A Survival Guide for Early-Career Engineering/Science Students
Opinions Are My Own
- Set your own rhythm and find out what works for you. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Prioritize your mental health and cut yourself some slack. Ph.D. is part of life, not life.
- PI is here to help you, not just with your research, don’t hesitate to send that email.
- Zotero is your friend, gradually build your own repository and keep up to date with the literature.
- Take time to think about the aim and the gap it fills when starting a project, when setting up a simulation, and when planning an experiment. Think about what the title of this paper would be.
- It’s ok if things don’t go as planned, let the PI worry about it.
- Document everything, every idea, every number, every figure, and video. It helps communicate your work and organize your thoughts.
- There is no such thing as perfect research or perfect science. All models are wrong, some are useful. Your project is an early learning step towards a long future career, getting it done on time is better than getting it perfect.
- Save everything in triplicate.
- Present your work, at a conference, in a symposium, or even in a lab meeting.
- Celebrate small wins, your enthusiasm is a precious resource, protect it and hold onto it.
- Don’t need to follow every piece of advice. What works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you. You can be special, be creative, be a little crazy, but not certifiably nuts.
Resources:
- How to start reading: Ten simple rules for reading a scientific paper:
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008032
- How to start writing: Ten simple rules for structuring papers:
- How to make good figures: Ten Simple Rules for Better Figures:
- How to present: Ten simple rules for effective presentation slides:
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009554