A glimpse on the academic scholar

a glimpse on the academic scholarCareer, Challenges and Opportunities

Mohamed Seif, BScJuly 13, 2016

Nile University

Research

Expectation vs Reality

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ResearchExpectation vs Reality

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advice to be bad grad student

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian

∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA

∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation

∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Concentrate on getting good grades

∙ Aim for PhD class valedictorian∙ Postpone research involvement: mightlower GPA

∙ No employer cares about GPA∙ What matters:

∙ Letters of recommendation∙ Your research

3

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

bad grad student

∙ Graduation after +3 years

∙ Contrary to PhD level

∙ Don’t work on large projects: takeslonger

∙ Have to talk to others, have tolearn different areas

∙ Don’t trust your advisor

∙ Faculty career is judged bysuccess of students

4

advice for bad career in research

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:

∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!

∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:

∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:

∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:

∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones

∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad Career

Equilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad Career

Equilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

bad research career

∙ Be THE leading expert

∙ Invent a new field!∙ Be the real Lone Ranger: Don’t workwith others

∙ Research Horizons:∙ Never define milestones∙ Even if technology appears toleave you behind, stand by yourproblem

∙ Let Complexity Be Your Guide

∙ Never be Proven Wrong

∙ Don’t be Distracted by Others (AvoidFeedback)

∙ Publishing Journal Papers IS TechnologyTransfer

∙ Writing Tactics for a Bad CareerEquilibrium is the Best Strategy

6

listen from the godfathers

you and your research

∙ Manhattan Project (1945)

∙ Bell Labs (1946 - 1976)

∙ Turing Award (1968)

∙ The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal isan award given annually since 1988 for”exceptional contributions toinformation sciences, systems andtechnology”.

Figure: Richard Hamming(1915-1998)

Source:www2.isikun.edu.tr/personel/onurkaya/hamming.htm

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a phd is not enough!

∙ Sandia National Laboratories (1974 -Present)

∙ Davisson-Germer Prize of the AmericanPhysicist Society for outstandingresearch in Surface Science (1989)

Figure: Peter J. Feibelman

Source:http://victormlgh.blogspot.com/2012/04/phd-is-not-enoughguide-to-survival-in.html

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how to have a bad career in research/academia

∙ ACM President (2004 - 2006)

∙ ACM Distinguished Service Award

∙ ACM-IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award

Figure: David AndrewPatterson

Source:http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~pattrsn/talks/BadCareer

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phd grind

∙ Assistant Professor at UCSD

Figure: Philip Guo

Source:www.pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir/pguo-PhD-grind.pdf

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zero to one

∙ Co-founded: Paypal, Palantir

∙ Funded: SpaceX, LinkedIn

Figure: Peter Thiel

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zero to one

“ZERO TO ONE EVERY MOMENTIN BUSINESS happens onlyonce. The next Bill Gates willnot build an operating system.The next Larry Page or SergeyBrin won’t make a searchengine. And the next MarkZuckerberg won’t create asocial network. If you arecopying these guys, you aren’tlearning from them.” – PeterThiel

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other references

Terence Tao’s Career Advice:

https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/

Career Advice at UT Austin:

http://www.engr.utexas.edu/ecac/yourcareer/resumes/5-resumewriting/

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no matter you did!

lowest undergrad gpa of any professor (2.40 / 4.00)

∙ Professor of Computer Science (CS) atUIUC

“Growth is painful. Change ispainful. But nothing is as painfulas staying stuck somewhere youdon’t belong.” – Mandy Hale

Figure: Jeff Erickson

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be patient :)

game of the day

Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pgX60AAIYo

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Questions ?

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Thank You !Email: m.seif@nu.edu.eg

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backup slides

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look a head

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look a head

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look a head

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top 10 tech jobs | 2016

Rank Job Ave. Annual Salary ($)

1 Data Scientist 60,0002 Solutions Architect 72,0003 Software Development Manager 84,666...

......

9 Software Developer 40,00010 Network Engineer 42,500

Useful Link:http://blog.udacity.com/2014/11/data-science-job-skills.html

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