The second key to successful research: Hiring a good Ph.D. student

In last week’s column, we listed seven keys to establishing a successful research career in academia. We also discussed the first of these keys in some detail, emphasizing the need for a fresh Ph.D. graduate to establish a professional identity distinct from that of his or her former adviser. Publishing a sole authorship article and exploring new research areas are some of the most effective concrete steps to achieving this goal. This week, we consider the second key: Hire a good PhD student.

The second key for any young academic is to hire a talented Ph.D. student. In Southeast Asian countries, this might seem like a stiff challenge. Many graduates (particularly in fields such as engineering and computer science) would like to join the job market as soon as possible. The stipend that a university will pay postgraduate students is normally not as attractive as compared to salaries in the corporate world. As a result, not many graduates will be keen on postgraduate study just for financial considerations. Nevertheless, there exists a small minority of young people who are interested to join the academic world as researchers/lecturers; it is one of these bright young people that a fresh Ph.D. graduate should aim to hire as a research student. Besides, in recent years, the governments of countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines have started to realize the importance of human capital development for long-term economic growth; this realization has in turn led to the emergence of various scholarship programs, with reasonable stipends that, if not exactly competitive with corporate salaries, at least offer ample financial resources for a few years of postgraduate studies. This trend somehow helps to retain some fresh talent in the academic world. Traditionally, most universities in this region tend to go through the conventional track of B.Eng./B.Sc., M.Eng./M.Sc. and Ph.D. In recent years, some universities have adopted the “fast-track” Ph.D. scheme, i.e. direct enrolment of B.Eng./B.Sc. graduates into Ph.D. program, which is quite common in the US and UK. This no doubt has attracted some talented young people to join the Ph.D. program, as it reduces the total duration needed to graduate from a Ph.D. program. Under such schemes, it is not unreasonable for a young person in his or her mid- to late-twenties to earn a Ph.D. Note that this stage is still young enough for a person to re-enter the corporate world, where the eventual value of the doctoral training and the title may be felt years later in a person’s career.

With a strong Ph.D. student, the research profile of the young academic can be expanded tremendously. Our personal advice is to hire one good Ph.D. student, rather than having several of average quality. The principle of “quality over quantity” allows one to retain focus (another one of the Seven Keys, which we will discuss in more detail in the future). The main rationale is that, young academics are normally loaded with much teaching, committee and even administrative duties, and are generally under pressure to prove their value as newly hired members of faculty. A good Ph.D. student can go a long way toward reducing the stress in starting up the “research career” of a young academic. However, we emphasize that a young supervisor should not take his or her Ph.D. student for granted. We have seen many cases where students have been neglected by supervisors, which often ends up with delayed completion of degree/research project, or even the complete abandonment of Ph.D. studies by the student. This is no doubt a waste of resources as well as the precious time of the students (who could have used the time to climb up the corporate ladder). The key is to spend quality time with the student. The best mindset to adopt is “my student works with me,” rather than “my student works for me.” It is sometimes difficult to judge what is meant by “quality time,” and even more difficult if you want to label yourself as a “good supervisor.” Getting to know the student’s progress, providing critical and timely feedback and setting the right direction for research are some of those “musts” if you want to be a good supervisor. The bottom line is to maintain a symbiotic relationship, where the supervisor gains by being able to delegate part of his or her research to a qualified apprentice, while the student gains both a postgraduate degree and the intangible skills of doing research properly. Such a scenario is ideal for effective use of research funds (which are always in short supply!) to produce quality research and to develop human capital. Sadly, it is not always the case that Ph.D. supervision is this effective; and students who get their Ph.D.’s under such less-than-ideal conditions tend to end up perpetuating a vicious cycle by eventually training their own Ph.D. students poorly.

In summary, getting a good Ph.D. student is an essential step in establishing a thriving research career. One just needs to be aware of the serious responsibilities in mentoring an apprentice. When it is done properly, it can be a rewarding and fruitful experience. In future Star Science columns (but not necessarily in the coming consecutive weeks) we will continue to discuss the remaining five of these seven keys.

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Dr. Dominic C. Y. Foo is a professor of Process Design and Integration at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, and is leading the Center of Excellence for Green Technologies. He is a professional engineer registered with the Board of Engineer Malaysia (BEM). He establishes international collaboration with researchers from various countries in the Asia, Europe, American and Africa. He is an active author, with two forthcoming books and more than 70 journal papers and made more than 120 conference presentations. He served as an International Scientific Committee for several important conferences (CHISA/PRES, FOCAPD, ESCAPE, PSE, etc.). He is the winner of the Innovator of the Year Award 2009 of Institution of Chemical Engineers UK (IChemE), as well as the 2010 Young Engineer Award of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). He also actively conducts professional training for practicing engineers.

Prof. Raymond R. Tan is a university fellow and full professor of Chemical Engineering at De La Salle University. He is also the current director of that institution’s Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development Research (CESDR). He is the author of more than 70 process systems engineering (PSE) articles that have been published in chemical, environmental and energy engineering journals. He is member of the editorial boards of the journals Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, Philippine Science Letters and Sustainable Technologies, Systems & Policies, and is co-editor of the forthcoming book Recent Advances in Sustainable Process Design and Optimization. He is also the recipient of multiple awards from the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP). He may be contacted via e-mail ([email protected]).