Mastering Your PhD (eBook)

Dr. Patricia Gosling has worked in several science-related fields since earning her PhD in Organic Chemistry, including medical publishing and medical communications. She currently works in the Scientific Affairs department of a leading biotechnology company. Prof. Dr. Bart Noordam is Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. As Professor of Physics he supervised several PhD students. He has also worked for McKinsey & Compnany, a Regional Audit Organization, and in the semiconductor industry.

Preface 6
1 Choosing a Research Group: Pluses and Pitfalls 11
The Start-Up Group 12
The Up-and-Running Group 14
The Small-but-Established Group 15
The Empire 16
The Gardener 17
Surviving in a Non-supportive Group 18
2 Getting Started 21
Become Familiar with Your Research Department 22
Formulate a Working Plan and Set Up a Schedule 23
Maintain a Proper Lab Notebook 23
Establish Good Reference Keeping Practices 24
Dealing with Initial Ups and Downs 25
3 Setting Goals and Objectives 26
Effective Time Management 28
Record Your Daily Activities 29
Learning from the Record 29
Preparing a To-Do List 31
Multi-tasking: Is It for You 31
The 80/20 Rule 33
Am I Focusing on the 80 or the 20 33
Implementing the 80/20 Rule 34
4 How to Think Like a Scientist 36
Common Errors in Using the Scientific Method 38
Not Proving the Hypothesis by Experiment 38
Discounting Data That Don't Support the Hypothesis 38
Fact, Theory, Hypothesis Whats the Difference Anyway 39
Is There Ever a Time When the Scientific Method Is Not Applicable 40
A Final Comment 42
5 Designing Good Experiments 44
Good Science and Good Experimental Design Go Hand in Hand 47
Design Experiments to Test Your Hypothesis 48
Finally: Can You Trust Your Results 51
Spotting Random Errors 52
Systematic Errors 52
Linked Variables 53
What if Your Experiment Hasnt Worked Out as Planned 53
6 Charting Your Progress Month by Month 54
Monthly Progress Monitor: Four Questions to Keep You Goal Oriented 55
What You Can Learn from Filling in the Monthly Progress Monitor 58
7 Dealing with Setbacks 61
The Cold Reality of Trial and Error 62
Identifying the Setback(s) 63
Take Action 64
Should You Stop All Together 66
8 Mentors, Leadership, and Community 69
Mining for Gold: Defining Mentorship 70
Choosing a Mentor 71
Working with What Youve Got 72
Develop a Community of Peers or Become a Mentor Yourself 73
9 How to Get Along with Your Lab Mates, et al. 75
How to Get the Help You Need from the Others on Your Team 76
You, Me, Everybody 77
How You Get Energized: Extrovert vs. Introvert 79
How You Think: Intuition vs. Sensation 79
Are Your Decisions Driven by Objective Arguments or Feelings 80
Unstructured Team Members vs. Planners 80
Which Type Are You 81
How to Collaborate with Your Counterpart 81
Extroverts vs. Introverts 81
Intuition and Sensation Are Both Necessary for Success 83
Feeling Is More Important in Science Than Thinkers Want to Believe 84
Judgers and Perceivers Have Crucial Roles at Different Times in the Project 85
A Varied Mix Makes a Good Team 87
10 Group Dynamics: Dealing with Difficult Colleagues 92
Strategies for Coping 94
Monitor Your Response 96
11 The Art of Good Communication 98
Understanding Styles of Communication 99
Structured Communication is Key 100
Effective Communication in the Lab A Practical Approach 103
Ground Rules to Optimize Effective Communication 107
12 Mastering Presentations and Group Meetings 111
How to Give a Great Presentation 111
Get Prepared 112
Identify Your Audience 113
Rehearse Your Presentation Out Loud 114
Giving the Presentation 115
Visual Aids 117
Common Mistakes 118
Group Meetings 119
How to Handle Your Group Meetings with Style 120
Chairing a Session 120
A Final Observation 122
13 Searching the Scientific Literature 125
Getting Started in the Library 126
Using the Internet 127
Making Good Use of the Science Citation Index 128
How Do You Know When Your Literature Search Is Successful and Complete 129
14 Your First International Conference 131
Making the Most of Your First Conference 132
First Things First 132
Making Your Presence Count 137
Post-conference Reality Check 139
15 From Data to Manuscript: Writing Scientific Papers That Shine 142
Title 144
Abstract 144
Introduction 144
Materials and Methods 145
Results 146
A Note on Tables and Figures 146
Tables 147
Figures 147
Graphs and Histograms 147
Drawings and Photographs 149
Discussion 149
Literature Cited 150
Revising the First Draft 152
16 Celebrate Your Success 153
The Art of Celebrating Success 154
Why Celebrate Your Success 154
What Defines Success 156
How Can You Celebrate Your Success 157
17 How to Make the Best of Your Annual Evaluation 158
The Surprise Attack: How to Act When Youre Caught Off Guard 162
18 The Final Year: Countdown to Your Thesis Defence 167
Establish Your Achievements 168
Verify Your Achievements with Your Supervisor 168
What Else Should Be Included in Your Thesis 169
Describe Your Final Project 170
The Countdown List 170
Typical Things Youll Learn from Making the Countdown List 173
Handling Uncertainties 173
Discuss Your Planning with Your Supervisor(s) 174
The Countdown Planning is Not Carved in Stone 175
19 Writing Your Doctoral Thesis with Style 179
First Things First: Decide on the Table of Contents 180
Table of Contents 181
Cut the Problem Down to Size: Write an Outline 181
Getting Down to Fundamentals: Whats a PhD Thesis Anyway 182
A PhD Thesis Is: 182
A PhD Thesis Is Not: 183
Pick a Straightforward Format and Layout 183
Transforming (Published) Articles into Thesis Chapters 184
Chapter Two: The First Piece of New Text 185
The Last Set of Data: Chapter or Article First 187
The Introduction: The Final Hurdle 187
The Summary 188
Going for Gold: Towards an Error-Free Thesis 188
Be Generous with Acknowledgements 189
20 The Final Act: Defending Your Thesis with Panache 191
Familiarize Yourself with the Formalities 192
Prepare Yourself Scientifically 193
Prepare Your Act 195
Your Physical Condition at the Actual Defence 196
21 Putting It All Together: A PhD...So Whats Next 198
Opportunities for a Newly Minted PhD 199
The Next Logical Step: A Post-doctoral Fellowship 200
For-Profit Organizations: Where Business and Science Meet 201
Not-for-Profit Organizations The Best of Both Worlds 202
Once Its Been Made, Is Your Final Decision Carved in Stone 204
From Searching for Opportunities to Getting the Job 205
When to Start Your Job Search 205
How to Leverage Your Network 206
As a PhD Student, Which Typical Skills Do You Possess 206
How to Prepare for an Interview 207
Do You Want the Job 208
22 Is Industry Right for You Opportunities to Explore 210
Research in a Business-Driven Setting 211
The Difference Between Academic and Corporate Problem Solving 212
Finding Out If Corporate Research Is for You 214
Not Your Final Destination 215
A Career as a Management Consultant 215
Consultancy Firms Hiring PhDs 216
The Steep and Uncertain Career Path as a Management Consultant 217
Companies Care 218
23 Exploring Not-for-Profit Organizations 221
Where to Start 221
Advantages 223
Disadvantages 223
Is Nonprofit Right for You 224
Swinging from Branch to Branch on the Career Tree 226
24 Lessons Learned 230
Planning Is Essential 231
Communication Creates Harmony 233
A Final Thought 234
About the Authors 235
Acknowledgements 236