SHPE - Fall 2007 - (Page 62) EL SIGUIENTE PASO T By Marshall Lev Dermer, Ph.D. scientists. These advisors, however, may not be available to reliably help you because they are preoccupied writing grant proposals, justifying and administering grants, and supervising post-doctoral students. Consider working with a research professor who has been granted a lifetime of research support by a university or a foundation. Publishing with a renowned researcher, however, could raise questions about whether you or your renowned advisor conceived your work. Less Renowned Researchers Though grant or other support may be absent, these researchers’ achievements will resemble those of renowned researchers. When research costs are low, less renowned researchers can be among those who most reliably help. If you are in a larger graduate program, you can benefit from both types of researchers. If there are renowned researchers in your department, seek their advice and include them on your research committee. If all goes well, you may eventually ask for letters of recommendation and be able to network using their connections. Researchers You Respect Certainly, it is beneficial to work with a faculty member who is honest and ethical, loves doing science and is reasonably successful. Moreover, it would also be ideal if you liked this faculty member (and vice versa). Still, choosing or keeping an advisor primarily because he or she is nice is a mistake. A nice person may withhold frank evaluation of your skills and progress. Remember, it is important to respect your advisor! Researchers with Similar or Compatible Interests Of course, seek an advisor with interests similar to yours. Your shared interests can help you to master complex equipment and techniques and work hard to complete projects. If an SHPE R Fall 2007 Choosing the Right Graduate Advisor A s an undergraduate you consumed research. As a successful graduate student, however, you will conceive, conduct and document research. To do this well, you will need an expert researcher who will serve as your major professor/advisor. Your advisor should provide timely and constructive feedback on your laboratory work, frank evaluations of other work conducted in your research area, and guidance on completing departmental requirements. An advisor with grant support can additionally finance much of your graduate education and all advisors can eventually help you land your first job. That’s why selecting an advisor is among the most important decisions you can make in graduate school. Searching for an Advisor There are plenty of electronic databases and sources on the Internet for gaining information about potential advisors. There are some faculty members, however, who may not be ideal advisors. Grant Swingers and Research Millers Do not equate grant support or the size of an institute or research laboratory with quality. Even without grant support, publishing may be more important than doing science when faculty members are paid merely in terms of articles published. Be aware of “research millers” who have many publications but describe only the outcome of one experiment. Even across such publications, such faculty members are unlikely to report replications and extensions of their work. Absent at the Bench Avoid choosing an advisor who structures research through multiple layers of authority and who is rarely in the laboratory. Inadequate research supervision is so prevalent in cases of scientific fraud that a committee of the American Association of Universities recommended that “students be directed by experienced scientists. The director should supervise, teach and encourage in-depth scrutiny and interpretation of results, emphasizing respect for primary data. Routine audit and review of all primary data by the laboratory director is strongly recommended. It is inadvisable for the director to delegate these important functions.” 62 The Perpetual Administrator Unless you are only one of a few advisees, it’s best to avoid a faculty advisor who repeatedly chooses to be an officer of professional societies, departmental chair or editor. These activities may reduce his or her availability to do scientific research and can substantially reduce supervision quality. There are other faculty members, however, who may be ideal advisors. Renowned Researchers Seek advisors who love doing science and document their work in respected journals. Their invited articles and convention presentations as well as competitive grant support from major foundations indicate their work is highly valued by other
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