Selecting a Mentor & Dissertation Project

Paul A. Gulig, Ph.D.

Professor of Molec. Gen. & Micro.

Associate Dean for Graduate Education

University of Florida

College of Medicine

It's no big deal…

It's just the most important decision that

you'll make over the next four years!

The Mentor

The Project

The Mentor

The Mentor

Research InterestPersonalityLab Style

Reputation$$$

The Mentor

Research Interest(see project)

The MentorPersonality

Hands-On vs. Hands-Off

Temperament

Mix Study/Social

Personal History (like parenting)

Freedom

Expectations of time, effort, etc.

The MentorPersonality

Most of our faculty members were chosen because of their research credentials.

Not because they won humanitarian awards, Nobel Peace Prizes, or Mother Teresa medals.

The MentorLab StyleLarge vs. Small

Make-up (undergrads, grads, postdocs, etc.)

Equipment

Space

Roles

Lab meetings

Does everyone get along?

Are they happy?

The MentorReputation

Young assistant professor

Older established professor

Other roles (chair, dean, course director, etc.)

Check with senior students

Time to graduation

The Mentor

$$$

???

The Mentor$$$

How much is needed?

Four years after first year.

$28,000 for first 3

38,000+ after that

Plus running the lab

The Mentor$$$

• Department chair must sign off on mentoring agreement.

• Department backs mentor if shortfall.

• Demands are different for different chairs and even different faculty (trust, track record).

• Not all faculty know if the chair will sign.

The Mentor

$$$

UF Research Funding Search

http://apps.research.ufl.edu/research/search/

The Mentor

If you do not get along with your mentor, you will be miserable and

will have a hard time moving forward.

They must sign your dissertation and help you get your next job.

The Mentor

If you believe that you made a mistake, you can change if you can find someone else.

Marriage counselingCommunication

The MentorRotations

Three or Four RotationsIDP Faculty search page

Must be IDP facultyResearch presentations

Mentor list onlineIndependent contact

The Project

The Project

How important is your specific project?

The Project

Quiz:

What degree are you planning to get?

The Project

Doctor of Philosophy

The Project

Quiz:

What is your major?

The Project

Quiz:

Major = Medical Sciencewith a concentration in …

The Project

Doctor?

The Project

Doctor = Teacher

The Project

Philosophy?

The Project

Philo = LoveSoph = KnowledgeLove of Knowledge

The Project

Knowledge is gained through Science.

The Project

Science is studied using the Scientific Method.

The Project

What are the steps of the Scientific Method?

The Project

Scientific Method:Observe

HypothesizeTest

Conclude

The Project

You are NOT getting a technical degree.

The Project

You ARE being trained to be an INDEPENDENT scientist.

The Project

This is more of a character or quality than a technical skill.

The Project

So, if you cannot study exactly what you had dreamed, your life and career are not ruined.

The Project

Find the next closest thing, a different angle toward the

same subject, what you would have done as a postdoc.

The Project

Besides - it's what you do as a postdoc that will determine your career path more than

your graduate studies.

The Project

Many people completely change fields from PhD to

postdoc.

The Project

However, if you do not love what you are doing,

If you do not think about it in bed before you fall asleep or while you are in the shower,

The Project

If you are not passionate about your research,

The Project

You will not excel in your studies, you will be unhappy,

and you will not succeed.

The Project

When you form your committee, you will write

specific aims. This is not a contract. They come and go as your research progresses.

The Project

You cannot stick on the original road if it leads to a

dead end!

The Project

Why stick on the original road if you make an exciting

discovery that opens a whole new field?

Bottom Line• You should love what you do

here.• You should not have to drag

yourself to lab everyday.• Make good choices this year to

get started on the right path.• Do your homework.• Ask lots of questions.

Questions

Comments

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