes it hard or impossible to directly respond, so there is no exchange, and the reviewer's main audience is the editor not the authors. The comments you get that help you improve your paper are basically a (very nice) side effect of that bureaucratic process, but the main aim is to help the editor decide whether or not (s)he wants to publish your article.


Did I lie to my friends about how long I have been studying?

I'm not sure why you think this is an important issue.

"It's complicated" is enough of an answer if you want to be honest.

But small lies in this context do no one any harm and may ease social situations. Some simple questions such as the ones you get aren't worth the effort of composing a complete and complex answer. It's complicated. Say more to those you think need to know more or those you are closer to.

Don't sweat it.

If there were any issue at all in such a situation it would be overselling your skills to those you need to work with on a joint project. But you don't seem to be erring on that side here.


Depending on the particulars of how the journal operates and how much of the review process it makes visible, this is likely to mean one of two things with respect to the standard journal workflow:

Most likely, the journal simply reports "under review" for all manuscript that have not yet received a decision.  In this case, it probably means that your manuscript is still undergoing initial processing and hasn't yet been assigned to a handling editor.
If the journal gives finer-grained status information about the workflow (e.g., "assigning reviewers", "under review", "waiting for decision"), then it would likely mean that the paper is with reviewers, but that something has happened to require a change of handling editors, which is now ongoing.

The first is much more likely than the second, particularly if the paper is recently submitted.


When you make a thesis in a field of physics and math is it supposed to be revolutionary and groundbreaking?

This depends heavily on the level of the thesis (Masters, Ph.D) and the educational system in which the institute issueing the degree sits.

Typically, at Master's level you need to demonstrate familiarity and competence in the execution of research. Ie, you need to show that you can understand and implement methods. However, the results may be unoriginal.

For a Ph.D, you need to do original research. This means that an original result needs to be published in the thesis. However, the interpretation of original may take many forms. As you note, it's almost impossible to publish an entirely new form of knowledge.


Why was I advised to contact prospective advisors when following up on my PhD application?

My best guess is that it was just a standard reply. Otherwise I think you would have gotten more information.
But you should contact that professor again and discuss the state of your application and whether they are still willing to take you on.
Don't make assumptions here.


What is considered as the time since PhD degree granted?

Major competitions for postdoctoral fellowships have detailed rules which answer this question, but in different ways.  Some use the date the degree was awarded.  Others use the date of the defense or viva.
If it is not specified, assume the later date is used.


Should editors and reviewers be listed alongside authors, to give them credit?

Speaking as an associate editor of a journal, I'm quite happy with the credit I receive: I'm listed as part of the editorial board online, it's listed on my C.V., and I get to help make sure what's getting published in my field is up to the standards of quality I desire.

That said, some journals do list the editor and even the reviewers after publication (see, for example, the Frontiers series of journals), so at least some people definitely seem to agree with your sentiment.


How do computer science admissions committees process GRE essays sent with the scores?

I am surprised, but this does appear to be true.  From the ets website we have the following:

  ETS also makes available test-taker photos and essay responses on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE® revised General Test to designated score recipients as part of an institutional portal. Photos and Analytical Writing essay responses of all individuals who report their scores to institutions on or after July 1, 2014, are included in the portal. The photo and essay responses from each GRE revised General Test administration you select from your five-year reportable history will be made available in the portal as part of your score record to the institutions you designated to receive your scores on or after July 1, 2014.

(In some sense, I'm even more surprised they are making photos of test-takers available.)  As for how the admissions committee processes these essays, others on the site can speak more directly to this, particularly in computer science.  However, I'm certain this will vary from department to department (assuming any department looks at them at all).  I suspect the admissions committee of many departments will not even be aware these essays are available through the ETS institutional portal.  Of those that are aware these exist, I would be surprised if much weight were placed on these.  These will convey almost no incremental information to an admissions committee.  (I suppose if you scored a 0 and the rest of your application was outstanding, and the committee knew these were available, someone might look to see what happened.  Maybe.)


Deferring start of PhD program because of self-doubts

Yes, it is normal to have self-doubts and imposter syndrome is pretty common. However, the external validation you are getting seems to indicate that your fears are unwarranted. When other professionals and "strong" people consider you a top candidate it is pretty likely that you you are, no matter your doubts.

However, burnout is a serious problem for some, and finishing one degree with a flourish may leave many exhausted. You should work to avoid this, partly just by thinking of the new program as a fresh environment, but also, by pacing yourself just a little so that you don't overcommit too early.

Don't worry about job markets six years in advance. It is nearly assured that they won't be the same as now. They may be better or worse, but it is not possible to predict so long in advance. You also have the intervening period to work toward your goals and even to adjust them. Aiming to work in academia or industry, again, need not be a decision that you can't revisit over time.

You seem to have an opportunity. Better to grasp it, IMO, than to let it pass you by, possibly leaving you regrets in the future.

I don't advise taking a year off for the reasons you state. If you want to do so to get industry experience or solve a burn-out issue that might be good, but don't just let doubt keep you back. Others believe in you. Believe in yourself. That is doubly true if the position you are now offered won't assuredly be available in a year.


Can we change our field of study for masters in canada?

Yes definitely. Your master's field doesn't need to be in the same field as your bachelors degree in Canada. Although some programs may have specific requirements. Looking at the University of Toronto's website for graduate school in computer science (https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/programs/computer-science/) the requirements are:

"An appropriate bachelor's degree with a standing equivalent to at least a University of Toronto B+. Preference given to applicants who have studied computer science or a closely related discipline."


Where to get statistics about papers mentioning specific keywords?

What about google scholar? You won't get such a nice formated output, but you will get number of hits for each keyword or combination of keywords


Is meeting the entry requirements enough to justify applying for an MSc?

Previously people submitted three applications, one certain, one stretch, and one intermediate. To use the work experience to your advantage, try to find programs that encourage people with relevant work experience to apply.

In the US I'd advise you not to mention the mental health diagnosis at this stage.  However, I don't know if that carries over to the UK.

Even without mentioning specifics, it is still possible to write a short accompanying statement about the poor grades early on, something along the lines of "facing a challenging family situation during years x and y" and pointing to recent spectacular successes as a counterbalance.

In general you should aim for a non-apologetic, self-confident tone, especially since you want to go into finance -- which I think is a field full of chutzpah.  If you are not accepted, you're not accepted; but no one will judge you harshly for having tried.

With regard to the money -- look, in the finance world, don't they talk a lot about "the cost of doing business"?  Two or three applications are not going to make much of a dent in your nest egg.

By the way, I wonder whether you would like to consider looking beyond your national borders?  Finance is such an international sort of field.

(I actually agree this should be closed but I had too much to say to fit into comments.)


Are There Any Schools That do not require a formal education for a BS. MS. and/or Ph.D.?

Almost all colleges in the United States accept home schooled students into undergraduate programs.  Usually it is necessary to submit a portfolio of work and test scores.


Who assigns paper to reviewers for a conference and what are the challenges?

In very small conferences and workshops (with up to 50 submitted papers), reviewers are usually the members of the program committee. The papers are assigned manually by head organizer (Conference chair or chairs if there are more). Usually the chair knows the members of the program committee well and is able to take care of any conflicts of interest. Reviewers are also asked to declare their conflicts as soon as they get the papers to review (with implication that then the conflicted paper is reassigned).

In larger conferences, papers are assigned to tracks, headed by Area Chairs, who again do the similar job than conference chair at small conferences. In such conferences, Area Chairs may form the program committee, and the reviewers are other researchers in the field that get invited to review papers. Essentially, one level of hierarchy is added. In such conferences, paper matching is sometimes done automatically based on keywords supplied by the authors; in the same way, conflicts of interests are detected. One of such systems is Toronto paper matching system, used by many conferences:
https://openreview.net/forum?id=caynafZAnBafx


What are some proven methods for keeping track of research and programming in a lab notebook format?

I don't do CS specifically, but I do research in computational/mathematical Epidemiology, which similarly lacks a clear format for a "lab notebook" and where the electronic tools designed for something like chemistry and biology doesn't necessarily suit.

Honestly, I've tried a number of systems. A private Wiki, a variety of other electronic systems, etc. And when it came down to it, I went back to a traditional paper notebook.

I've ended up with a bound paper notebook where I keep notes about experiments and simulations being run, thoughts on direction for the project, and the occasional printout of results taped inside. This has, for me, worked far better than electronic systems.


Low undergraduate GPA. Strong research profile. Any chances of getting into the likes of MIT, Caltech, etc?

If a department doesn't say they have a minimum GPA, then there is certainly some chance of admission - many departments make it a point to review all applications in full and refuse to use individual cut scores for any element of the application. And yes, some departments use cut scores anyway so if you don't meet their (often unpublished) minimums your app gets tossed.

Is it worth applying? If you can spare the ~$100ish US dollars, sure - the worst case scenario is you don't get a yes, and you'll most likely get a nice generic rejection email telling you how many applications they had this year and they just can't take everyone who's great.

The more important point is that you have only mentioned a few of the world's most famous institutions on planet earth at this time in history. All of them receive many hundreds of applications, and some applicants with no obvious negative marks, letters of reference from leading professors at that institution, and a masters degree from another famous institution (sometimes even that same place) and/or a bachelor's from another famous place...still do not get accepted routinely. If you'll only be happy with the least likely outcome, you are most likely to be disappointed. So if it's potentially a good fit for you and you have the extra funds, you can certainly apply - but I don't think it's helpful or wise to make it Plan A.

I suggest you apply to the famous places just to satisfy that drive to do so, but dig deeper. Look for places with a more specific fit to you with 2-3 people who are doing work that excites you, look for places you'd have an awesome opportunity at even if the institution name isn't a Hollywood-shorthand for smartypants (as the Batman Lego movie says, "Harvard for cops", or in this case "Harvard for engineers"), and search for places that also offer a variety of expertise that you think is interesting even if it doesn't seem like a perfect fit at first (if you get in you might find on a visit that there is something that just blows you away you never thought about).

The process has a serious random component, and there is no well-ordered universal ranking of students, faculty, programs, departments, or institutions - i.e., there is no true best-worst that everyone agrees on. You just need to find one "yes" that works for you and your goals. Don't talk yourself out of aiming high, but don't let other people's marketing get in the way of your long-term happiness. Be strategic, apply broadly, work hard, have back-up plans, and you'll be ok.


Undergrad students grading other undergrads: ethical, professional, or even legal?

It's a fairly common practice at some universities for older undergraduate TAs to grade younger undergraduates' work. My undergrad institution relied heavily on this - it's perfectly legal and ethical SO LONG AS you, the TA, do not discuss one student's grades/work with another student. More generally, a TA in the United States is bound by FERPA as to what is legal or not.

If you're concerned about not knowing what to mark as wrong, consider asking the professor you are grading for for an answer key or an example solution set. They may be unwilling to give this to you outright, but hopefully they will at least walk through an example with you and point out what they're looking for in a fully correct answer.


Is novelty requirement for PhD restricts the selection of research question?

Well, it is slightly unlikely that a novel researcher will solve one of the very fundamental problems in their PhD.

But whilst working on a solution, you will most probably find different other intersting problems which are unsolved or novel an those can be published and can be the basis of a PhD thesis.

You will have to convince a supervisor that you

understood the problem well
have some novel ideas which have not been tried before

and with this you may find someone. But be prepared for an intense discussion. It hppens quite often that a student claims to have a solution for a very fundamental problem and after half an hour of discussion the idea is gone with the wind... A good supervisor wants to avoid such a situation during your PhD.


How often do publishers change/tweak articles to achieve visually appealing results?

Since some journals provided me not only the final typesetted result but also additional documents that captured the editing (for example a scanned document with the remarks or the copy editor or even a diff of the "source code" (actually a mix of text and source code for the formula)) I can say, based on this sample size of about a dozen: Always.

To be more precise: The text has been changed always, but I can't really tell if this was for better visual appearance or because of the text. Also the figures have been shifted  around in all cases (and I guess that this was for the visual appearance). I can't say whether the journal tweaked their template (because I don't care too much about the templates in the first place).

Maybe I should add that I have been more or less always pleased with the editing. In most cases I did not notice the changes from the typesetted version, but only after a closer look at the diff. At a few places the editing introduce a wrong wording (most cases there was a note to check this passage) and in some cases the typesetting of the formula was worse.


Do research grants from USA governmental agencies (e.g. NSF, NIH, DOE, etc) require that all of the PIs be affliated with a university?

Every US funding agency has its own rules, and most agencies have many different types of programs with different intentions.  For most (maybe all) agencies, this includes both funding to universities and funding to corporations, particularly under SBIR programs.  Some agencies will also fund individual consultants directly for various specialized roles, but that tends to happen mostly with rather senior individuals.

Your options are even larger if you are not the PI, however, but a co-PI (I think this is actually what you want to do).  For most agencies and most funding vehicles, the PI's organization can subcontract work with a fair degree of freedom.  Also, there is only one PI, from the point of view of the contract: it doesn't matter if you call all the leaders PIs, the government is going to negotiate with one organization per contract, and that organization is going to be asked to designate one person be the PI, and in practice everybody else is co-PIs.

For you, then, there are three main paths to take:

Propose, with the professor as PI, under the plan that if funded you will become affiliated with the PI's university
Propose, with the professor as PI, where you will be contracted as a consultant.
Set up an LLC, from which you can propose as PI, and subcontract to the professor.  You'll have to comply with government contracting rules, which are painful, but much less so for SBIRs.

Number 1 is probably the best, unless you have some reason to avoid affiliation, in which case #2 is a good alternative.  #3 doesn't have much advantage unless you intend to apply for SBIRs, and is still a pain to get started.


How to approach experts to get feedback on a paper

Generally it's considered okay to e-mail researchers who you don't know and share your work with them. This is especially true if you are a student.

Be conservative about it -- pick only a few people whose research interests align closely with the paper you're writing. (For example, whose work are you citing?) Don't e-mail famous people just because they're famous.

That said, I think that asking for detailed feedback might be seen as presumptuous. Rather, just tell them that you would like to share your work with them, describe it very briefly, and say something like "If you have any comments I would be grateful to hear them."

Probably most people will ignore your message. (They have no obligation whatsoever to read your message or respond.) Maybe one or two will write back with general feedback or suggestions, and if you are very lucky you might get some detailed feedback. What you might realistically hope for is a response along the lines of "Thanks, this looks interesting, you might be interested in X, Y, and Z" which at least gives you some related works to check out.


Is a PhD in a small university in a small country restrictive for an academic career abroad?

This is important career advice and should be given by someone who you trust who knows you personally.  If no one comes to mind, ask your existing professors in the field.
As you suspect, there are powerful reputational and network effects from prestigious programs.  It would be hard to argue that your employment prospects after graduating Cambridge are fairly good! You have heard of it and respect it. Your question is - how does your future employer feel about your Uni?  Have they heard of it? Do they respect it? Do they teach what you want to learn?
The question is very specific to your field.  Perhaps your Uni is universally known for the subject, or has undeniable geographic advantages - like studing Marine Biology at U-Hawaii or being across the street from CERN. It is hard to tell how strong that reach is until you have dipped your toes in the job market.
Note: while you can trust your teachers to guide you honestly, do not expect them to talk poorly of their current institution to a student. They will not.  Simply be aware that if the local institution "is good enough" is not the same as saying "we are one of the top institutions in the world, of course you should stay."


How does copyright work on screen captures?

You need legal advice. Talk to an attorney.

Perhaps your institution has one that you can take advantage of. Everything from here on out is rank speculation, and even your attorney's advice may not protect your from suit.

If you can, get permission from each source you want to take a screen capture of. There may be copyright protectable elements in those screen shots. There may also be trademarked elements.

If you cannot get permission for whatever reason, you may have to rely on fair use. Fair use is a defense to an infringement suit not a get out of jail free card. By using a copyright or trademark protected work without a license, you run the risk of lawsuit. Your institution may not be willing to rely on a fair use defense. Also, your publisher may not be willing to rely on a fair use defense (since they will be the lawsuit target).

I personally think your use is without question a classic and canonical example of fair use, but that doesn't mean that you will prevail in publishing without permission. Many venues require that your sign a form saying that you have the copyright or permission to use all your images, so be careful.


Is it acceptable to use a microscope in the office and not in the laboratory?

I see three main potential issues in the use of a microscope informally in an office, rather than in a laboratory environment:

Safety: some samples might be potentially hazardous to a person handling them without laboratory protections.
Sample damage: some samples may be vulnerable to contamination or damage through exposure to an office environment.
Ethics: information on a patient or student subject may be exposed through informal handling of a sample.

If all three of these can be dealt with (e.g., through proper sample preparation and reasonable precautions against exposure of adverse information), then I see no reason that a microscope cannot be used in an informal office environment. I am not familiar with precautions around the particular samples you mention in your post, but many fixatives used with specimens are extremely effective and might well render samples quite inert.


You can use abbreviations like U.S., IQ, DNA, cm, laser, etc. that have entries in standard dictionaries without defining them first. Here's a couple of APA blog posts expanding on this:

An Abbreviations FAQ
How Do You Spell IQ? Abbreviations as Words in APA Style

I suggest erring on the side of caution if you think the abbreviation might be misunderstood though. However, with the case of U.S. that shouldn't be a problem.


Reviewers had questions about why my supervisor wasn't on manuscript

Just reply with the facts: Explain that your supervisor was offered coauthorship, but has chosen not to be a coauthor of the paper.  (If you feel you want to elabore why - e.g. since he felt he did not contribute sufficiently to the paper, or the like - feel free to do so.)
Especially if this is listed under minor comments, take it as such.
In any case, it is generally not up to the referee to judge who should be a coauthor of a paper. What can be demanded is that you offer coauthorships to anyone who made a significant enough contribution to the paper. As long as you did that, you are fine.


I speak from experience teaching (and doing) mathematics, and supervising research students for some decades. First, as with nearly anything, of course there can be some degree of innate interest+capacity...

What I have observed is that ... seemingly inevitably... academic environments inadvertently train most students to worry as much about conformity to the teacher's expectations as they do about the subject itself. This tends to cause critical thinking to wither, and the whole thing spirals downward.

Also, by this point it is really not clear to me that mathematical competence is strongly related to logical thinking, and, further, I don't think problem-solving facility is much related to logical thinking (of the highly linearized sort that mathematics is often caricaturized into). If anything, the standard mathematics style seems to me to not only squelch the kind of experimental, no-rules thinking that (genuine/serious) problem-solving requires, but to strongly disavow that experimentation is a legitimate methodology.

And, indeed, in many contexts, exams and such are structured with time limitations so that experimentation is infeasible. Other traits can be rewarded in timed exams, but not experimentation, and, I think, therefore, not problem-solving (unless of a fairly stylized sort).

To draw students into a better problem-solving attitude I think requires more iteration than most courses have time for. That is, a substantially dialected/Socratic process, in which weak solutions' weaknesses are illustrated by just-slightly-hard problems that thwart the weak approach. Repeat and repeat. But this takes a lot of time, since the psychological processing of such meta-issues is not "logical", but something subtler, from what I have seen. Changing one's viewpoint apparently cannot happen overnight.


Contact the authors of the paper you are interested in; most often, authors will gladly send you a copy.


How to cite a French thesis in an international journal?

A bibliographical item should allow people to find the referenced work. This means that you should at least report the original title. Alongside the original title, you can add a translation, usually enclosed in brackets (this is not an issue for the thesis of interest because it's written in English). Other elements, like the university name, should not be translated, and you probably don't need to report the school name (but this depends on the bibliographical style).

Thus, I would cite that thesis as follows:

  Aina Frau Pascual, Statistical models for the analysis of ASL and BOLD
  Magnetic Resonance modalities to study brain function and disease,
  PhD thesis, Université Grenoble Alpes (2016).


What is the timeline for using arXiv in computer science?

In theoretical computer science, a fairly common way to do it is roughly this:

Prepare a nice, complete, readable version of the paper and upload it to arXiv. This is usually known as the "full version".

Prepare a version suitable for conference submission (e.g. move some proofs to the appendix, save space here and there to meet the page limits, change layout if needed).

Revise both versions based on the reviews & comments if needed, and repeat.

Eventually the paper is accepted to a conference. Edit the accepted manuscript it so that it has the right length, the right layout, etc. Often there are page limits, and hence some details will be omitted. Refer to the "full version" in arXiv for the missing details. The publisher may or may not do additional edits before the paper appears in the conference. This is now known as the "conference version", and it is typically fairly different from the full version in arXiv.

For many papers the timeline ends here. However, some papers will also eventually appear in a journal, in which case we continue:

Using both the full version and the latest conference version as a starting point, prepare a paper for journal submission. If there are relevant changes, update the arXiv version.

Revise both versions based on the reviews & comments if needed, and repeat.

Eventually the paper is accepted to a journal. The final published version may be very close to the arXiv version, or there may be changes in the journal version e.g. due to the reviewer's comments that are not incorporated in the arXiv version.

In brief, there is just one arXiv submission (with potentially many revisions), and it is usually much closer to the journal version (if one ever appears) than to the conference version (which tends to omit some details due to lack of space).
Publishers may also have restrictions on how much of their "added value" (e.g. changes made based on reviewers' feedback) can be included in the arXiv version, and because of this the arXiv version may also be an early draft.
Conferences play a big role, they have strict deadlines, and people organize their work based on the deadlines, so it is common to see papers first appearing in arXiv roughly at the same time as when they are first submitted to a conference (± a few days).


Over-taking notes due to: 1) copying sentences in textbook + 2) trying to fit new understandings in previous notes which just makes things messy

Let me make a few suggestions:
First you want to understand how the mind works in order to know how to optimize your study. It turns out that to learn, we actually need to physically change the brain, reconnecting neurons. For the science behind it see: The Art of Changing the Brain by James E Zull. The implication is that we learn by reinforcement (repetition) and feedback. The feedback is to assure that what we have "learned" isn't actually wrong.
Having a complete set of notes on paper (or in your computer) doesn't imply that you have actually learned anything. You have to make the connections in your brain so that you can both recall things and put them to use.
Reinforcement is actually increased and enhanced if you take notes in your own words, rather than copying them. The original words can give you feedback if you are studying on your own, but using your own words implies that you were more engaged when you were note taking and not just copying without thought.
So, paraphrase and then check.
The second bit of advice is to periodically go over your notes and summarize them in a smaller space. What do we now see, having read a bit more, as the most important ideas in our notes? You can take this to several levels.
Another trick is to use index cards to effectively capture the essence of an idea in a very small space. See this answer to a different question for an explanation of something called the Hipster PDA, which is both an effective tool for note taking and for summarizing. Don't write too much on a card, though. The idea is to filter things down to the essence.
And cards are especially efficient as they can be rearranged (to combine ideas) and also easily carried to help you with the reinforcement. You can carry a dozen cards and review them while waiting in line, for example.
There is nothing inherently wrong with long form copying of sources for your own use, but there are more efficient ways to assure that you actually learn from your reading and not just move it from one bit of paper to another.
Reinforcement and feedback.


How do I 'read the room' and adjust my pace while lecturing?

In my experience it's easy to be misled by a few good students who are able to engage with you and answer your questions. This doesn't mean the majority of students feel the same way of course. I always try and bear in mind the weakest (and often the quietest) students in the class and try and not be lured into accelerating due to a few bright sparks at the front.

Asking if there are any questions or bring up examples is a good way to try and gauge the classes response. But if the class is shy or unresponsive (as is often the case initially) I find it very hard to know whether I'm boring the pants of them or they're completely lost.

A simple trick is to give a short relatively straightforward exercise and ask everyone to do it there and then. It should only take a minute or two. You can then briefly walk through the students and ask them how they are getting on. It should become obvious if many of them are struggling. Walking among the students and directly interacting with them isn't going to suit everyone though and if the class is large (or the seating is inaccessible) it will be more difficult. But it's crucial to get some feedback and if that means taking a more proactive approach then why not? I make sure to smile and encourage them since some students will be nervous if the lecturer asks how they're doing.


Implementation of a journal article in a Graduate research

My supervisor told me to select an article so that I implement that as my graduate research undertaking. After a year, I am in a deadlock now. Reasons:
the article is abstractly written (apparently, the writer didn't write the article very clearly in order to stop it from being replicated).

After spending a year, you found an article which is not be replicated. Why didn't you choose an article which is written in simple English and lesser complexity, and easy to implement. Many won't agree with your statement on apparently, the writer didn't write the article very clearly in order to stop it from being replicated -- This is a strong statement. What if the other way "You lack serious fundamentals of the methods to understand the article.".

my supervisor is prepared to do nothing. His opinion is it's my job, and I am the only one who should come up with the solution.

Yes, he is right. It is your job to understand the article fully and then present in front of him. Then, ask for advice on further research or possible extension. Or, working on the demerit part of the article. Even, you better take advice on the article itself "whether should you change it now, as it is difficult to follow through?"

Is there any other alternative way to undertake a graduate research rather than implementing a published research article (this form of research seems to be very rigid in nature, as I need to replicate the exact result which has been talked about in the article)?

Different supervisors have different styles of working. From your comment, it seems that you are doing MSc. I feel this kind of research is pretty reasonable, as you would not be knowing a lot of things to continue independently on a modeling. If you have idea, then defend this situation with that idea and start working on the idea. But, be careful! You might fail and at that time your supervisor might step back.

What precautions could have I taken in order to avoid any more deadlock in future (as I am planning to change my graduate school due to livelihood-related issues)?

Just don't follow yourself all the time. Supervisors are rude, selfish and strong at times, but they are there to help the students. Analyzing your present situation, I see that your supervisor is a decent person. "What precautions ... issues)?" -- This is a separate question itself. Ask another question instead.


What do you need to know about potential supervisor's publications when attending an interview for a PhD?

I would, in fact, ask the opposite question: Why would you want to work with someone if you are not interested in their work? Of course, I wouldn't hold an oral exam or something with a prospective PhD student, but I would hope to be able to have a substantive discussion about my field with the student.

Thus: I wouldn't ask "Have you read my work?" because to me, it would be obvious that the student has read some of my work. Out of interest, not because I asked for it.

BTW: I wouldn't recomment you to say something along the lines of 'I find it very interesting that you did a recent article in...'. Say something substantive, challenge me, tell me why you are not convinced by that article, ask me about it -- yes! But don't try to flatter me in a blunt manner.

Good luck with your applications!


First of all - congratulations!

To answer the question, the NSF provides specific advice on this question:

  May I accept or be paid from a private Foundation Fellowship?

  Supplementation to a Fellowship while on Tenure is at the discretion
  of the GRFP Institution. Fellows should check with their COs.

In practice, I've found that you can at times get funding to combine with the NSF, but it is often intentionally limited by your local institution/department. For instance sometimes you can get summer funding or a 0.25 FTE assignment even while receiving the NSF, but you may get administrative pushback, and they are loath (or simply will not) allow more than that.

You will generally have a higher likelihood of getting them to agree if you can take the funding at different times. The NSF GRFP for instance is for 5 years, but only 3 years includes funding. If you have a fellowship that provides 1-2 years of funding, you can take that first and then stay "on reserve" with the NSF - and most institutions will be somewhat unlikely to object to that. One institution I talked to offered a 1 year fellowship, and on asking them they replied that I could take the 1 year and then take the NSF funding in other years, but that I would not be permitted to take them both in the first year.

But ultimately, the NSF says that is up to your local institution, so you'll have to check with your department to see what they say.

For completeness, note that the NSF explicitly cannot be combined with other fellowships provided by the US government (they mention "DOE, EPA, NIH, NOAA, USDA, DHS, DOT, NASA, etc."), but as the OP mentioned non-Federal this should not apply to them.


Can postdocs get a funded position by direct contact?

I think that what has happened is that there are stories floating around, rumors with some kernel of truth, that this approach works. Sometimes I get emails from folks who are highly qualified in their area, but have no relation to our work. I think the model of what has "worked" is probably misunderstood.

I think the only thing that has ever really worked is for the "applicant" to send out mass emails to everyone they can find that's even remotely related until they hit on a few people who do have a position open and who direct them as to how to apply through proper channels. Occasionally these folks do actually have good qualifications and do get a position. The story of this process gets mangled, and people begin to think that mass emailing really works rather than realizing that it's targeted applications through the appropriate channels that worked but were found by luck.

I mostly don't respond to these kinds of emails unless the candidate is actually highly qualified, related, and I just don't have anything for them. I got one from someone in the UK this week who is working in my field, looking for a PhD position, and already has 3 (!!) master's degrees. Unfortunately, we run an HPC center and don't have faculty positions or advising rights, so I wrote the guy back and let him know that. Rarely do these emails deserve such a response since the candidates are applying randomly to every name they can find, i.e. wet lab biologists applying to an HPC center.


How to get a new personal academic webpage to show up in searches

The usual approach would be to create links to the website from other prominent indexed websites. So for example, you might want to create a link to the page from your university profile page. You could also add links from ResearchGate, LinkedIn and other social networks that allow you to share a link to a personal website. You could start creating content and sharing it on social networks.

Then, you just have to wait a bit for the web crawlers (particularly Google) to find and index you. This might take a month or more.

If you are specifically interested in being indexed by Google Scholar, check out these guidelines:

  Individual Authors

  If you're an individual author, it works best to simply upload your
  paper to your website, e.g., www.example.edu/~professor/jpdr2009.pdf;
  and add a link to it on your publications page, such as
  www.example.edu/~professor/publications.html. Make sure that:

  the full text of your paper is in a PDF file that ends with ".pdf",
  the title of the paper appears in a large font on top of the first
  page, the authors of the paper are listed right below the title on a
  separate line, and there's a bibliography section titled, e.g.,
  "References" or "Bibliography" at the end. That's it! Our search
  robots should normally find your paper and include it in Google
  Scholar within several weeks.

  If it doesn't work, you could either (1) read more detailed technical
  guidelines in this documentation or (2) check if your local
  institutional repository is already configured for indexing in Google
  Scholar, and upload your papers there.


Can dysfunctional graduate admissions processes be improved?

Who decides how the application process is handled?  If it's decided in your department, then I'd think you have a good chance of making it more reasonable --- maybe not anything like MathPrograms that costs money, but at least keeping all the files in one place where you can review what you saw last week.  Maybe you can get a secretary to scan the files and make them available on-line to the appropriate faculty members.  If the decision is made at the college level, then you may have more work changing the process, but money may cease to be an issue; a big expense at the department level can look trivial to a dean, provided the dean understands how bad the current system is.  If you need to deal with a central Graduate School, the subject of "help" (in quotation marks) in your message, then all I can do is wish you good luck.


What are the ways to transfer from my current PhD program to another one?

It is occasionally possible to switch to another department as a PhD student, if you can find a department/advisor who wants you.  I know someone who switched from chemistry to math when I was in grad school.  However it is not so common for a couple of reasons:

If you weren't successful (by ability or by choice) in another PhD program, why would you be in this one?
You will be taking a slot away from another potential student who is likely much better prepared than you for a CS PhD.

Getting an MS in CS first will do a lot to alleviate both of these concerns--it shows commitment to graduate work in this field and addresses your lack of preparation.

In any case, it makes sense to try to set up an appointment with the CS graduate director at your university and ask him/her about the possibility of switching to one of their grad programs.


Can I present my submitted work for publication as a poster in a symposium?

I am not in biophysics - I'm in the health and social sciences, so this may be different for you. However, I would saw that it depends on the situation. Rirwt, some conferences have specific policies against presenting material that has been previously published. So, presenting a paper that has already been published may be frowned upon (thought I've been to many conferences with this policy and have seen presentations that have been previously published papers). The main concern is duplicate publication. So, if your conference fully-publishes the works that are presented (papers, posters), then publishing a finished product in both the conference proceedings and a journal article may be frowned upon by the conference.

Now, if you are presenting a work in progress and it will be different than a future or past published paper or presentation, that is usually acceptable. I have done this and have used the audience comments to help with revisions or with ideas for turning the paper into a second paper with a different focus.


How to write abstract for conference when you have no results yet?

Don't write results you don't have. Neither in the present, past or future tense. Just don't do it. Yet, I agree with you that there are circumstances where you do need to write an abstract on on-going work. For example, many big conferences in my field now ask for abstracts to be submitted up to 10 months in advance of the conference itself! If you are a post-doc staying on a 12-month project, you want to present something but you might not yet know how things will turn out. So, two techniques I propose:

Just write about the methodology, and present your goals in a general way, without “predicting” particular results but insisting on the importance of the topic. That is, emphasize strongly your points #1 and #2, and then describe point #3 as you would your “results”. Things like:

  In this particular study, we compare the efficiency of methods A and B on given subsets of a reference database. We use a large number of different criteria for measuring efficiency, including …, … and … We also discuss in detail the implementation of subprocess X in method B, because its has not been specifically optimized in the existing literature.

I know it sounds vague, but that's the best you can achieve honestly, without pretending to know what you expect to find.
Bait and switch: if you have existing results in a closely related study, you can incorporate them as part of your results. Mix this approach with above, so that you have at least a few specific results to list in your point #4. Then, when you will make your presentation, just present your new results alongside the old (some people would remove completely the old results, but that makes it too much of a “bait and switch” for my taste). It is, after all, quite common for people to include newer results in orals/posters that they obtained after the original submission. It is not frowned upon, as long as you keep a decent agreement between the original abstract and the final content.


Do I need footnotes in a Foreword if I cite something?

First, to make it clear, if you use something you need to cite it. I'm sure you agree with that. The question is about how to do the citation.

For a book, I assume that there is an editor involved who will make decisions about such things as layout etc. If the book is being self-published by your colleague, then they might take on that task. But it is almost certainly someone besides yourself responsible for such things.

Thus, I would submit your Foreword with complete citations. Whether inline or in footnotes is immaterial. But they need to be complete (not just referencing a book in general). The editor can then take what you give them and format appropriately. If you make them complete then the editor will have everything they need to do the job correctly.

For what it's worth, I have seen footnotes in Forewords, but in a book length monograph, your length restriction seems rather short.


Can my Specialist degree be equalized to Bachelor degree?

Since 1997, having a Russian (or rather "Soviet"-style) 5-year Specialist (специалист) degree is formally recognized as the equivalent of holding a Master's degree (cf. Mutual Recognition of Qualifications: the Russian Federation and the Other European Countries); Judging by the fact that, in Canada, one can typically directly enter a PhD program without e.g. doing a Master's degree course beforehand (as is typical in e.g. the USA), you should have no problems fulfilling the formal requirements to enter a PhD program there.


How to automatically extract submitted/accepted dates of many journal papers?

Have you checked this data is actually made available for your preferred journals? IME not all make their accepted/submitted/first-online dates very easily accessible, though it has improved a bit recently.

If it's there, your best bet is probably to screenscrape the HTML. Some journals provide nice clean XML to play with, but this is usually new online-only titles rather than legacy ones from traditional publishers.

Elsevier use a simple HTML tag (class="articleDates") which contains the core dates -

Received 23 March 2015, Revised 15 May 2015, Accepted 18 May 2015, Available online 9 June 2015

Taylor & Francis have similar information to Elsevier: the element you'd need is again "articleDates", but it unfortunately has a lot of linebreaks in it for no good reason!

Finally, Wiley don't seem to expose submitted/accepted dates (at least not for all journals); "publicationHistoryDetails" just gives first-online, which isn't much help.


How to approach potential case study companies?

I do not know your field, but I have some suggstions:
1. Define precisely: what is in it for them?
If you are emailing person X in industry to participate in your interviews with some long email like

Dear X,
I am working on [technical research project Y] and I am looking to collect industry opinions on [Z]. I was wondering if you would be interested in helping out with [QRSTUV]...

then probably this email will be ignored or deleted. It is not clear to X why doing this is in their interest. And it sounds difficult for them to learn about your project and figure out how to help.
So I would focus on making your email simple, and explaining clearly why they might be interested.

Is your research likely to benefit the people working in this industry? Say so right up front and explain it from their perspective, not yours.

Is your research in a topic that many people in this industry share an interest in? Pitch this as an opportunity for them to share their expertise and knowledge.

There are many other possibilities depending on what research you are looking to do.
2. Do an internship with the industry
I do not know if this is an option, but in general it might be the only effective way to develop a collaboration. Once you have done an internship, many routes would be open, including collaborating with the industry as part of your research (depending on the field).
3. Get someone more senior (your advisor or someone with connections) to contact them
The industry people will always pay more attention to someone who has status and the possibility of real collaboration and funding that might benefit the industry's interests.


In general, a signed, sealed transcript of a completed degree program should always be valid, as there presumably there has not been any changes made to the contents of the transcript since that time.

"Interim" transcripts, of course, would no longer be valid.

One other thing to note—many schools nowadays want the transcript submitted directly by the university; in such cases, it is unlikely that they would accept a transcript mailed by the student along with the application (if they even accept mailed applications!).


Google Scholar has indexed the arXiv version and publisher version of my paper - but lists arXiv over the publisher. How to fix this?

I'm not 100% sure this will work (since I don't really have a way to test it), but I think you can try this. On your Google Scholar page (signed in):

Click on the link to the article in question --> this should pop up a window with more details.
Click on the "edit" symbol (pencil).
At the bottom, select "Unmerge this article and add it to my profile as a separate entry." --> close the window.
Select the two (or more) versions of the article and select merge.
This should pop up a window asking you to "Select the best version of the article." --> choose the Nature version.

The answers to these related questions may also be helpful: merging, linking


Faculty job application - search committee chair, dept head, and follow up emails

Probably overthinking. The chair has other duties, of course. And, since they have the responsibility to make a decision, they might find it improper to communicate outside the committee.
Let it go. You will learn soon enough.


What's the reasoning behind phrase "dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements"?

Most doctoral programs have other requirements for completion of the degree, such as  a certain number of course hours and the passing of qualifying exams. Hence, while the dissertation is the culmination of the doctoral program, on its own it does not satisfy all the requirements for graduation.