Graduate Study 101
I have been doing research for nearly a decade and have worked with many talented graduate students. I understand that the journey of research is not easy and often filled with unexpected setbacks. Here are some tips I would like to share with my students and anyone who is exploring the path of research. Hope this helps a little.
1. A Small Group of People Working on Cool Ideas 🧠✨
My personal feeling about research is that it should not be solving routine problems that a typical company might tackle. It is usually a concentrated effort by a small group of people working on unconventional, bold, sometimes seemingly crazy ideas that align with first principles. As a researcher, it is crucial to maintain a compelling vision: what transformative impact will this work have if it succeeds?
This vision should be inspiring enough to keep you motivated through your graduate study. It is always helpful to spend more time thinking about this.
2. Collaborating with Your Advisor 🤝🗣️
A key factor in research success is building a strong working relationship with your advisor. Regularly communicate your research progress and collaborate on planning specific experimental tasks. Miscommunication often leads to unintended detours — you might start with direction A, end up pursuing direction B, and eventually adjust back to A. Effective communication can minimize these detours and keep your research trajectory clear.
Please note that it is often okay to make a few mistakes along the way, but we should iterate quickly. Weekly meetings generally work well for most of my students.
3. Publishing with Purpose 📄🎯
The main purpose of publishing a paper is to inform readers where previous work fell short or where improvements are needed. Although it is challenging for graduate students or young researchers, try to avoid publishing papers just for the sake of publication. Each paper should address a genuine gap in knowledge or offer a meaningful advancement.
This mindset not only improves the quality of your work but also enhances your credibility as a researcher. Over time, your ability to recognize and appreciate high-quality work will naturally improve. That is also a plus if you choose to pursue independent research after graduation.
4. The Habit of Keeping Lab Logs 🧪📓
Developing the habit of maintaining a detailed research log is invaluable. Record daily experiments, results obtained, issues encountered, next steps, and even the location where data is stored. As time passes and projects accumulate, it becomes easy to forget the specifics of experiments conducted months earlier (I learned this the hard way).
During my PhD, I often managed multiple projects simultaneously. Timely logging of research activities helped me track progress and avoid repeating mistakes. It is one of the most effective tools for staying organized in a fast-paced research environment.
With that, have fun and do great work! 🚀
I want to thank my students (Quankai, Zuoxun, Qixin, Yulin) for reviewing the draft.